TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Point Boro (NJ)
Point Boro is coming off a rare 4-5 season and a 17-14 first-round loss to Rumson-Fair Haven, but the Panthers have an experienced group ready to get back to their programs winning ways.
3-year starters QB Jake Clayton (@jakeclaytonnnn) and RB Nick Spanola (@NicholaSpanola), along with Mason Morris (@morris_mason3), Aidan Dombrowsky, and DJ Albanese (@DJ_Albanese10) headline a tough returning core for HC Brian Staub.
They play in one of, if not the, toughest division in the Shore Conference, as a Group 2 school. The division is loaded with three Group 5 schools, a Group 4 school, and a Non-Public B School which will help prepare them to make a Group 2 Sectional championship run.
@BrianStaub4@BoroFBRecruits@PtBoroFootball #NJFootball #HSFB #PublicSchoolsTop25
Youth sports is on life support.
If you think it’s fine, you’re not paying attention.
Kids age 10-12 are playing way too many tournaments and travel ball. Parents treat it like the World Series. They need less travel, more rest, fueling, and actual development. They’re 12 YO.
The data backs it up:
❌70% of kids drop out of organized sports by age 13.
❌Professionalization (year-round single-sport focus, heavy travel/tournaments) drives overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout.
❌Nearly 1 in 10 youth athletes experience burnout; up to 35% deal with overtraining.
❌Early specialization before 12-13 raises injury and burnout risks significantly.
Multi-sport kids who rest and play for fun stick around longer and develop better.
Let them be kids. Prioritize recovery, fun, and long-term health over trophies. The best athletes often sample multiple sports early and specialize later.
Who else sees this?
I love programs that commit to a system from middle school to sub varsity to varsity. It may be a struggle to throw the ball sometimes at the lower levels but a commitment to it will pay dividends in the long run. Players will be ahead in developing the skills needed.
Point Pleasant Boro's Jake Clayton has committed to wrestle at @RUWrestling . @CoachGoodale is getting a throwback athlete who has been on JSZ highlights in the fall, winter and spring 🔥
We spotlight recruiting news every week on JSZ's Beyond the Score podcast presented by @RWJBarnabas - our next episode drops this Wednesday
@PPHS_Athletics | @jakeclaytonnnn
3x NJ placewinner Jake Clayton of Point Boro has committed to @RUWrestling! He will look to win his first state title next season after a 5th place finish at 165 lbs this year. Clayton is an elite 3-sport athlete (Baseball (SS)/Football (QB)) who will shift to wrestling-only on the banks. Great addition!🛡️
22 of the 32 first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft came from TRADITIONAL public high schools.
Add in 3 more from charter/magnet programs, that’s 25 of 32 (78%) from the public system.
#StayPublic#PSFB#T25PS
High School Playoffs.
Chasing a high school state championship is special.
Winning a high school state championship is historic for any high school player.
The players go to school with each other for years in most cases.
Some have known each other since they were toddlers.
Parents know each other and it means something to the community.
High school athletics bring people together and form a forever bond.
High school athletics can't be replaced and are more important than most realize.
Youth sports isn’t ruined by kids, it’s adults chasing trophies, rankings, and highlight reels over growth.
We’ve traded development for exposure, joy for pressure, and teamwork for ego.
Fix the adults, and you fix the game.
It’s that simple.
Some of the most underrated jobs in football❗️
The guy making sure the headsets are connected.
The one hunting down an extra mouthguard.
The one fixing a helmet 30 seconds before kickoff.
And of course the one who somehow always knows where everything is, everyone has one of those guys lol
These guys are the real MVP!
“Too many kids today are afraid of failure.” - Doug Collins
What happens when kids never learn to fail?
They quit when it gets hard.
Because no one let them practice getting back up.
High School Playoffs.
Winning a high school state championship is special.
The players go to school with each other, in most cases for years, parents know each other, and it means something to the community.
High school athletics bring people together and form a bond forever.
High school athletics can't be replaced.