[1] During the first half of the 20th century, Ocean County was a rural area, with Lakewood and Toms River (then known as Dover Township) serving as the region's commercial hubs.

During the 1950s the landscape of the region would slowly start to change as the construction of the Garden State Parkway allowed more families the opportunity to move to Ocean County and still commute to New York City and North Jersey.

[13] The Lakewood High School Piners[2] compete in Division B South of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.

[3][14] The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

[21] The baseball team won the North I Group III state title in 1967, won the Group III championships in 1973 (vs. Ridgefield Park High School) and 1980 (vs. Newark East Side High School), and won the Group IV title in 1984 (vs. West New York Memorial High School).

[25] The 1986 football team football team finished the season with an 8–3 record after winning the South Jersey Group III state sectional title by defeating Bridgeton High School by a score of 7–6 in the championship game.

[30] The boys' track team won the Group III state indoor relay championship in 1988.