Shore Conference football: Toms River North steps up in win over Rumson-Fair Haven
RUMSON - Toms River North head football coach Dave Oizerowitz had been waiting for his players to show him and his coaching staff they had the leadership skills that are necessary.
It happened at halftime Friday night of the Shore Conference American Division game against Rumson-Fair Haven at Borden Stadium.
Toms River North was leading by 15 points at halftime, but Rumson-Fair Haven had scored late in the first half and the Mariners had committed nine penalties for 90 yards in the first half.
"I saw it happen,'' Oizerowitz said. "They want to win. They want to be a championship ball club.''
Toms River North, ranked No. 1 in both the Asbury Park Press Shore Conference Top 20 and No. 1 in the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey Public Schools Top 20, then put the finishing touches on a 42-21 win.
"We just had to lock in and combine together as seniors because we know what it takes to get that level and succeed at a high level,'' said senior quarterback/defensive Micah Ford, who ran for four touchdowns, threw for two scores and accounted for almost 400 yards of total offense. "Energy is contagious so we had to make that energy high so other players could feed off it.''
Things got a little tighter for the Mariners as Rumson-Fair Haven closed to within 28-21 with 10:16 left in the third quarter on an Owen O'Toole to Matteo Gangemi 10-yard TD pass and O'Toole to Nick Rigby 2-point conversion pass five plays after B.J. Devine recovered a Ford fumble.
"I said, 'Now, we're going to see. We're in a ball game now,' '' Oizerowitz said he told assistant coach Joe Oizerowitz, his brother.
That was the second time Toms River North had faced adversity on the night. It also trailed 6-0 after O'Toole and Jackson Gallagher teamed up for a 92-yard TD pass on the first play of the game.
The Mariners scored 28 straight points after they overcame the shock of that initial score.
"It was a gut-check game,'' Oizerowitz said. "In some ways, I prefer the way it kind of went because I really didn't know what this team had in its gut. I know we beat Millville, but that was a Week 0 game and kind of like a scrimmage that counted. This was a real American Division game. I wanted to see what we had.''
What it means
Toms River North (3-0, 1-0), which went 14-0 and won the NJSIAA Group 5 championship last season, extended its winning streak that dates back to the start of the 2022 season to 17.
The Mariners also cleared the first of what will be several hurdles in the American Division. They have divisional games with Donovan Catholic, Middletown South, Wall and Red Bank Catholic remaining.
Rumson-Fair Haven (2-1, 1-1), ranked No. 4 in the APP Top 20 and No. 9 in the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey Public School Top 20, is one game off the pace with divisional games remaining against Red Bank Catholic, Wall and Donovan Catholic.
By the numbers
Ford ran for 222 yards on 25 carries, and that included a 16-yard loss on a fumble on his second carry of the game.
His TD runs were 18 yards, 81 yards, 9 and 4 yards.
On the 81-yard, he bounced off a tackler at the line of scrimmage and then raced down the right side line.
He also was 5-for-8 for 159 yards with TD passes of 63 yards to Jeremiah Pruitt on a third-and-18 on the Mariners' first series and 54 yards to Camryn Thomas on a third-and-6 on Toms River North's second series.
"I've played with Micah since I was 5 years old. Every time, he steps on the field, I know it's going to be amazing,'' Toms River North senior left tackle Justin Kaye said.
Ford had six carries for 52 yards on the nine-play, 58-yard drive that enabled the Mariners to extend their lead to 34-21 with 5:37 left in the third quarter.
O'Toole was 15-for-30-for-239 yards and two TDs and an interception.
The two teams also accounted for 20 penalties for 196 yards. Toms River North was penalized 11 times for 110 yards. Rumson-Fair Haven had nine penalties for 86 yards.
Key plays
There were two in Toms River North's 11-play, 71-yard drive that enabled Toms River North to build its lead to 42-21 with 8:26 remaining.
The first came on a fourth-and-1 from the Mariners' 38. At first, Oizerowitz sent the punt team on the field.
Several coaches, including offensive coordinator Mike Oizerowitz and junior Nasir Jackson, begged Oizerowitz to change his mind.
But, then with the play-clock running down, he had to use a time out and that resulted in a rethink.
"That's when they worked me over,'' Oizerowitz said. "Everyone worked me over pretty good.''
Ford then ran for 7 yards and the first down.
Five plays later, Toms River North faced a third-and-6 from the Rumson-Fair Haven 18 when Ford, after it looked he was going to be stopped for no gain, carried a tackler on his back for 8 yards and a first down. He scored his fourth TD two plays later.
"You just have to play to the whistle. That's what everyone has taught me,'' Ford said. "Until I hear a whistle, I'm going 100 percent.''
"He's a different player. He's a different breed. There's something else in him that no one else has,'' Mike Oizerowitz said.
Ford's night was not perfect. Besides the lost fumble, he also missed the tackle on the O'Toole to Gallagher 92-yard TD play.
"I was upset in the moment (of both plays), but you just have to put all that stuff behind you and continue to play every down. There was a lot of time left on the clock, so I didn't really let it get to me,'' Ford said.
Up next
Toms River North will make the short trip across Toms River to play at Donovan Catholic (2-0, 0-0) Sept. 15 in an American Division game.
Rumson-Fair Haven will have a bye next week and then host Red Bank Catholic (1-1, 0-0) Sept. 22.
Toms River North 42, Rumson-Fair Haven 21
Toms River North 14 14 6 8 - 42
Rumson-Fair Haven 7 6 8 0 - 21
First Quarter
RFH: Jackson Gallagher 92 pass from Owen O'Toole (Ryan Child kick).
TRN: Jeremiah Pruitt 63 pass from Micah Ford (Yianni Papanikolas kick).
TRN: Camryn Thomas 54 pass from Ford (Papanikolas kick).
Second Quarter
TRN: Ford 18 run (Papanikolas kick).
TRN: Ford 81 run (Papanikolas kick).
RFH: Kellen Murray 5 run (kick failed).
Third Quarter
RFH: Matteo Gangemi 10 pass from O'Toole (Nick Rigby pass from Owen O'Toole).
TRN: Ford 9 run (run failed).
Fourth Quarter
TRN: Ford 4 run (Nasir Jackson run).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: TRN: Micah Ford 25-222, Josh Moore 11-62, Jeremiah Pruitt 2-11, Nasir Jackson 1-5, Mordecai Ford 1-3, T.J. Valerio 3-(-3). RFH: Kellen Murray 3-37, Alastair Orr 7-15, Owen O'Toole 5-10, Griffin Kolb 3-0, Cooper Bunnell 1-(-1).
Passing: TRN; Micah Ford 5-8-0-159. RFH: O'Toole 15-30-1-239.
Receiving: TRN: Jeremiah Pruitt 3-97, Camryn Thomas 1-54, Josh Moore 1-8. RFH: Nick Rigby 5-74, Jackson Gallagher 3-100, Jordan Angstreich 3-32,Murray 2-12, Nick Thomas 1-11, Matteo Gangemi 1-10,
Interceptions: TRN: Tareq Counci.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore football: Toms River North beats Rumson Fair-Haven
