(Hometown View returns on Tuesday, December 5)

Practice for the winter sports season is well underway but for eight shore high schools, including Toms River North, Lacey and Point Boro there’s a final football game to be played with state sectional championships on the line.

Tonight Point Boro goes for its fourth state title and second in three years when they host West Deptford in the South Jersey Group 2 Finals at Al Saner Field. The 10-1 Panthers are led by quarterback Shane O’Connor and got a big boost with the return of receiver Bob Stowe two weeks ago from a knee injury. Kyle Coleman anchors a defense that’s posted three shutouts.
At Rutgers tonight, Asbury Park battles Keansburg for the Central Jersey Group 1 title in an all-shore showdown and following that Howell tries to win its first ever state championship when they play West Windsor-Plainsboro South.

Saturday afternoon will find the North Mariners looking to complete a perfect season with their first state crown in ten years. Ranked first at the shore and #9 in the state, North hosts Mainland, who has won 10 in-a-row since an opening week loss. The 11-0 Mariners are led by quarterback Anthony Penna and linebacker Zach Kane anchors a suffocating defense that’s allowed only 65 points all season. The game kicks-off at 1pm and will be broadcast on 1160AM and our Shore Sports Network.

At the same time Lacey will look to make it back-to-back South Jersey Group 3 titles when they welcome Shawnee into the Lions den. Lacey has won 7 games in a row and is peaking at the right time of the season. Justin Pandorf, Tom Rickmers, RJ Roe and Warren Smith are two-way standouts who will look to give the school its fourth sectional crown.

There’s a shore doubleheader Sunday at Rutgers with Rumson playing Carteret at 2pm followed by Long Branch and Moorestown. Those games will also be broadcast on our Shore Sports Network.

The NJSIAA will hold their annual meeting and award luncheon Monday at which time schools will vote on a pair of proposals that would call for major changes in the structure of high school football in New Jersey. Special sports awards will be handed out to recently-retired CBA basketball coach Ed Wicelinski and the late Al Kunzman, who won over 300 games as the baseball coach at Central Regional High School and did so with grace and dignity.