Absegami 42, Lenape 14

Absegami's Ben Martin scored three touchdowns, David Hood scored two, and John Harvey added one. Martin now has 1,100 rushing yards this season. Quarterback Dylan Ross had 168 yards passing for the Braves (5-4).

Absegami 26, Ocean City 7

The Braves pulled away in the second half behind the running of Ben Martin and kept their South Jersey Group IV playoff hopes alive.

Martin scored on runs of 8-, 31- and 10-yards in the second half. Ocean City led 7-6 at halftime. The Red Raiders took the lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Curran to wide receiver Andrew Fioren…

Cherry Hill East 14,

Atlantic City 6

Cherry Hill East's Matthew Satchel returned two blocked punts for touchdowns in Monday's consolation game. Satchel's returns came in the first and fourth quarters and both were from 20 yards out. Alex Reber converted both extra point attempts.

Atlantic City's John Marshall-Robinson ran for a 64-yard touchdown in the second quarte…

Atlantic City 18,

Vineland 7

Jon Marshall-Robinson had 25 carries for 114 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Vikings (1-6) won their first game of the season. Marshall-Robinson scored on a 72-yard kickoff return and a 29-yard run.

Atlantic City's Jahmil Bailey had 14 carries for 32 yards, including a 5-yard TD run.

The Bridgeton High School football team is winning games and surviving.

The survival may be the more impressive part.

The fifth-seeded Bulldogs meet top-seeded Delsea Regional in a South Jersey Group II semifinal at 7 p.m. today.

Bridgeton took the field against Cinnaminson last Friday with just 23 players because of injuries. Still, Bridgeton won 28-18.

Bridgeton upset perennial power St. Joseph 14-6 in the season opener Sept. 11.

That victory provided an immediate boost for the Bulldogs and propelled them to their fourth-straight playoff appearance.

Bridgeton also ended the regular season playing well. The Bulldogs have won three of their last four games.

Cinnaminson (6-2) is 6-0 against public schools. Cinnaminso…

Jimmy Owens ran for 189 yards and six touchdowns and second-seeded West Deptford High School beat seventh-seeded Buena Regional 56-12 in a South Jersey Group II quarterfinal football game Friday.

Vaughn Scott had 130 yards and a touchdown for West Deptford.

Buena Regional's Donetae McKinnon had a 29-yard rushing touchdown for the Chiefs within the opening minute.

Mc…

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - If you were in the stands and happened to miss something during the St. Joseph High School-Buena Regional game, there's a good chance it would have been Gordon Hill making a play.

The St. Joseph junior running back/safety did it all Friday, offensively and defensively, leading the Wildcats to a 47-7 Cape-Atlantic League National Conference win.

The w…

Tejay Johnson grew up in North Philadelphia, where if you weren't physical on the football field you stayed on the sidelines.

"If you didn't hit hard, you couldn't play," Johnson said. "We ran the wishbone. You had (defenders) two steps away from you. You had to run over people and break tackles."

Johnson, now a senior at Egg Harbor Township High School, is one of the stat…

BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - The Egg Harbor Township High School football team had the ball inside its own 1-yard line Saturday afternoon.

There were 8 minutes, 9 seconds left in the game. The Eagles led Shawnee by four points, but the Renegades had the momentum and the field position was obviously in their favor.

EHT had a modest goal.

"We just figured we'd get it out to…

The Hammonton High School football team faces another neighbor tonight.

The Blue Devils (8-1) meet Seneca (7-2) in a South Jersey Group III semifinal. Seneca is located a few miles from Hammonton up Route 206.

Hammonton, No. 5 in The Press' Elite 11, beat neighboring Winslow Township 30-0 in last Friday's quarterfinals.

The Blue Devils and Seneca have a history.

Winslow Township is the most talented eighth seed in South Jersey.

Hammonton is the top seed and No. 7 in The Press' Elite 11. The Blue Devils lost in last year's South Jersey Group III final to Shawnee, which has since moved to Group IV. Hammonton is seeking its first sectional title since 1996.

The Blue Devils are extremely quick on offense and haven't had this much tale…

The Holy Spirit High School football team is headed north again this weekend.

The sixth-seeded Spartans play at second-seeded St. Joseph-Montvale (Bergen County) in a state Non-Public III semifinal Saturday at 1 p.m.

Holy Spirit traveled to Passaic County last Friday and upset third-seeded DePaul Catholic in the quarterfinals. Spirit trailed 14-0 in the first quarter but r…

Holy Spirit heads north in the playoffs for the second straight year.

Spirit lost to Immaculata (Somerset County) 21-20 in last year's quarterfinals.

This year, Spirit travels to Wayne in Passaic County to meet DePaul.

Spirit and DePaul share a few things in common.

Pleasantville 42, Lower Cape May Regional 28

Quarterback Antwan Dickson led Pleasantville with three rushing touchdowns - including an 80-yarder - two passing touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Rashad Gant added two touchdowns for the Greyhounds.

Chris Alicea scored two touchdowns for Lower Cape May, the first on a 75-yard kick return that tied the game at 22 ju…

Buena Regional 34,

Lower Cape May Regional 7

Quarterback Dontae McKinnon scored a touchdown in each quarter to lead the Chiefs past the Caper Tigers. He broke touchdown runs for 44 yards, 4 yards, 2 yards, and 12 yards. He rushed 24 times for 209 yards. He added another 30 yards through the air on 4-for-7 passes.

Michael Haygood, who had 114 yards on 15 carries, als…

LINWOOD - The football teams of Mainland Regional High School and Absegami hooked up in a wild game Friday night, in which both teams seemed destined to dominate. There were big plays, long runs, long passes, trick plays and plenty of crucial moments.

Finally, things calmed down in a scoreless fourth quarter and Mainland won the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference game 32-22…

Millville High School's Dom Askins ran an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter and later added a 15-yard TD run as Millville improved to 4-3 with a 12-7 win over Mainland Regional.

Thunderbolts quarterback Tasker Robbins completed 10-of-13 passes for 126 yards. Wide receiver Khalil Wallace had three catches for 53 yards.

Quarterback Tom Bradway put …

Bridgeton 28,

Middle Township 13

Kyheem Simpson caught only two passes for two touchdowns, accounting for 105 of Tamar Jackson's 110 passing yards. Simpson scored on a 42-yard reception in the second quarter and a 63-yarder in the third.

Mike Cisrow rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns.

PLEASANTVILLE - The Pleasantville and Middle Township high school football teams had opposite offensive philosophies Friday night as they both tried to earn their first win of the season. The Greyhounds ran the ball on all but four plays, while Middle attempted to throw the ball on nearly every down.

Pleasantville's plan succeeded as the Greyhounds scored three first-half touchdo…

HAMMONTON - Hammonton wasted no time in letting Millville know its plans for Friday night's Cape-Atlantic League American Conference game.

On their first possession, three different Blue Devils carried the ball as Hammonton marched 80 yards on five running plays for a touchdown.

Hammonton (7-0), No. 6 in The Press' Elite 11, had its way with the Thunderbolts on both sides …

OCEAN CITY - Andrew Fiorentino and Chris Curran gave the Ocean City High School football team the lead Friday night.

Rob Zauck made sure the Red Raiders kept it.

The Red Raiders scored with 3 minutes, 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter to beat Millville 13-12 in a Cape-Atlantic League American Conference game. Ocean City (2-3) boosted its playoff hopes. Millville (3-3) …

Oakcrest 20, Vineland 0

Michael Smith scored two touchdowns for visiting Oakcrest (4-4). The senior running back scored on a 2-yard carry in the third quarter and reached the end zone on an 18-yard run in the fourth.

Oakcrest quarterback Larry Perna had the Falcons' other touchdown, a second-quarter score on a 1-yard carry.

Vineland falls to 1-7.

Oakcrest High School's Craig James can play any skill position for the Falcons' football team, but Villanova University wants him as a defensive back.

The Oakcrest senior and four-year starter has verbally committed to attend Villanova, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) program. James will receive a full athletic scholarship. He will sign a national let…

Ocean City 31,

Atlantic City 26

Ocean City quarterback Chris Curran connected with Mike Coccodrilli three times to help the Red Raiders beat host Atlantic City.

Coccodrilli caught 22-, 21- and 14-yard passes from Curran, who also kicked a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter.

OCEAN CITY - Egg Harbor Township High School coach Tony DeRosa didn't have much to say to his team at halftime on Friday night. The Eagles sat in the locker room trailing Ocean City, waiting for him to say something.

This was the first time all season EHT trailed at the half, and DeRosa left the talking to his seniors.

Tejay Johnson, Zach Agostino and Scott Miller inspired…

Pleasantville 42, Lower Cape May Regional 28

Quarterback Antwan Dickson led Pleasantville with three rushing touchdowns - including an 80-yarder - two passing touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Rashad Gant added two touchdowns for the Greyhounds.

Chris Alicea scored two touchdowns for Lower Cape May, the first on a 75-yard kick return that tied the game at 22 ju…

PLEASANTVILLE - The Pleasantville and Middle Township high school football teams had opposite offensive philosophies Friday night as they both tried to earn their first win of the season. The Greyhounds ran the ball on all but four plays, while Middle attempted to throw the ball on nearly every down.

Pleasantville's plan succeeded as the Greyhounds scored three first-half touchdo…

The last time the St. Augustine Prep football team played a home playoff game the Hermits didn't have a home field.

St. Augustine beat St. Mary's of Rutherford 30-8 to win the state Parochial I championship in 1995. The contest was played at Buena Regional High School, located a few miles up the road from St. Augustine in Buena Vista Township.

Times have changed.

Fo…

Northern New Jersey meets southern New Jersey in this contest.

Seton Hall Prep is an Essex County power. The Pirates rely on the running of Kevin Monangai and Rory Merklinger, who carried 43 times in one game this season. Defensive end Connor Wujciak is a Division I college prospect.

Seton Hall's only loss was 34-28 in overtime to DePaul in the second week of the season.

One spin move changed everything for Jarred Bianchini this high school football season.

The St. Joseph running back and defensive back spun away from a Middle Township defender on Sept. 19. Bianchini sprinted 68 yards for a touchdown.

But as the crowd cheered, Bianchini worried. He had heard his right knee "pop" when he made the move. The senior had torn his anterior cruci…

St. Joseph has gone two years without a winning a state title.

Most schools still would be basking in the glow of that championship.

For St. Joe, two years without a title is a reason to panic.

St. Joe is the top seed in state Non-Public II and seeks its first state title since 2006. The Wildcats won a state-record eight straight playoff championships from 1999-2006…

Oakcrest 20, Vineland 0

Michael Smith scored two touchdowns for visiting Oakcrest (4-4). The senior running back scored on a 2-yard carry in the third quarter and reached the end zone on an 18-yard run in the fourth.

Oakcrest quarterback Larry Perna had the Falcons' other touchdown, a second-quarter score on a 1-yard carry.

Vineland falls to 1-7.

No. 6 Hammonton 27,

Vineland 7

Joshua Baez had two fourth-quarter touchdowns on 3- and 34-yard runs for Hammonton (6-0), No. 6 in The Press' Elite 11.

Blue Devils quarterback Nick Crescenzo scored his 10th rushing touchdown of the season on a 44-yard carry in the third quarter.David Crescenzo, Nick's cousin, also scored on a 23-yard run.

Shore Conference

Howell 37,

Southern Regional 19

Southern Regional quarterback Mike Balak completed 10-of-21 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Balak connected with Christian Bok on a 55-yard pass and Bill Shimko on a 12-yarder.

Southern Regional 26,

Manalapan 14

Southern Regional running back Brian Abbey rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Abbey scored on 29- and 14-yard runs.

Wide receiver Nick Tampone caught five passes for 105 yards and one touchdown for the Rams (3-3).

Barnegat 31,

Overbrook 6

Barnegat's Nick SanGiacomo threw two touchdowns and ran for one as the Bengals defeated Overbrook 31-6. The junior quarterback threw for 246-yards, which puts him over the 2000-yard mark for the season.

In the first quarter, SanGiacomo scored on the ground from a yard out before hitting Dan Murray with a 17-yard touchdown pass. SanGiacomo th…

Barnegat 48, Lakewood 6

Barnegat's Nick San Giacomo threw for three touchdowns and ran for one.

SanGiacomo completed 11-of-17 passes for 191 yards. Mike DeTroia had two touchdown catches.

Barnegat's defense held Lakewood to minus-45 yards rushing.

LACEY TOWNSHIP - Ask fans at Saturday's South Jersey Group III semifinal between Lacey and Pemberton who played well and they would almost certainly start their list with junior running backs Jarrod Molzon and Jake Dabal - and with good reason.

Molzon ran for 213 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns and Dabal for 155 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown as the third-seeded Li…

From Press staff reports

Lacey Township High School beat visiting Freehold Boro 17-0 Saturday in a Shore Conference football game for its sixth straight win and fifth shutout.

Lacey quarterback Craig Cicardo produced two touchdowns - a 4-yard pass to Matt Uveges and a 4-yard run.

Kicker Jared Molzon hit a 34-yard field goal.

Pinelands Regional 26,

Point Pleasant Borough 0

Bobby Schwarzenberger picked of a pass and ran the ball back 53 yards for a Wildcats touchdown on the third play of the game. Michael Michaelson also scored two rushing touchdowns, one from 34 yards, the other from 33. Pinelands improved to 3-3 and will face Holmdel at home on Friday.

Pinelands 7 13 0 6-26

St. John Vianney 15,

Pinelands Regional 13

St. John Vianney tackled Pinelands Regional's Jake Hartman in the end zone with 1 minute, 6 seconds left in the fourth quarter for a safety that broke a 13-13 tie.

Hartman, who had 12 carries for 45 yards, scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a 9-yard run for the Wildcats.

WILDWOOD- The Middle Township High School football team finally got to celebrate after a game.

The Panthers earned their first victory after an 0-6 start, using a big-play offense and swarming defense to earn a 40-6 victory over winless Wildwood on Friday night.

"It sure is nice to get a win," Middle quarterback Nolan Quinn said. "Things haven't gone as we…

Pitman 42,

Wildwood 16

Wildwood's Wesley Hills ran the opening second-half kickoff back 82 yards for a touchdown. Hills also ran for 46 yards on seven carries.

Wildwood quarterback Rick Palmer threw an 18-yard TD pass to Francis Christian in the fourth quarter.

From Press staff reports

Ocean City's Chris Curran tied a Cape-Atlantic League record and broke a school record by throwing five touchdown passes as the Red Raiders defeated Cumberland Regional 33-22 in a non-conference football game on Monday.

The previous Ocean City record for touchdown passes was four, set by Bert Avis in 1951 and tied in 1972 by Dave Andrews. Curran ti…

Charles Clark scored Cumberland Regional High School's only touchdown on an 8-yard run in the first quarter of an 18-6 loss to Gloucester Catholic in a Tri-County Conference Royal Division football game Saturday.

Gloucester Catholic's Tim Segich had six catches for 82 yards and kicked an 87-yard punt in the first half. Quarterback Cody Brown completed 12-of-19 passes for 136 yard…