Best Running Back
The nominees:

Michael Peavy, Neptune: The elusive junior finished second in the Shore in rushing and put up at least 100 yards and a touchdown against every team except state champion Asbury Park. He had the best breakaway speed of any running back in the Shore. Miss one tackle on the edge, and he's gone. From talking to opposing coaches, Neptune struggled at times on the offensive line this year, and Peavy was still able to put up monster numbers, including three 200-yard games.

Tom Rickmers, Lacey: Another standout junior, he was a vintage Lacey back this year, churning out 100-yard efforts in nine of his 11 games and turning in a pair of 100-yard games in two of three state playoff games, including the state sectional final against Shawnee. A battering ram of a back with deceptive speed, Rickmers will be back to dole out more punishment next season. Also, he had three good backs on his team (Justin Pandorf and Mike Mancini being the others) which limited his touchdowns somewhat, so we'll see what he can do with a bigger load of carries next year.

Travis Patterson, Long Branch: Led the Shore in rushing with just under 1,800 yards and had a school-record 330-yard rushing game as the Green Wave won a share of a division title and reached the Central Jersey Group III final. A fan favorite for his punishing running style in which he crushed many a defensive back who stepped up to the plate when he got to the second level this season. Also had good breakaway speed and produced in big games, with at least 84 yards in every state playoff game and over 100 yards in Long Branch's two biggest Liberty Division games.

Don Murphy, Jackson: Kept Jackson's streak of 1,000-yard rushers intact since 1995 with over 1,300 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns and had kind of a weird statistical season. He had a pair of 200-yard rushing games, but also had three games of under 60 yards. His signature game was a 241-yard, three-touchdown performance that handed Howell its only loss.

Michael Wilbur, Red Bank Catholic: Had a productive season with over 1,200 yards and 22 touchdowns, but was hampered by injury in a lot of the Caseys' big games. Even so, the power back had at least two touchdowns in six of RBC's 10 games and helped the Caseys finish No. 1 in the Shore in yards per game.

George Stephens, Asbury Park: Overlooked a bit at times because of the other offensive talent on his team like senior Rashawn Roberts, Stephens was one of the most explosive backs in the Shore on a team that won a state sectional championship. He left plenty of defenders asking their coaches to edit out certain plays for their highlight films and ran for over 1,200 yards on a team where touches were scarce because there were so many offensive weapons. He averaged 8.8 yards per carry, and also showed deceptive power in running right over defenders at times.

David Hayes, Howell: The senior ran for over 1,000 yards in an offense that had a 2,300-yard passer, which is saying something. He ran for a school-record 289 yards in a crucial win over Brick that sealed up the Constitution Division title, and had a pair of 100-yard rushing games in the playoffs. Perhaps the most overlooked back in the Shore, and also one of the best receiving running backs in the Shore.

Also deserving mention: Ashton Jackson (Colts Neck); Justin Laguna (Keansburg); Erik Chiarella (Shore); Rich Esdaile (St. John Vianney); Marlon Brinson (Toms River North); Chris Miller (Toms River East); Brad Gesser (Southern); Matt Martino (Middletown South); Blaze Caponegro (Wall);  D'Andre McFadden (Manchester);  Ryan Korn (Rumson);  David Presby (Manalapan); Chazz Coursey (Manasquan); Skylar Engelken (Point Boro).

And the Stumpy goes to....I'd like to throw some unorthodox curveball here, but Patterson was just the best and most productive back this year. He got the hard yards and had some moves to break the long runs, and he did it in big games. His only issue was some late-game fumbles, but he delivered week after week. Opposing teams knew that to stop Long Branch, they had to stop Patterson, and he still led the Shore in rushing. Enough said.