Football: Toms River North Hits The Road For Playoff Opener

(PHOTO: Toms River North coach Dave Oizerowitz talks to his team after their victory over Toms River South. Credit: Karen Wall)

Toms River North has a tall task in the opening round of the NJSIAA sectional football playoffs.

The Mariners, the eighth seed in South Jersey Group V, drew undefeated Lenape for their first-round opponent, according to official NJSIAA sectional pairings on NJ.com. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start Friday at Lenape High School, in Medford.

Toms River North is coming off back-to-back losses, 30-13 to Brick two weeks ago, and a 21-0 shutout at the hands of Neptune on Friday night. North running back Asante Moorer, who has been an integral part of the Mariners’ offense all season, left the Brick game in the first half with an ankle injury, and according to game statistics provided by the Shore Sports Network, carried the ball just four times against Neptune. The Mariners will need him Friday night to keep Lenape from keying on quarterback Mike Husni.

The Indians (8-0) have beaten five teams that qualified for the playoffs this fall: Nottingham (37-6); Trenton (44-0); Allentown (18-14); Cherokee (24-16), and Rancocas Valley (14-10). Senior quarterback James Kennedy has 400 yards passing and four touchdowns, and the Indians have a multitude of ballcarriers, with Ben Hunt leading the way with 635 yards rushing and five touchdowns and Malcolm Anthony (302, 2 TDs) and Steve Anderson (272, 4 TDs) helping to share the load.

If the Mariners win, they would get the winner of the Brick Memorial-Cherokee game in the second round.

IF YOU GO:

The GPS address for Lenape High School is 235 Hartford Rd, Medford, NJ 08055. From Toms River, take Route 37 west to Route 70, then follow Route 70 west to Medford. Turn right on Hartford Road and the school is about a mile ahead.

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