Who has impressed at midway point of the soccer season?

A look at how New Jersey alums did on the diamond during the 2017 season.

A look at some of the hot topics around N.J. HS girls soccer.

Ocean Court by the Sea is next to Pier Village

LONG BRANCH -- The firm owned by the family of Jared Kushner -- son-in-law and senior advisor to President Trump -- spent $6 million to purchase its newly acquired beachfront motel near Pier Village.

Kushner Cos. recently purchased Ocean Court by the Sea from Bergen County-based St. Mary Developers LLC, according to a statement from the Kislak Company, a Middlesex County-based real estate firm which helped arrange the deal.

The cost and terms of the sale initially were not disclosed when first announced by the Kushner family's firm earlier this week.

The oceanfront property, located at Ocean and Morris avenues, spans eight-tenths of an acre and includes the 9,600-square-foot motel and on-site parking, the statement said.

In the statement, Jeffrey Wiener, senior vice president of Kislak, said the "property was a natural fit for Kushner given its oceanfront location next to Pier Village."

The real estate development firm -- which co-owns Pier Village with another company -- was approved last month for a $283-million expansion, which will include 269 luxury condo units, a parking garage, a carousel and a performance stage, previous reports said.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Your one-stop shop for everything you need.

WEEK 6 ESSENTIALS 
• Top recruit loses scholarship after brawl
• Mega-coverage guide 
• Midseason awards: N.J.'s best at halfway point
• 22 bold predictions
• 25 can't-miss games
• Top 20 picks and schedule
• Picks for all 6 conferences
• Week 6 schedule/scoreboard
• Rankings: Top 20, Group & conference

RELATED: ‘They tried to kill my son.’ Frosh parents say star players caused football brawl 

FRIDAY LIVE UPDATES
• Mountain Lakes at Whippany Park, 7
• Paterson Kennedy at Clifton, 7
• Camden Catholic at Shawnee, 7
• No. 18 Howell at No. 10 Manalapan, 7
• Summit at Cranford, 7

FRIDAY'S FEATURED GAMES 
Mountain Lakes at Whippany Park, 7
• Live updates
• Game of the Week preview
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Paterson Kennedy at Clifton, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Camden Catholic at Shawnee, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

No. 18 Howell at No. 10 Manalapan, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Northern Highlands 42, Mahwah 0
• Look back at live updates
• Mario Agyen helps team move closer to playoff spot
• Box score

MIDSEASON AWARDS: N.J.'s best at halfway point

St. Joseph (Hamm.) at Allentown, 7
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Dickinson at North Bergen, 7
• Gamey recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

West Windsor-Plainsboro South 48, Princeton 13
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Kingsway at Delsea, 7
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Voorhees at Delaware Valley, 7
• Recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Sterling at Highland, 7
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

RELATED: Who is N.J.'s best mascot? Nominations open 

Middlesex at Shore, 7
• Gamey story
• Box score

Mainland at Bridgeton, 7
• Game story
• Box score

Palmyra at Bordentown, 7
• Game story
• Box score

Moorestown at Hightstown, 7 
• Game story
• Box score

TOP 20 SCOREBOARD
• No. 7 Millville vs. Hammonton, 6
• No. 8 Rancocas Valley vs. Winslow, 7
• No. 10 Manalapan vs. No. 18 Howell, 7
• No. 16 River Dell at Ridgefield Park, 7
• No. 19 Piscataway vs. Old Bridge, 7
• No. 20 Old Tappan vs. Teaneck, 6

RELATED: The 43 N.J. football teams that remain unbeaten

SATURDAY LIVE UPDATES
• No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep at No. 2 Bergen Catholic, 1
• No. 6 Pope John at No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.), 1
• No. 17 Westfield vs. Elizabeth at Rutgers, 1
• Seneca at No. 12 Lenape, 7

SATURDAY'S FEATURED GAMES 
No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep at No. 2 Bergen Catholic, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

No. 6 Pope John at No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.), 1
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

Orange at Nutley, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Paulsboro at Haddonfield, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

Seneca at No. 12 Lenape, 7
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

Gloucester at Salem, 12
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

No. 17 Westfield vs. Elizabeth at Rutgers, 1
• Game recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Clearview at Vineland, 2
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Hamilton West at Northern Burlington, 2
• Game story
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Rumson-Fair Haven vs. St. John Vianney at Rutgers, 4
• Game recap
•  Photo gallery 
• Box score

Notre Dame at Nottingham, 12
• Game story
• Box score

Hopewell Valley at Steinert, 12
• Game story
• Box score

Lawrenceville at Peddie, 3
• Game story
• Box score

TOP 20 SCOREBOARD
• No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep at No. 2 Bergen Catholic, 1
• No. 3 DePaul at Delbarton, 1
• No. 6 Pope John at No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.), 1
• Morristown at No. 11 Montclair, 1
• Seneca at No. 12 Lenape, 7
• No. 17 Westfield vs. Elizabeth at Rutgers, 1
• Long Branch vs. Red Bank Catholic at Rutgers, 7

STATEWIDE SCOREBOARD

There was a chill in the air, but the action on the football field was hotter than ever. Week 6 featured close calls, frenzied finishes, winning kicks and No. 1 falling.

Two Dodge pickup trucks and a Hyundai were involved in a 5:24 a.m. crash on Route 18, where one occupant died of head injuries, authorities said

Authorities say one person died Saturday in a crash on Route 18 near Texas Road in MarlboroGoogle 

MARLBORO -- A crash on Route 18 involving two Dodge pickups and Hyundai left one person dead Saturday morning, authorities said.

It was 5:24 a.m., when the accident occurred on State Route 18 North, near the Texas Road overpass just short of US Highway 9, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation Saturday morning by the Marlboro Township Police Department, and the identity of the person who died was withheld pending notification of next of kin, the prosecutor's office said.

The accident involved a silver Hyundai Elantra compact sedan, a black Dodge pickup truck, and a red Dodge pickup, the prosecutor's office said. The office did not state which vehicle the victim was riding in. No other injuries were reported.

Route 18 North was closed from Monmouth County Route 3 to U.S. Highway 9, the prosecutor's office said.

Anyone with information about the accident was urged to contact Cpl. Kenneth Marrone of the Marlboro Police at (732) 536- 0304 ext 1546 or KMarrone@MarlboroPD.org.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

An off-duty Long Branch police officer, who was once charged with attacking a man outside a nightclub, was "slashed in the arm" during an off-duty altercation, police said.

LONG BRANCH -- An off-duty Long Branch police officer, who was once charged with attacking a man outside a nightclub, was "slashed in the arm" during an altercation, police said.

Officer Patrick Joyce "was a victim of an assault" around 3:30 a.m. at Norwood Avenue and High Street, according to Long Branch police acting Chief Jason Roebuck.

Patrick JoyceLong Branch Police Facebook page 

Roebuck said Joyce was taken to an area hospital with injuries that are not serious. He was released from the hospital a few hours later, Roebuck said.

No additional information about the incident was released on Sunday.

In 2010, Joyce was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after he punched a man in the face outside Headliner nightclub in Neptune Township.

In that incident, Joyce followed a 33-year-old man and his wife outside the club around 2 a.m., according to a published report after the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office announced the charges.

When confronted by the man, Joyce said he was trying to talk to the man's wife, authorities said. After the man told Joyce his wife didn't want to talk to the off-duty officer, Joyce punched him in the face, authorities said at the time.

The man, who was then allegedly attacked by two other men, was taken to the hospital with a fractured jaw.

Joyce, 34, was suspended without pay following the incident. He pleaded guilty to simple assault and was sentenced in January 2011 to one year of probation, according to court records.

It's unclear how long Joyce remained suspended from the Long Branch Police Department. 

However, Joyce was back on the job by September 2012, when he was called in to assist with an altercation at a bar in Long Brach. 

In that incident, Joyce was one of several officers who responded as backup to Murphy's Bar on Division Street in Long Branch. After he and the other officers noticed a concealed handgun in the possession of a man involved in an altercation, they drew their weapons and attempted to arrest him.

The man took a swing at Joyce, police said at the time. Joyce was able to knock the gun from the man's hand and the gunman was placed under arrested.  

Joyce received a Valor Award in 2013 from the 200 Club of Monmouth County for the incident. 

He has been an officer for nearly 12 years and earns just over $117,000.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

"Has anybody here been embarrassed by what's gone on here?" former Vice President Al Gore asked about Gov. Chris Christie's administration.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP -- When Al Gore stepped on stage at a Monmouth County gymnasium Sunday afternoon, the former vice president told the crowd that the word "friendship" is thrown around too loosely in politics. 

"But in this case," Gore said, motioning to the man sitting next to him, Democratic New Jersey governor candidate Phil Murphy, "we really have been extremely close friends." 

Over the last 20 years, Gore said, he and Murphy's family have vacationed together and worked on projects together. And on Sunday, Gore played the role of cheerleader for Murphy, who is running against Republican Kim Guadagno in the Nov. 7 race to succeed outgoing Gov. Chris Christie. 

"This is a good man," Gore told at least 1,500 people at the Ocean Township Community Gymnasium.

The visit marked the second time in four days that a former vice president came to New Jersey to stump for Murphy, a longtime Democratic fundraiser and former U.S. ambassador to Germany who is leading Guadagno by double digits. Joe Biden campaigned for Murphy on Thursday in Edison. 

Joe Biden slams Kim Guadagno ad as 'gutter politics'

On Sunday, Gore suggested that if the crowd of about 1,500 was happy with Christie's administration over the last eight years, they could vote for Guadagno, the state's lieutenant governor. 

"Has anybody here been embarrassed by what's gone on here?" Gore, 69, asked. "Here you have an administration in Trenton and a presidency in Washington, D.C., and sometimes it's kind of hard to take."

"I have been a keen observer the many, many times of late that New Jersey has been in the news for something the current administration has done," Gore added.

"We're sorry," someone in the audience yelled.

"Don't tell me you're sorry about that," he said. "I'm sorry for you."

Guadagno's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

.@algore asks the crowd if they've ever been embarrassed by @GovChristie's administration. pic.twitter.com/o9o0k8WovR

-- Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) October 15, 2017

.@algore greets the crowd after stumping for @PhilMurphyNJ. pic.twitter.com/A1ZkcNSLOL

-- Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) October 15, 2017

Gore -- who has become a noted environmentalist since leading office in 2001 -- then pointed out an upcoming date on the calendar that many residents in this Jersey Shore town were likely familiar with: the upcoming five-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. 

Gore noted that the anniversary if falling shortly after the back-to-back-back hurricanes that ravaged Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. And yet, he said, President Donald Trump has appointed "climate deniers to all of the important positions."

"What in the world?" Gore asked. "What are we gonna do about it? When is it our turn to speak up? Your turn is 23 days from now. And then all of us will have a turn in the years to come."

Gore said Murphy "understands this" -- that he will help battle climate change and improve the state's economy by brining wind turbine and solar jobs to New Jersey. 

Gore also noted that Murphy's wife, Tammy Murphy, is secretary of the Climate Reality Action Fund, an organization founded by the former vice president. 

"Just imagine what a first lady for New Jersey she will be to protect your clean air, your clean water, and to clean up all the disasters that nature is throwing at us these days," he said. 

Both Murphy and Guadagno have promised to return New Jersey to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a regional program designed to fight emissions that Christie yanked the state from in 2011.

Earlier in the day, Gore appeared with Murphy at a job incubator site in Princeton. The facility, Tigerlabs, promotes tech jobs and innovation, which Gore, citing Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, argued was once New Jersey's staple export.

"Long before there was anything called Silicon Valley, New Jersey was the technological and innovation center of the United States, and of the world," Gore said. "There's absolutely no reason why committed, passionate, knowledgeable leadership could not bring that legacy back to life in a very meaningful way to create jobs." 

The two hosted a 30-minute question-and-answer session with the tech community. Gore stressed he's not in the game these days of stumping for political candidates. But he made an exception for Murphy because their long friendship and Murphy's ability to be an effective governor, Gore said.

"I don't do many political events," he said. "But one of the very good exceptions I make to that rule is (with Murphy)."

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Rescues make great pets.

Some fun and interesting facts about cats and dogs from Nationwide pet insurance:

* Dogs only sweat from the bottoms of their feet, the only other way they can discharge heat is by panting. Cats do not have sweat glands.

* Dogs have about 100 different facial expressions, most of them made with the ears.

* A cat can jump as much as seven times its height.

* Dogs do not have an appendix.

* Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.

* Using their swiveling ears like radar dishes, experiments have shown that dogs can locate the source of a sound in 6/100ths of a second.

* A cat's tongue is scratchy because it's lined with papillae--tiny elevated backwards hooks that help to hold prey in place.

... and when faced with the choice of going the way around something that untangles herself or the way that makes it worse, my dog will choose the wrong way 101 times out of 100.

It's a return to No. 1 for one North Jersey non-public team as two new teams entered the mix this week.

The former vice president told the crowd at a campaign rally for Phil Murphy in Monmouth County that he had a message for them "based on my personal experience."

Seventeen years later, Al Gore can joke about it.

Visiting Ocean Township on Sunday to campaign for his friend, Democratic New Jersey governor nominee Phil Murphy, Gore told the crowd of hundreds that he had a messages for them "based on my personal experience."

"If anybody here is tempted to think for one minute that every vote doesn't count ..." the former vice president began. 

The audience started to laugh.

"Are you following me?" Gore asked them slyly.

The crowd clapped. 

Al Gore stumps for Phil Murphy in N.J.

Gore, of course, was the Democratic nominee for president in 2000 but lost the race to Republican George W. Bush by the most razor-thin margin in American history. 

He won the popular vote by 543,000 votes, but the Electoral College was so close that it triggered a contentious recount in Florida that wasn't ended until the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in and handed the race to Bush. Gore lost by 5 electoral votes.

Hence, Gore's plea for Murphy supporters not to let the same thing happen in the race against Republican nominee Kim Guadagno to succeed Gov. Chris Christie on Nov. 7. 

"Your vote counts!" Gore pleaded. "Every vote counts! Register to vote and then vote. And get your neighbors to register and your friends. And get all of them to vote."

Murphy, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany and longtime Democratic donor who has been friends with Gore for years, made a reference to the 2000 race when he introduced the former vice president on Sunday.

One day, Murphy said, there will be a "big chapter" of history books that will explore "what kind of a country we would have been had he not had the presidency stolen from him."

Which teams have taken a step forward and turned heads in 2017.

Everything to watch for as county tournaments take the spotlight over the next two weeks.

MANASQUAN -- A person was fatally struck by a train Monday night, NJ Transit confirmed.  The person, described only as a male trespasser, was hit around 7:26 p.m. near the Manasquan station by the eastbound 4378 train travelling between Bay Head and Long Branch on the North Jersey Coast Line.  Additional information on the victim was not immediately available, NJ...

MANASQUAN -- A person was fatally struck by a train Monday night, NJ Transit confirmed. 

The person, described only as a male trespasser, was hit around 7:26 p.m. near the Manasquan station by the eastbound 4378 train travelling between Bay Head and Long Branch on the North Jersey Coast Line. 

Additional information on the victim was not immediately available, NJ Transit said. None of the approximately 30 passengers and crew aboard the train were hurt. 

Service was suspended between Bay Head and Asbury Park Monday night. 

Photos we've snapped since 2010, and we want yours too.

UPDATE, Oct. 16, 6 p.m.: You sent us more photos, we shot more photos and we found some in the archives that we missed the first time around. From all those sources, we're well past 100 pics now. And we're happy to get more, so use the form below to send more, if you have some.

Important note: If you sent us pics thinking you were nominating your mascot for the NJ.com mascot challenge, that won't do it. For that, we need a 30-60-second video. The deadline is coming up fast - Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. Here's lots more info.

Some are adorable. Some are kind of scary. Some are a little puzzling. They're almost all fuzzy.

These are New Jersey's high school mascots. The ones we've photographed since 2010 are in the photo gallery above, and, we know - we're a little heavy on cardinals, or Kardinals, as the case may be.

RELATED: Nominations open for the NJ.com HS Mascot Challenge

We know there are more out there than these for the 37 schools represented above, so we're looking for some help from you. When you're out there over the next few weeks enjoying some high school sports, scan the venue for something bigger, brighter and fuzzier than your typical athlete.

When you find something, snap some pics and then use the form below to send them to us, and we'll add them to the photo gallery.

And while you're at it, think about shooting some video, because a video is what's needed to nominate that mascot for the NJ.com HS Mascot Challenge. All the details about that project, including the Oct. 23 deadline for videos to be posted with the #NJmascotchallenge hashtag, are at the link above.

A look at the best players from Week 6.

Who has impressed at midway point of the soccer season?

The finalists from the Fox show the most recent season of "So You Think You Can Dance" are now on tour.

Kiki Nyemchek was a pre-schooler when he began his ballroom dancing lessons. The Teaneck, NJ native's teachers were his family members- mother, father and two aunts and uncles. He was learning to waltz, tango and foxtrot while his friends played soccer or joined scouting groups.

But he didn't mind, he said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. It was fun, different and is now his career.

"I'm really loving dance at this point in my life," Nyemchek said. "As long as it keeps me happy, I'll keep doing it."

Nyemchek, a stand-out on the most recent season of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," is now on tour with the show's other finalists, which comes to the  Mayo Performing Arts Center Oct. 17 and Count Basie Theatre Oct. 20. The two-hour program will feature favorites from the television program as well as new numbers created especially for this tour by choreographer Mandy Moore, who also choreographed the film "La La Land."

"Television has made dance very popular," said Nyemchek, whose father still owns and operates Spencer Nyemchek Dancesport School of Ballroom Dancing in Bergenfield. "We wouldn't be where we are today without platforms like 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'Dancing with the Stars.'"

Now in its 14th season, "So You Think You Can Dance" has garnered multiple Emmy awards, including three 2017 nominations, two for its choreography and one for lighting direction. Nyemchek is a recognized ballroom specialist and he needed to push himself into different dance forms, including contemporary and hip hop. 

"I'm trained in one style and it's very structured so that's a hard habit to break," Nyemchek said. "I'm trying to get used to other movements."

Nyemchek knows the Garden State venues will be packed with friends and family members 

"I'm baffled by all the support I've received throughout the show and afterwards," he said. "I'm really excited about it."

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE 

Mayo Performing Arts Center 

100 South St., Morristown. 

Tickets: $49-99, available online at www.mayoarts.org. Oct. 17, 8 p.m.

Count Basie Theatre

99 Monmouth St., Red Bank

Tickets: $49.50-89.50, available online at www.countbasietheatre.org. Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m.

Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

Caesar was briefly re-united with one of his owners Monday before being euthanized

HOWELL -- Keri Levy and her family were heartbroken in May when a veterinarian revealed Ceasar, their beloved dog of 15-years, was suffering from a chronic health condition and needed to be euthanized.

She left the miniature pinscher at Briarwood Veterinary Hospital in Howell. Later that night, Levy got a call telling her Ceasar was "at peace" and that she could come in and pick up his collar, she said.

Then five months passed before the family received stunning news on Sunday from an anonymous tipster. Ceasar was still alive and living with an employee of the veterinary hospital

"Awful, just awful," Levy, of Freehold Township, said by phone Tuesday, describing the past couple of days for her and her family. "Imagine having to tell a 9-year-old and a 10-year-old this. My 9-year-old was like, when can I see him?"

Levy contacted the authorities to report that her dog had been stolen. Howell police said Tuesday that the incident is under investigation. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was also involved, Levy said.

Levy went to Briarwood Veterinary on Monday to get answers. Employees told her that Dr. George Menez, the vet who recommended in May that Ceasar be euthanized, no longer worked there, Levy said.

After finally getting Menez on the phone, Levy said the vet admitted Ceasar was never put down and that the dog was taken home by a now-former employee.

Howell police contacted that employee and told her she had until noon to return Ceasar. The woman promptly returned Ceasar and Levy was briefly reunited with her dog. 

Attempts to reach Menez by phone and through social media were unsuccessful Tuesday afternoon.

Ceasar suffered from Cushing's disease, an endocrine disorder, and received no medical treatment since May, Levy said. The dog lost 10 pounds since she last saw him.

Levy said she and her mother spent about an hour with Caesar while he was examined one final time before being put down, she said. 

Levy said the new vet operating Briarwood Veterinary,  Dr. Maureen Kubisz, was extremely helpful in trying to figure out what happened to Ceasar.

"Dr. Kubisz was like an angel to me," said Levy who adopted Caesar when he was just a few months old. "She got me through the day."

A woman who answered the phone at Briarwood on Tuesday and gave her name only as Amanda said Menez was "let go" over the weekend. She said no one at the office would be available to comment further until Wednesday morning. 

Briarwood is under new ownership but many of the employees remain, she added. 

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.