10 Stars in West Jersey Football League

The West Jersey Football League has produced some incredible performances and players in the 2020 season. With a number of undefeated teams remaining following the regular season and heading into Week 7, a ton of players and teams have adjusted to the unknowns of the season and have performed at a high level. Let’s take a look at 10 stars from the WJFL heading into the postseason. <strong>Dan Merkel, Allentown: </strong>Merkel has been a two-way threat for Allentown. He has thrown for a conference-leading 1,213 yards while rushing for another 617 yards. The Allentown senior has thrown for nine touchdowns and rushed for another seven. His completion percentage has been up and down and he does have seven interceptions, but Merkel has shown he can pile on the yards. Merkel has thrown three TDs apiece in games against Notre Dame and Ewing. Those two games saw his best running performance as well, as he ran for 221 yards on 23 carries and two TDs against Notre Dame, and 184 yards on 22 carries and three scores against Ewing. <strong>Jalin Brownlee, Camden: </strong>Brownlee and Camden have not played since Oct. 23, but the team is 3-1 and much of that is due to Brownlee’s play. The Camden quarterback has completed 67 percent of his throws, and he has thrown for 1,191 yards and 13 touchdowns to four interceptions. Three of his four interceptions came against a tough Winslow team in the season opener, and Brownlee has not thrown a pick the last two games. He can certainly rack up the yards through the air. He went 16-for-22 for 433 yards and five TDs in a win over Shawnee in mid-October, and he followed up with a 15-for-20 performance for 313 yards and three TDs in a 36-28 victory over West Deptford on Oct. 23. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27903" first="Patrick" last="Smith"], Holy Spirit: </strong>Smith, a Colorado State commit, leads the conference in 1,211 yards and is third in TDs with 12. Smith has led state-ranked Holy Spirit to a 5-0 start. He has been unstoppable for any team. In a 41-0 win over Cedar Creek, Smith ran for 333 yards and three TDs on 30 carries. He followed with 333 yards and three TDs in a 21-7 victory over Vineland. Smith also scored four times against Pleasantville. He’s an electric player to watch with his shiftiness and acceleration. <strong>David Land, Overbrook: </strong>Land has been a bright spot for Overbrook in a 4-2 start to the season. The senior has 1,070 rushing yards and 15 TDs. He has carried for over 100 yards in every game, including 200-plus yards in three of the team’s six games. He has scored two rushing TDs in every game, and he found the end zone four times in a dominant win over Cumberland. Land also has three sacks on defense. <strong>Jake</strong> <strong>Schneider, Ocean City:</strong> Schneider has been incredible for Ocean City in the team’s 6-0 start. He is top five in the league with 482 receiving yards, and he has scored five times, with three receiving TDs against Oakcrest. Schneider’s top performances came against Millville and Mainland. Against Millville, the Ocean City senior caught five balls for 153 yards and a TD, and in a win over Mainland Schneider had six catches for 153 yards and a score. He has been good on defense, too. He has four interceptions and three that went back for a TD. He can make a ton of catches in tight coverage, and he has been a real weapon this season for Ocean City. <strong>Jaheem Frederick, Atlantic City: </strong>Frederick has been excellent at receiver for Atlantic City. He is among the top receivers in yards and receptions and he can be used in a variety of ways. While slants and short yard situations can be beneficial with his speed, he is also extremely capable of catching a deep ball. Frederick prides himself in blocking and making the extra effort. <strong>Taylor Siciliano, Clayton: </strong>Siciliano leads the WJFL with 88 tackles, and he has two interceptions and a forced fumble, including an interception for a TD. The Clayton sophomore has been a force on the field with five double-digit tackling games. He had 24 tackles against Pennsville and 20 against Cumberland. <strong>Kenny Boswell, Overbrook:</strong> Boswell has been terrific on the defensive end for Overbrook. He has a conference-tying 11 sacks, 22 tackles and a fumble recovery. Boswell had three sacks against Pitman, two each against Lindenwold and Cumberland and four sacks to go with nine tackles against Clayton. <strong>Aaron Forde, Ewing: </strong>Forde has been unstoppable on the defensive end for 3-2 Ewing. He also has 11 sacks on the season, tied for best in the conference, and he has 53 tackles as well. That includes double-digit tackles in three games, with 14 being the season-high in the team’s opener against Hopewell Valley. Forde had three sacks against Steinert and two apiece in the other four games. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Forde is incredible with his jump off the end. He does a great job of finishing tackles and he has a great motor coming off the line. <strong>Jahqir Haley, St. Joseph (Hamm.): </strong>Haley has often been in the right place at the right time this season for St. Joseph. He leads the WJFL with six interceptions. He returned one for a score and he also has a forced fumble. Haley had two interceptions against Cedar Creek and one apiece against Vineland, Millville, Pleasantville and Holy Spirit. <strong>Honorable Mentions: Eric Strecker, Atlantic City; Ben Maiers, Kingsway; Gage Miller, Burlington Township; Ray Weed, Absegami; Hamas Duren, Winslow; [player_tooltip player_id="27891" first="Nasir" last="Robinson"], Penns Grove; Gabe Abel, Ewing; Zach Palmer-Smith, Delran; Jonathan Lartey, Northern Burlington; Jake Raff, Allentown; A.J. Johnson, Burlington Township; [player_tooltip player_id="27932" first="Jordan" last="Marcucci"], Absegami, Lee Coleman, Salem; Kyle Madden, Hightstown; Terrance Peterson, Hopewell Valley; Adrien Gaines, Burlington Township; Emeril Mitchell, Winslow; Adam Klenk, Seneca; [player_tooltip player_id="27977" first="Jihaad" last="Campbell"], Timber Creek</strong>