Shore Conference Football: Red Bank Catholic goes 'Brady Mode' in OT win vs Toms River North
TOMS RIVER - Red Bank Catholic senior wide receiver Emanuel Ross had a simple message to junior quarterback Frankie Williams before the Caseys took the field with 1:42 remaining in Friday night's titanic Shore Conference American Division game against Toms River North at Gernerd Field.
"I walked up to him and said, 'Brady Mode.' I got that from Shedeur Sanders (the Colorado University quarterback)," Ross said, referencing former NFL great Tom Brady's penchant for dramatic last-minute drives. "He was like, 'We're going to go score.' ''
More: Shore Conference football schedule, scoreboard, highlights: Week 8
Williams, showing the type of poise and management of the clock that Brady would be proud of, and with the aid of the sensational talents of Ross, marched the Caseys 86 yards in 13 plays and 1:40 to pull Red Bank Catholic within one.
Red Bank Catholic, went for two, made it, had the play called back due to a procedure penalty, and kicked the extra point to send the game into overtime.
Then, Williams connected with Ross for a sensational 25-yard TD pass on the first play of overtime as Red Bank Catholic, ranked No. 1 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10, defeated the No. 3 Mariners 35-28 in an instant classic.
There is no question, it was a complete coming out party for the talented and cool Williams.
"My first overtime game,'' Williams said. "Everyone was waiting for this game. It was worth the wait. This whole week, I thought we had a chip on our shoulders.''
He threw for 305 yards and three TDs – two of which to Ross. He ran for 96 yards and executed two-minute drills at the end of both halves. The one in the first half led to a 43-yard Justin LaMorte field goal with no time left.
"He's got a lot of game experience. We go over a lot of these situations in practice,'' Red Bank Catholic coach Mike Lange said. "It's physical, but those parts of the game are mental.''
On the final drive of regulation, Williams completed four passes for 70 yards and also got out of bounds twice on quarterback draw runs before sophomore Matt Lonczak smashed in from the 1 for the TD.
"He's a very cerebral kid,'' Lange said. "With our game, a lot of the RPO (run-pass option), it's him making the pre-snap and post-snap read. It's all on him. He just did a tremendous job.''
"He doesn't flinch,'' Ross said. "You won't see too much facial expressions on his face. He'll just do what he has to do.''
What it means for Red Bank Catholic, Toms River North
Red Bank Catholic (7-1, 4-0) set up a showdown for the American Division championship Oct. 27 at Donovan Catholic (7-1, 4-0).
Toms River North (7-2, 3-2) played without standout quarterback and Stanford University recruit Micah Ford after he sustained an injury on a sack late in the first quarter to his lower leg. The injury did not appear to be serious.
However, the Mariners lost no respect in defeat.
Ford stood on the Toms River North sideline throughout much of the rest of the game. In fact, he started to run out on the field at the start of the third quarter, but Toms River North head coach Dave Oizerowitz pulled him back.
Ford had a 76-yard TD run on a fourth-and-1 on the Mariners' first possession.
"I really hope Micah is OK.'' Ross, who will be Ford's collegiate teammate at Stanford, said. "I think Toms River North is going to have a real good end of the season.''
The defending NJSIAA Group 5 champion Mariners showed they will still be a major contender in Group 5.
Backup quarterback T.J. Valerio threw TD passes to Camryn Thomas and Nasir Jackson and ran for a 5-yard TD as Toms River North scored on three of four possessions in the second half to take a 28-21 lead with 7:21 remaining.
"That's a great football team,'' Lange said about Toms River North. "They're going to go far in the playoffs.''
Key Play No. 1.
There were so many big plays throughout the game and especially in the late stages.
One of the biggest came on a fourth-and-6 from the Toms River North 36 with 31 seconds left in regulation.
Flushed from the pocket, Williams ran back to midfield, evaded the rush and found an open Lonczak for an 11-yard gain and a first down at the 25. Lonczak also got out of bounds.
"I was rolling out, saw nothing there, reversed it and had Matt Lonczak open in the flat,'' Williams said.
Key play No. 2
On th play after the completion to Lonczak, Williams and Ross hooked up for a 24-yard completion on a fade pattern to the Mariners' 1 despite the excellent coverage of cornerback Tareq Council. Ross also got out bounds.
"It was a great ball,'' Ross said. "He actually threw to me away from coverage. I was trying to run it down. I stayed with him and then I was able to back out of it. I had to give myself as much space as possible.''
Lonczak scored on the next play.
Key play No. 3
The game-winning Williams to Ross TD was a combination of a great throw by Williams and Ross somehow making sure his feet stayed in bounds along the right sideline.
"I didn't know exactly where I was on the field,'' Ross said. "I was like, I've got to keep my feet on the ground and just make sure I maintained control of the ball and stay in.''
"He's electric,'' Lange said.
Red Bank Catholic sealed the win when it sacked Valerio on two consecutive plays. A pass on fourth-and-28 fell incomplete.
Red Bank Catholic 35, Toms River North 28, OT
Red Bank Catholic 7 6 8 7 7 - 35
Toms River North 7 0 7 14 0 - 28
First Quarter
TRN: Micah Ford 76 run (Yianni Papanikolas kick).
RBC: Emanuel Ross 58 pass from Frankie Williams (Justin LaMorte kick).
Second Quarter
RBC: LaMorte 22 Field Goal.
RBC: LaMore 43 Field Goal.
Third Quarter
TRN: T.J. Valerio 5 run (Papanikolas kick).
RBC: Jack Bohm-Squicciani 12 pass from Williams (Ross run).
Fourth Quarter
TRN: Camryn Thomas 29 pass from Valerio (Papanikolas kick).
TRN: Nasir Jackson 24 pass from Valerio (Papanikolas kick).
RBC: Lonczak 1 run (LaMorte kick).
Overtime
RBC: Ross 25 pass from Williams (LaMorte kick).
Individual Statistics
Rushing: RBC: Frankie Williams 16-96, Emanuel Ross 5-67, Luke Wassef 4-16, Matt Lonczak 4-4, Nick Friscia 1-0, Team 1-(-15). TRN: Micah Ford 8-100, Josh Moore 12-83, T.J. Valerio 24-69, Jeremiah Pruitt 3-11, Nasir Jackson 1-4.
Passing: RBC: Williams 20-30-0-306. TRN: Valerio 5-9-0-83.
Receiving: RBC: Ross 6-155, Daniel Zabora 6-64, Jack Bohm-Squicciani 2-39, Matt Lonczak 3-32, Lonczak 1-8, Wassef 1-8, Curtis O'Brien 1-(-1). TRN: Camryn Thomas 2-48, Jackson 2-29, Tareq Council 1-6.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore football: Red Bank Catholic wins thriller over Toms River North
