Players to Watch for No. 1-5 Ranked Teams

The final week of the regular season is upon us. The first five weeks have brought a lot of unknowns, excitement and amazing performances. There was some movement in the state rankings this week. Let’s take a look at the players to watch for the teams ranked No. 1-5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27865" first="Audric" last="Estime"], St. Joseph (Mont.): </strong>Estime eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing through five games in last week’s victory for No. 5 St. Joseph. Arguably the state’s best running back, the Michigan State commit is averaging 10 yards per carry, and’s he finding the end zone at a high rate. The Green Knights will be tested this week against Don Bosco Prep on the road in a meeting of top-15 teams. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27948" first="Logan" last="Peters"], Wall: </strong>Wall, the No. 4 team in the state, shut out Manasquan by a 21-0 score in Week 5. The group has allowed just 13 points through four games, and Wall now has three straight shutouts. The defense has been that stout, but the offense has made plays, too. Without the services of leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id="27929" first="Casey" last="Larkin"], who suffered a shoulder sprain and did not return after an early exit, Wall still found a way to handle Manasquan. Peters, the team’s quarterback, was a big reason why. He found Rocco Palmieri on a 41-yard TD strike. He also ran for 89 yards on 16 carries. Peters and the Wall defense will need to be efficient once again in Week 6, as a meeting with Middletown South could a tricky test. <strong>Hamza Bruce, Lenape: </strong>Along with [player_tooltip player_id="27951" first="Luke" last="Cole"], Bruce was efficient on the defensive end for Lenape as it survived a 10-3 contest against Shawnee last week. Bruce made a team-leading nine tackles. He has 26 tackles in four games for the third-ranked team in the state, and he also has an interception to his name. Bruce is efficient against the rush, and he has a knack of getting to the ball carrier. A positive COVID test forced Lenape out of its top-10 showdown against No. 7 Cherokee Thursday night. <strong>De’Juan Samuels, Bergen Catholic: </strong>While [player_tooltip player_id="27989" first="Ryan" last="Butler"] gets a lot of the attention for No. 2 Bergen Catholic for his offensive performances in the run game, and rightfully so, Samuels, a sophomore defensive end, totaled two sacks, five tackles and a forced fumble in a victory over DePaul on Oct. 23, the Crusaders’ last game. Bergen Catholic and No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep will do battle this week. <strong>George Rooks, St. Peter’s Prep: </strong>Rooks totaled three sacks and had eight tackles in No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep’s 25-7 victory over Paramus Catholic two weeks ago. Rooks has 5.5 sacks on the season, and he’s been a force up front. St. Peter’s Prep will have its toughest challenge this week against No. 2 Bergen Catholic for the title of top team in New Jersey.