Shore football: Holmdel quarterback shows off Cannon in win over Raritan

HAZLET - Holmdel High School sophomore quarterback Jack Cannon has been asked to do more each week.

Friday night, at Raritan High School's Joseph J. DeVirgilio Field, Holmdel head coach Jeff Rainess and his offensive assistant coaches put a lot on Cannon's plate.

Cannon then showed off his all-around skills by throwing for a TD, running for a TD and accounting for 255 yards of total offense in Holmdel's 35-0 win that enabled it to improve to 7-0.

"We felt like the strength of the football team was in the offensive line this year,'' Rainess said. "We didn't want to get away from the identity of who we are (Holmdel has run the split-back veer alignment throughout Rainess' eight-season tenure and had four straight winning seasons from 2017-2020). It's made us pretty successful. I like the physicality, but we have a different kid at the quarterback position right now. ''

Cannon is extremeley mobile. He can run both option plays and designed quarterback bootleg plays. He also has an accurate arm.

"We've given him dribs and drabs,'' Rainess said. "We felt like tonight we could let him loose a little bit and give him a little bit more. You just see the athleticism jump out of him.''

Cannon comes from a family that is Holmdel football royality. His father, Scott, played for Holmdel and then collegiately at Murray State. His uncle, John, played at Holmdel, William & Mary and then in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His uncle, Gary, played at Holmdel and at the University of Delaware.

"A lot of people know the name at Holmdel, and it's just a great thing to play for the same high school as my dad and my uncles,'' Cannon said. "I grew up around football so much. It's just what I grew to love.''

There is something else Cannon picked up from his father and his uncles, and that is knowing how to play the game.

"The IQ is terrific,'' Rainess said. "The best thing is he's a sophomore on a senior heavy team. The team has rallied behind him. He's a very calm, composed kid, and he makes everyone else around him better. He's able to pick up on things very quickly. ''

Holmdel’s first TD was the perfect example of the dimension Cannon adds. On a first and 10 from the Raritan 40, Cannon, on the run, threw a strike to senior receiver Matthew Tempone. Tempone caught the ball on the run and raced in for the game’s first TD with 1:29 remaining in the first quarter.

“That’s really where the magic is – his ability to keep plays alive,’’ Rainess said. “Tonight, his confidence level was way up. Once, he got one or two under his belt, you could really see him feeling pretty good about things.’’

What it means

Holmdel, ranked No. 8 in the Asbury Park Press Top 20, is 7-0 for the first time since it started the 2007 season 9-0. It also won the Battle of the Border Trophy given each year to the winner of this game. The Hornets evened the series between the two teams 8-8.

It was also Holmdel’s fifth consecutive shutout. “We just keep trying to play hard. It’s not about how many points they score. It’s about just playing team defense and being unselfish,’’ Holmdel senior linebacker Connor Fields said. “It’s an unselfish unit. We need all 11 people and we play hard. That's all it is.''

The closest Raritan (2-5) came was on its first possession, when it had a 32-yard field goal partially blocked.

"We know anyone can score on us. Anyone is dangerous,'' Fields said. "We game plan hard and we practice hard.''

Key play

Holmdel was leading 7-0 late in the first half, when it faced a third-and-14 from the Rockets' 26. Cannon scrambled to his right and ran 18 yards for a first down.

Two plays later, junior running back Matthew Iulo powered in from the 1 for the first of his two TDs to make it 14-0 with 21 seconds left in the half.

"We're really a versatile offense,'' Cannon said. "We can do a lot of things with our line and our running backs and our wide receivers as well.''

Holmdel then put the game away when Cannon's 33-yard TD run capped an 80-yard seven-play drive to begin the second half.

By the numbers

444: The total yards Holmdel accumulated.

298: The yardage Holmdel rushed for.

146: The yardage Cannon threw for as he went 9-for-14. One hundred sixteen of those yards came in the first half.

109: The yardage Cannon ran on 11 carries. Seventy of those yards came in the first half.

Up next

Holmdel (7-0, 4-0) will host Shore (5-2, 2-2) Oct. 20 at Bob Roggy Field as it tries to clinch the outright Shore Conference Constituton Division championship. The Hornets have already clinched at least a share of the divisional title - their first divisional championship since 2018.

Raritan (2-5, 2-2) will host No. 7 Point Pleasant Boro (6-1, 3-1) in a Shore Conference Colonial Division game. The Rockets will be trying to prevent Point Boro from earning at least a share of the divisional title and also give their own playoff hopes a major boost. Point Boro is currently tied with Colts Neck for the Colonial Division lead.

Holmdel 35, Raritan 0

Holmdel 7 7 14 7 - 35

Raritan 0 0 0 0 - 0

First Quarter

Matthew Tempone 40 pass from Jack Cannon (Connor Medini kick).

Second Quarter

Matthew Iulo 1 run (Mendini kick).

Third Quarter

Jack Cannon 33 run (Mendini kick).

Iulo 6 run (Mendini kick).

Fourth Quarter

Anthony Setteducate 45 run (Mendini kick).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: H: Jack Cannon 11-109, Anthony Setteducate 13-105, Matthew Iulo 13-50, A.J. Todisco 3-28, Gary Collyer 1-6. R: Logan Goldsberry 12-32, Jayden Craft 3-30, John Jeleniewski 7-16, Matthew Jones 2-10, Xavier Nunez 1 (-3).

Passing: H: Cannon 9-14-0-146. R: Goldsberry 6-18-1-122.

Receiving: H: Matthew Tempone 2-54, Setteducate 2-37, Collyer 2-36, Malik Taskier 2-8, Will Gilifillan 1-11. R: Craft 3-81, Stephen Moser 1-16, Nunez 1-13, Shaun Brown 1-12.

Interceptions: H: Collyer.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference NJ Football: Holmdel, Jack Cannon beat Raritan