Point Pleasant Boro had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.7 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Howell Rebels 38-6. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 19th, while the Rebels are ranked 74th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Point Pleasant Boro found their leader in sophomore Jake Clayton, who rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Clayton was just one part of a punishing run game: Point Pleasant Boro was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 240 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 216 rushing yards in 20 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Point Pleasant Boro didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Colin Obser and Jacob Reitmeyer.
Point Pleasant Boro pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Howell, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-5.
Both are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Panthers takes on Gloucester City at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Point Pleasant Boro is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 35 points per game this season. As for Howell, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Kingsway at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Kingsway's defense has only allowed 12 points per game this season, so Howell's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
