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Micah Ford threw for 117 yards and three passing touchdowns as he led No. 3 Toms River North in a 28-7 win over No. 10 Passaic Tech in the Group 5 final at Rutgers on Sunday, putting the finishing touches on a stellar junior season.
Ford finished his season with 51 total touchdowns, 50 on offense and an interception return for a touchdown on defense. He had a dazzling first-half display where he finished the half 6 of 6 passing and a passer rating of 428.8.
With the win, Toms River North became the first team to go 14-0 in a season.
Ford dealt with cramps in the second half, limiting his performance on both sides of the ball, however, his first half performance was more than enough to lift the Mariners to their first ever Group 5 championship game.
Junior running back Josh Moore sealed the win with an 80-yard touchdown run with 2:25 left in the game as Passaic Tech mounted a fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Moore had 10 carries for 127 yards and his score.
Toms River North opened the scoring on its first offensive drive when Ford connected with sophomore wide receiver Camryn Thomas for a 12-yard touchdown. Toms River North got it on fourth down from the Passaic Tech 26-yard line just a few plays short of the score. Ford stuffed it past the quarterback keeper, rushing for two yards.
The Mariners extended the lead on a well-executed tight end screen play where Ford found Ty Kazanowsky for a 10-yard connection with 9:53 left to play in the second quarter.
Ford put the cherry on top of a perfect first half, finding sophomore receiver Nasir Jackson on an off-schedule throw against his body for a 48-yard touchdown.
Passaic Tech junior running back Trashon Dye ran for a 47-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to make it 21-7 after the extra point. Dye finished the game with 17 carries for 117 yards.
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Ryan Patti covers the Super Football Conference and NJIC. He can be reached at rpatti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwpatti. Luis Torres covers the Super Football Conference and NJIC. He can be reached at ltorres@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByLuisTorres. Joe Zedalis covers the Shore Conference. He can be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Josephzedalis.
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