POINT PLEASANT - The worst case scenario happened in the first half Friday night for the Toms River High School North football team in its dramatic come-from-behind 24-21 over Point Pleasant Borough in a key Shore Conference Class A South game at Al Saner Field.
The Panthers, and their ground-eating triple option offense out of the flexbone alignment were taking massive time off the clock and scoring.
Sixteen minutes and 19 seconds into the game, Point Borough, ranked No. 5 in the Asbury Park Press Super 25, led 14-0 on two long drives and had run 23 plays to the Mariners' one. Toms River North's one play resulted in a fumble, 12 seconds of possession time.
"We talked about scenarios where the game could turn into that type of game,'' Toms River North coach Dave Oizerowitz said. "It was the one scenario where I felt they could beat us. ''
But, the Mariners and their bevy of play-makers on offense, led by senior quarterback T.J. Valerio, were able to get back into the game. Their defense came up with the one stop that was needed in the fourth quarter and senior Yianni Papanikolas booted a 20-yard field goal with 46 seconds remaining to give Toms River North, ranked No. 6 in the New Jersey Super 25 and No. 1 in the APP Super 25, the only lead it had all night.
"We found out about our grit,'' Valerio, who threw for 197 yards with TD passes of 15 yards to sophomore Cole Garrison and 5 yards to senior Nasir Jackson and ran for 62 yards with a 16-yard TD run, said.
"I've been saying since Day 1, we've been a great team. Whenever, we've faced adversity, we know how to overcome it. I wouldn't have had this game go any other way," Valerio added.
Toms River North had not trailed since the 35-28 overtime defeat to Red Bank Catholic on Oct. 20 of last season. It had not trailed by more than one score since the late stages of the 21-7 defeat at Donovan Catholic on Sept. 15, 2023.
Trailing a team like Point Borough by two scores - with the Panthers' ability to shorten the game and limit the number of possessions - is not a position any team wants to be in, even a team as explosive as Toms River North.
"This team has played so far out in front. Everything has gone our way,'' Oizerowitz said. "In this scenario, to see us play the way we did with our backs against the wall and execute at a very high level, yes, it was very satisfying to see that from our football game.
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The winning sequence
The best series of the night by the Toms River North defense drove the Panthers back six yards in three plays and forced a Point Borough punt from its 14. That enabled the Mariners to take over at the Point Borough 41 with 4:40 remaining
An 11-yard Valerio to Jackson completion - with Jackson making a tough reception - and runs of 10 yards by senior Mordecai Ford and Valerio moved the Mariners to the 8.
Three plays later, on fourth-and-goal from the 3, it was time for Papanikolas, the most prolific kicker in Toms River North history, to kick his first game-winning field goal.
The kick was not a thing of beauty, but it got the job done for Toms River North.
"Point Borough kept messing with my cadence, so I took a little stutter step,'' Papanikolas said. "It moved me closer to the ball. As I approached the ball, my foot was higher and on top of the ball. I kind of hit a knuckle ball. That doesn't usually happen. But, it went in.''
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Key play
What Oizerowitz admitted was not the highest percentage decision led to Toms River North's tying TD.
With Point Borough ahead 21-14 with 11:14 remaining, the Mariners faced a fourth-and-15 from their own 32. Oizerowitz made the decision to roll the dice and go for it.
"It's a terrible football play as a coach. Nobody should make that call,'' Oizerowitz said. "My thinking was, and I don't know if everyone was on board, but everyone is like, 'OK, coach, we're going to do it,' it's 21-14 in the fourth quarter and we hadn't slowed them down on the previous drive. I was afraid we wouldn't get the ball back. My thing was, right now we control our destiny.
Valerio hit senior Camryn Thomas on a deep crossing pattern over the middle for 30 yards and a first down to the Point Borough 38.
"I knew the line was going to have to buy me some time and I was going to have to step up (in the pocket),'' Valerio said. "I have trust in Cam. I always have trust in him. ''
Six plays later, Valerio converted another fourth down when he hit senior Mekai Morris for 12 yards on a fourth-and-3 from the Panthers' 19.
"I have trust in my guys,'' Valerio said. "There's not one guy, I don't trust.''
Two plays later, Valerio hooked up with Jackson on a play in which Jackson spun out of a tackle at the line of scrimmage for the tying TD.
"He should have been stopped at the 5-yard line, but he made a play out of that. That's how special our guys are,'' Valerio said.
Point Borough's time-consuming drives
The Panthers' three TD drives were 80 yards in 13 plays in 9:18 off the opening kickoff, 60 yards in 10 plays over 6:42 following a fumble recovery by sophomore Jake Clayton, and 75 yards in 11 plays in 6:41.
Sophomore Nick Spanola had the first TD on an 8-yard run and senior running back Dylan Reitmeyer, who ran for 115 yards on 29 carries, had two TD runs of 6 yards.
What it means
Toms River North (5-0, 3-0) extended the state's longest active winning streak to 10, dating back to the RBC game from last season, and its winning streak over public schools to 31, dating back to a defeat to Kingsway in the 2021 NJSIAA South Group 5 championship game.
The Mariners now lead Point Borough (3-2, 2-1) and Brick Memorial (4-1, 2-1) by one game in Class A South.
It was the first meeting between the two teams since a 13-8 Toms River North win in 1973 and just the Mariners' second win in six meetings over Point Borough. The teams met five straight seasons from 1969-73.
Up next
Toms River North will host Toms River South next Friday night in the 53rd meeting between the two sister schools.
Point Borough will host Colts Neck next Saturday night.
Toms River North 24, Point Pleasant Borough 21
Toms River North 0 7 7 10 – 24
Point Pleasant Borough 7 7 7 0 – 21
First Quarter
PBO; Nick Spanola 10 run (Jack Sullivan kick).
Second Quarter
PBo: Dylan Reitmeyer 6 run (Sullivan kick).
TRN: Cole Garrison 15 pass from T.J. Valerio (Yianni Papanikolas kick).
Third Quarter
TRN: Vlerio 16 run (Papanikolas kick).
PBo: Reitmeyer 6 run (Sullivan kick).
Fourth Quarter
TRN: Nasir Jackson 5 pass from Valerio (Papanikolas kick).
TRN: Papanikolas 20 Field Goal.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: TRN: T.J. Valerio 15-62, Mordecai Ford 2-15. PBo: Dylan Reitmeyer 29-115, Nick Spanola 6-50, Jake Clayton 5-45, Colin Obser 2-12.
Passing: TRN: Valerio 19-25-0-197. PBo: Clayton 0-2-0.
Receiving: TRN: Nasir Thomas 5-55, Cole Garrison 5-40, Camryn Thomas 4-59, Ford 4-31, Mekai Morse 1-12,
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference football: Toms River North-Point Pleasant Borough goes down to the wire
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