Returning Sacks Leaders

Like interceptions, sacks are another category that gets defensive players amped up. There were some players in the Garden State that were able to get to the quarterback a number of times last season. Let’s take a look at the returning players who made it their mission to sack the quarterback last year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27899" first="Dominick" last="Giudice"], Mater Dei, Sr. </strong>– Giudice, a Michigan commit, had a stellar junior season at defensive end for Mater Dei Prep. He is a physical player at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. Giudice finished with 51 tackles and an astounding 24 sacks a season ago. He had at least one sack in every game. Giudice totaled three sacks apiece in games against St. John Vianney, Red Bank Catholic and DePaul. Expect another monster year before he heads off to Ann Arbor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27968" first="Kenny" last="Fletcher"], Delran, Jr.</strong> – Fletcher, a national recruit, is coming off a 15-sack sophomore year for Delran at defensive end. He has received offers from programs such as Boston College, Kentucky, Syracuse, Rutgers, Louisville, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Fletcher totaled 62 tackles, forced a fumble, had two fumble recoveries, forced two safeties and had 15 sacks, with two performances standing out overall. He had five sacks against Ewing and four sacks to go with 11 tackles against Holy Cross Prep. Watch out for Fletcher as he continues to make both state and national noise. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27875" first="Jordan" last="Thompson"], Parsippany Hills, Sr.</strong> – Thompson, a Rutgers commit, had a very productive season for the Parsippany Hills Vikings, totaling 87 tackles, 15 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a fumble return for a touchdown. Listed at 6-foot-3, 223 pounds, Thompson made his presence known on the defensive end, especially in two games in particular. He had six sacks in a win over River Dell last November and four sacks in a victory over Hanover Park last September. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28039" first="Aiden" last="Moriarty"], Rumson-Fair Haven, Jr.</strong> – Moriarty is another top defensive end in the Garden State. He had 13.5 sacks a year ago as a sophomore for Rumson-Fair Haven. His top sack performance came against Long Branch, when he finished with three. In addition, Moriarty had 70 tackles. <strong>A.J. Pena, Somerville, Sr.</strong> – Pena is coming off a 12-sack junior year for Somerville at defensive end. He had three sacks each in two games – in wins over North Plainfield and Cranford – and two sacks each in victories over Hamilton West and Seneca. Listed at 6-foot-3, 238 pounds, Pena is a force up front. <strong>OTHER NAMES</strong> <strong>Quayier Price</strong>, <strong>DePaul, 11 sacks</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27890" first="Louce" last="Julien"]</strong>, <strong>Orange, 11 sacks</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27972" first="Zion" last="Cheeks"]</strong>, <strong>Penns Grove, 10 sacks</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27930" first="Brendan" last="Hughes"], Park Ridge, 10 sacks</strong> <strong>Nasir Alston, Asbury Park, 9 sacks</strong> <strong>Jake Cusano, West Essex, 9 sacks</strong> <strong>Michael Caines, Columbia, 9 sacks</strong> <strong>Brian Catanzarite, Cedar Grove, 9 sacks</strong>