River Plaza Chargers Football Team Wins Jersey Shore Championship; Will Play Saturday For Regional Title

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown's River Plaza Chargers football team just won the 10U Jersey Shore championship for the American Youth Football (AYF) League.

While the boys are enjoying the thrill of being Jersey Shore champions, this Saturday they will compete for an even bigger title: They will play against a team from Brooklyn for a regional title, which means the best AYF team in the New Jersey/New York/Pennsylvania area in their age division.

The team from Brooklyn this Saturday is "strong," said Jason Wombough, one of the assistant coaches. Sean Cody is head coach.

Saturday's game will be at 12:30 p.m. at Toms River East High School. The Middletown community is encouraged to come out and support these local kids. If they win Saturday's game, they'll head to Naples, Florida for the national AYF tournament, an achievement that hasn’t been accomplished in more than a decade for a youth football team from Middletown.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for them; to win a state championship doesn't happen very often and it's a huge honor," said Wombough. "It's gonna be a beautiful day Saturday; the sun's gonna be out. I think we have a good shot. We have really, really good kids and good families. I'm really proud of these kids."

It was a team from Wall, who were last year's defending Jersey Shore champions, that the Chargers beat this month to be crowned Jersey Shore champions. (That game was 16-6, River Plaza.)

"That game was so big for us," said Wombough. "We wanted that win so badly because Wall beat us last year. Our kids were really locked in. It was an up and down game, and we knew emotions would be a big factor, especially at this age. But our kids did what they were coached to do. Hard-nose defense, play to the whistle and finish the play."

To get to the Jersey Shore championship, the River Plaza Chargers had to beat the Middletown Eagles, another local youth football team. They also beat teams from Freehold, Allentown, Red Bank, Ocean Twp., Matawan and more.

The boys worked extremely hard for this: They started practicing in late July; they practice on Trezza Field off Gordon Road. The boys, 24 total on the team, have been playing together for years, many starting in flag football and advancing from there. All the boys on the team live in Middletown. Most of them are 10 years old, but some are 9.

"Some of the things I've seen the boys improve on this season is their blocking, their ability to tackle and cover the field and the execution of plays," said Wombough. "They've also improved in playing a fast defense. One of the things that makes them so great is they continue to find opportunities to get better. That's one of the things we teach — that there's always room to improve."

Wombough put a call out on Facebook for sponsors, and the following local Middletown businesses donated money that will be used for a gift for the boys:

• Kathleen "Kathy" Cody-Bjelka, realtor with Coldwell Banker Homes, donated $1,500
• Sheba Dougherty of Shore Simplicity donated $500
• B&L Towing donated $500
• Angelo Mendola of Priority Payments donated $100
• Alexis Senatore of Lincroft Living donated $100
• Ignite Sports Performance donated $250
• Northeast Spine and Sports Medicine in Lincroft, Michael and Ashley Verde donated $500
• The Stanley family: Klint and Jamie Stanley and current 10U cheerleader Kennedy Stanley, the younger sister of former River Plaza Chargers football player Madden Stanley.

2025 River Plaza Chargers team roster:

Anthony Traina — #85
Benjamin Ernst — #33
Brayden Schaefer — #46
Carter DeLizza — #26
Dean D’Onofrio — #42
Henry Train — #16
Jackson Miller — #62
Jake Lacher — #73
James Lugones — #38
Jase Astino — #74
Jason Wombough — #41
Joseph Corcione — #91
Kellan Farrell — #82
Landon Brown — #78
Luke Gannon — #66
Mason Ruffino — #44
Max Shapiro — #67
Nick Galvano — #8
Oliver Senatore — #20
Ryan Phillips — #61
Sean Dowdell — #45
Thomas Graham — #23
William Squires — #17
Sean Cody -#57

Coaches
Sean Cody, head coach
Assistants
Jason Wombough
Joe Corcione
Steve DiLezza
Jeff Shapiro
Drew Train
Paul Miller
Conrad Eskola, student assistant, current Middletown High School South freshman football player