 makes the defensive play_Photo by Tom Smith.jpg)
Central, Group 2
2-Manasquan 40, 7-Delaware Valley 21
Senior running back Canyon Birch led the Warriors by rushing for over 150 yards and two touchdowns and senior James Pendergist had rushing and receiving touchdowns as Manasquan advanced to the semifinals. Pendergist had a 37-yard touchdown run and also caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan O'Leary, who also throw a touchdown to Riley Callahan. Senior fullback Rashid Tuddles also added a touchdown run for Manasquan, who led 33-6 at halftime.
Central, Group 3
3-Red Bank 30, 6-Allentown 13
Red Bank utilized a strong rushing attack with junior running back Makai Mickens raking up 123 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs rallied late to overcome Allentown. Senior Nigel Mitchell also rushed for 114 yards and a pair of scores, one rushing and one receiving. He scored on the first play of the game, a 46-yard rushing touchdown, and then caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give Red Bank a 14-13 lead. Mickens scored on a 16-yard run to make it 21-13, and then intercepted a pass to set up his own 70-yard touchdown run for a 28-13 lead. A safety by the Red Bank defense capped the scoring.
4-Holmdel 42, 5-Nottingham 0
Holmdel recorded its first playoff win since 2007 thanks to a strong ground game and dominating defensive effort. Senior running back Dean Gallo ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns and seniorquarterback Jeff DeCicco also had three rushing touchdowns. Junior running back Cameron LaMountain also ran for over 100 yards. Gallo started the night off right away with an 89-yard touchdown sprint on Holmdel's first offensive play and added another touchdown on the Hornets' second drive. A 26-yard touchdown run by DeCicco made it 21-0, and a 25-yard run by DeCicco pushed the lead to 28-0, at halftime. Holmdel's defense recorded its fifth shutout of the season.
2-Rumson-Fair Haven 28, 7-Ocean 7
With senior running back Alex Maldjian injured and unable to play, sophomore running back Johnny Volker filled in and produced 118 yards rushing and three touchdowns to help send the Bulldogs to the semifinals. Volker had touchdown runs of 11, eight and 37 yards, as the Bulldogs got out to a 21-7 halftime lead. Rumson gained some additional breathing room in the fourth quarter when Collin Coles hit Ian O'Connor on a slant and O'Connor took it 97 yards for a touchdown. For Ocean, Trebor Pena had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and ran for a team-high 85 yards.
Central, Group 4
1-Long Branch 42, 8-Middletown North 0
Junior running back Jermaine Corbett ran for 126 yards and scored two touchdowns and also had a receiving touchdown to lead the Green Wave past the Lions. Corbett had touchdown runs of five and 17 yards and also took a screen pass 15 yards for a score as Long Branch opened up a 35-0 halftime lead. Senior quarterback Marc Dennis also tossed a nine-yard touchdown to Niles Montgomery and Jah'Kwan Gordon returned an interception for a touchdown in the second half. Devyn Blount, Jarell Sherin and Luke Arnold also had interceptions as Long Branch held Middletown North to just 163 total yards of total offense in recording its fifth shutout of the season.
2-Middletown South 35, 7-Northern Burlington 14.jpg)
Senior quarterback Trevor Brey had a pair of touchdown runs and also threw a touchdown pass to Connor Ard as the Eagles topped Northern Burlington to advance to the semifinals. Brey threw a 33-yard touchdown to Ard to open the scoring and ran for touchdowns of 17 and 21 yards to give the Eagles a 21-0 halftime lead. A 41-yard score by Jamie Petrillo advanced the lead to 28-0, and Vin Condito powered in for a two-yard rushing touchdown after two Northern Burlington touchdowns. Brey finished with 121 yards rushing on 15 carries and completed 8-of-16 passes for 135 yards. Petrillo ran for 96 yards and a touchdown on eight carries and Condito ran for 61 yards as the Eagles totaled 318 yards on the ground.
Central, Group 5
5-Manalapan 14, 4-Hunterdon Central 7
A one-yard touchdown run by senior Dale Sieczkowski and the ensuing two-point conversion from quarterback Sean Kehley to tight end Alex Claro with 3:07 to play in the fourth quarter was enough to allow the Braves to advance in the playoffs on the road over Hunterdon Central. Manalapan kicked a pair of field goals in the first half, with Jack Dematteo connecting from 31 and 28 yards out.
Non-Public, Group 3
3-Mater Dei Prep 35, 6-Donovan Catholic 21
Despite trailing 13-6 at the half and 21-20 with just over four minutes remaining, Mater Dei came back and defeated Donovan Catholic, 35-21. A rushing touchdown by Malik Ingram with 2:12 to play gave the Seraphs the lead, and an interception returned for a touchdown with 1:10 left gave them some breathing room as the Seraphs advanced to the state semifinals.
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