Toms River North football chasing history in quest for first-ever NJSIAA Group 5 title
TOMS RIVER - For Jersey Shore football fans of a certain generation, the 1974 Brick team is iconic because of its place in history. In the first year of the NJSIAA playoffs, it was the Green Dragons' dramatic victory over Camden to win the South Group 4 title that opened the door for all the sectional championships that would follow.
Speaking of history, Toms River North has already obliterated the Shore Conference record for points in a season and points per game, having amassed 590 points in 12 games, an average of 49.2 points.
More:Toms River North sets football scoring record; what other teams scored 400 points?
Now the Mariners (12-0) are in position to do what no program from the area, or the state for that matter, has ever done before, as the NJSIAA crowns overall public school group state champions for the first time.
The quest to secure a prominent place in Shore Conference lore begins Saturday (5:30 p.m.) when Toms River North takes on Edison (9-3) at Cherokee High School in a Group 5 semifinal, as the Mariners seek to become the first Shore team to win 13 games in a season.
“From a coach’s perspective, we don’t necessarily look at it that way, but there is a nostalgic part of it,” Mariners’ coach Dave Oizwrowitz. “It’s a unique year, the first time that they’re ever having it, so I think those teams will be looked at a little differently.”
With an average margin of victory of 41.3 points, the 34 points the Mariners beat Kingsway by in the South Group 5 final was the closest anyone’s come to the Mariners since they beat Rumson-Fair Haven, 40-27, back on Labor Day weekend at Rutgers.
“We have the potential to possibly go down as one of the best teams at the Shore, so that is cool to think about knowing that the hard work is paying off,” said Micah Ford, the junior quarterback who has 1,957 rushing yards and 28 TDs, to go with 1,061 yards through the air and 13 TDs, while picking four passes off.
'Something bigger looming'
At the heart of their success has been the record-setting offense that shattered the previous mark of 543 points set by the 2014 Red Bank Catholic team that won the Non-Public Group 3 championship.
Only five teams have ever gone over 500 points in a season, and one of them was the 2016 Toms River North team led by quarterback Mike Husni that scored 532 points, eventually losing in a sectional final.
“Like I was shocked when they said we had over 500 yards rushing last week,” said Oizwrowitz, in his 10th season, of their 48-14 win over Kingsway in the sectional final. “I think the efficiency by which we go about our business, it doesn’t make it seem like we’re rolling up those kind of numbers. Like in 2016 it felt like it. We would score so fast, but I don’t know if we strung drives together like this team does. This team leans on you, wears you down, so it feels a little different.”
It was the program’s seventh sectional title, but its first since 2015. Now Toms River North has a chance to go where no team has gone before by winning the first-ever overall state championship contested among the largest public schools in New Jersey.
“Just knowing you’ve been put in this position is a blessing,” Ford said, “and I feel like our team can get it done if we just work hard and stay focused don’t let our heads get too big.”
“It’s an odd feeling because usually after the sectional, that’s it,” Oizwrowitz added. “Now there’s something bigger looming out there. Especially when it’s the first year it’s been done.”
Whatever happens this weekend and beyond will likely be tied directly to Ford, who flashed his potential as a sophomore, setting the stage for his breakthrough season on both sides of the ball. Ford already has offers from Maryland and West Virginia.
“It's hard when you coach someone to say how good they are because obviously you’re not objective,” Oizwrowitz said. “But when I watch the film and I sit there and I‘m not emotionally attached to the game anymore, I’m like, ‘I’ve never seen many people who can do that, if anyone.’ And he comes back on defense and does the same thing.”
Here’s one more nugget to leave you with. Tome River North’s 496-point differential – they’ve only given up 94 points all season – is the most anyone at the Shore's ever outscored the opposition by. And it's just another sign of how historic the Mariners’ season could end up being.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River North NJ football breaking records in NJSIAA playoff quest
