6 Teams That Have Surprised in 2020

The 2020 season, and year in general, has brought a ton of surprises. While there was uncertainty throughout these eight weeks, a number of teams have emerged as surprise teams. Of course, some teams have been luckier than others as far as playing and staying healthy. Let’s take a look at six surprising teams from the 2020 season. <strong>North Plainfield: </strong>North Plainfield has taken advantage of a favorable schedule and sits at 7-0. The Canucks have cruised past the competition after tough tests early on against Middlesex and St. Thomas Aquinas. Most recently, the Canucks put up 56 points against neighboring rival South Plainfield. Ahmaad Murkey and Khan-Yae Stevens combined for 10 receptions, 267 yards and six touchdowns in that game. Junior Keiahn Grenald has been effective with 11 touchdowns to three interceptions, and he has rushed for 420 yards and another five scores. Stevens has been dynamic for the Canucks with six interceptions on defense, with three going for scores, a punt return TD and 10 receiving TDs and 441 receiving yards. North Plainfield will look to stay perfect against Linden this week. <strong>Nutley: </strong>Nutley has quietly put together a great season with a 5-0 record. The Raiders have defeated West Side, Orange, Millburn, Teaneck and Columbia. It has been a balanced attack for Nutley. Junior Matthew Harbison has done a nice job in the air and on the ground. There have been many playmakers on defense, and senior Gennaro Longobardi has carried the load in the backfield. <strong>Salem: </strong>The Rams have been extremely successful in recent years, having a winning record every year since 2013. That has continued in 2020 with a 5-0 mark, beating up on Deptford, Penns Grove, Glassboro, Pennsville and Triton. Salem has given up just 48 points in five games. Sophomore quarterback Jakhi Coates has done a great job not turning the ball over. He has 13 TDs between passing and rushing scores. Senior Tai’Shaun Warren and sophomore Anthony Selby have been active on the ground, and senior Lee Coleman has led the receivers with 18 receptions for 304 yards and seven TDs. The defensive unit has been active, and junior [player_tooltip player_id="28037" first="Jayden" last="Wright"] has five sacks on the year. <strong>Delbarton: </strong>Delbarton has always been a competitive program on the football field. This year, however, the Green Wave had made a real splash. The Morris County team has defeated Seton Hall Prep, DePaul, Don Bosco Prep, Pope John, Hudson Catholic and St. Joseph of Metuchen on the way to a 6-0 record. Wins over DePaul and Don Bosco really took Delbarton to the next level, especially beating Don Bosco on the road with eyes watching. Senior quarterback Cole Freeman has been excellent both in the running and passing game. The next game will be a major challenge against perennial power Bergen Catholic. <strong>Randolph: </strong>The Rams are 6-0 coming off two statement wins over West Morris and Irvington. The Rams have shutout wins over Roxbury and Morristown, and they surrendered just three points against Morris Knolls. Senior Aden Koenigsberg has completed 55 of his 73 throws for 826 yards and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions. Koenigsberg has rushed for six touchdowns. Senior Jimmy Pepe has run for 569 yards and eight scores and fellow senior Justin Townsend has six rushing TDs and 516 yards. Randolph gets a number of receivers involved and has done a solid job on defense. Townsend, who also has a kickoff return on the season, has two of the team’s 11 sacks and two of Randolph’s nine interceptions. Justin Liebhauser has two sacks, Tom Colombaris sits at 53 tackles and Tom O’Sullivan has 44 tackles on the season. The Rams will play Mount Olive this week. <strong>Colts Neck: </strong>It was just two seasons ago that Colts Neck was 3-7. Two seasons later, despite the hardships of the 2020 season, the Cougars started 6-0 prior to their most recent loss to Rumson-Fair Haven. The team has put a lot of weight on running back Joe Barksy’s shoulders. He has lived up to the call, with 1,083 yards and 20 touchdowns. Colts Neck has had a ton of other playmakers, too. Matt Scully has caught 23 passes for 280 yards. Defensively, senior Delano Marcelus has four sacks and 39 tackles, senior teammate Chris Montefusco has three sacks, junior Anthony Bonnano has led the Cougars in tackles with 48, junior John Manos has two interceptions and a sack, Scully has two interceptions to go with 36 tackles and junior John Runfolo has two picks.