The Long Branch Green Wave took on unbeaten Manasquan High School this past weekend, looking to make a statement and give themselves a shot at a home game in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group II playoffs.

Above: Eatontown Recreation's Nicole Van Meerbeke (31) keeps a step ahead of Fair Haven's Haley Melita (11). Right: Victoria Van Wagner (12), an Eatontown Recreation team member, advances into Fair Haven territory during Northern Monmouth Soccer Association play at Memorial School field in Eatontown. PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Thanks to a heroic performance from junior quarterback Miles Shuler, they were able to accomplish both. The Green Wave knocked off an undermanned Manasquan team, 21-14, to improve to 6-2 and capture the fourth seed in the state sectional. The Blue Warriors were playing without eight players because of a "violation of team rules," but that did not keep Manasquan from fighting hard for the win.

But in the end it was the play of Shuler and teammate Billy George (who was playing with a bone bruise to his knee) that was the difference. Shuler rushed for 195 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown run, and threw for another 116 and a TD, and George scored the game-winning TD from three yards out in the game's final minutes.

What made Shuler's effort so special was that he missed most of the week of practice to attend his grandmother's funeral in California, and so he didn't start the game. But he certainly made the most of his time once he was inserted into the game.

With the win, along with Matawan High School's win over Bishop Ahr High School on Saturday, the Wave locked up the fourth PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff seed in the CJ Group II bracket. If Bishop Ahr had won, Raritan would have earned the seed by three points. However, Matawan's win gave Long Branch the edge over Raritan on the strength of schedule tiebreaker No. 3 — common opponents. While Long Branch and Raritan both finished with 129 power points, Long Branch beat Manasquan while Raritan lost to Manasquan, thereby giving Long Branch the higher seed and home field advantage for this weekend's opening-round match-up.

This is a significant turn of events for a Long Branch team that has to feel good about its chances in a wide-open CJ Group II tournament.

Although they did not beat a Manasquan team that was at full strength (among the starters who did not play were senior quarterback placekicker C.J. Davis, senior center Ryan Dullea, senior wide receiver-safety Neal Sterling, senior defensive end Dan Sullivan and senior cornerback-wide receiver Kevin Callahan), the Green Wave made big plays when it needed to in a hostile environment. For that reason, you shouldn't discount the victory in any way.

In fact, if not for Shuler's effort, the Blue Warriors would be reaping the praise this week, having overcome the off-the-field controversy in beating a very good Long Branch team.

Shuler's heroics started when he tied the score at 7-7 with his 84-yard TD run with 7:36 to play in the first half. He then broke the tie with 10:22 to play in the game when he connected with Ezra Kelly for a 55-yard TD pass, giving Long Branch a 14-7 lead. The Warriors tied the game at 14-14 just two minutes later on an 11-yard run by Zack Ogden.

However, Long Branch stormed back with a 60-yard scoring drive, sparked by a 24-yard completion from Shuler to Devron Clark that put the ball at the Manasquan six-yard line. Two plays later, George busted through the middle into the end zone for the winning score.

Next up for Long Branch is this weekend's showdown with Raritan. This one is sure to be a battle — it features two of the most prolific coaches in Shore Conference history in Long Branch's Danny George and Raritan's Bob Generelli. Both coaches have outstanding postseason track records and have a knack for getting the most out of their players at the end of the season. The winner will get either topseededMatawan or New Brunswick in the second round. Game time is 1 p.m. Saturday in Long Branch.

Also in CJ Group II action this weekend are the undefeated Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs. Head coach Shane Fallon's team rolled to its first undefeated regular season in program history, accumulating enough power points along the way to earn the second seed in this wideopen bracket.

RFH will host seventh-seeded Johnson Regional on Friday night at 7 p.m., with the winner to get the Manasquan-Keyport winner in the second round.

Manasquan is the defending sectional champion and will be back at full strength for this opening-round game on Saturday.

The rest of the playoff picture

Long Branch and RFH are just two of five local football teams to qualify for the state tournament, making this weekend a busy one for local gridiron fans.

Like Long Branch, Shore Regional entered this past weekend with its fate in its own hands. The Blue Devils needed a win over Point PleasantBeach to get back to the .500 mark and have a shot at qualifying for the CJ Group I tournament.

Having already suffered some disappointing, hard-fought losses to some quality playoffcaliber squads like Rumson-Fair Haven, Asbury Park and Monsignor Donovan, the Blue Devils needed a solid performance against Point Beach to prove that they, too, could be a factor in the postseason, should they qualify.

It didn't take long for Shore to make its statement on Friday: the Blue Devils scored on each of their first three possessions to build a 20-0 lead by halftime en route to an encouraging 34-0 victory. While the Shore defense shut down the Garnet Gulls' attack, quarterback Chris Riley spearheaded an impressive aerial onslaught, throwing for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Both TD receptions were hauled in by Rich Vivian, who also recorded two of his team's five interceptions on the night.

With the win, Shore earned the eighth and final seed in the CJ Group I bracket, giving them a rematch against the two-time defending champions from Asbury Park. Having already lost a tough game against the Blue Bishops (13- 10 on Sept. 7), Shore Regional will enter this game brimming with confidence. Head coach Marc Constantino's team believes it has become the team that nobody wants to play, and just in time for the postseason.

Asbury Park enters the game coming off an impressive 28-14 win over Keyport, as the Blue Bishops overcame a 14-8 halftime deficit to win their regular-season finale and lock up the top seed.

The winner of this one will take on the winner of the game between David Brearley High School and South River High School in the second round. Look for Shore Regional and its emerging passing game to give Asbury Park all it can handle once again this Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. in Asbury Park.

The Ocean Township Spartans are another team that is looking to peak in the postseason, having bounced back from a recent two-game losing streak with a quality win over the weekend.

After beating Long Branch to get to 5-0 on the year, Ocean stumbled in back-to-back games against Matawan and Red Bank Catholic. While some may have written them off at that point, head coach Don Klein remained extremely confident that his squad would right the ship. This past weekend, the Spartans did just that, putting together a strong game on both sides of the ball in knocking off Red Bank Regional, 36-0. Ocean got touchdowns from four different players while the defense held the Bucs (2-6) to just 97 yards of total offense in the first half. Up 13-0 at the half, the Spartans turned it on in the second half, getting three scores and a safety to put this one away.

More importantly, the win cemented Ocean's status as the third seed in the CJ Group III playoffs. As such, Ocean will host HamiltonEast (5-3) on Friday at 7 p.m., with the winner to get the winner of the Middletown South-West Windsor North first-round game.

Middletown South is the prohibitive favorite to win its 10th sectional title, but if anyone has a legitimate chance to upset the top-seeded Eagles, it would likely be Ocean, based on recent history.

Neptune also qualified in this bracket and certainly has the athletes to be a threat here. The Scarlet Fliers (6-2) open their postseason on Saturday when they host Lawrence High School (7-2) at 1 p.m.

That leaves the Red Bank Catholic Caseys. RBC has put together a solid 5-3 season, and as a reward for its success, it receives a Non- Public IV first-round match-up with unbeaten Don Bosco Prep (8-0) Friday night. Don Bosco is not only the top-ranked team in the state, but it is currently ranked second in the nation in the USA Today poll. The Ironmen were supposed to face their toughest test of the season last week when they took on No. 4 St. Peter's Prep in Ramsey, but the hype certainly did not befit the outcome. Don Bosco routed St. Peter's, 42- 9, continuing a winning streak against New Jersey teams that goes back to the 2005 state final (where they lost to St. Peter's).

Needless to say, RBC will have its hands full on Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.