Top Group 5 Playmakers From 2020 Season

Group 5 featured a number of players who made an impact in the 2020 football season. Some of the largest public schools in the state featured standouts on offense, defense and special teams. Let’s take a look at some of the top players from Group 5 this football season. <strong>Chad Martini, Watchung Hills: </strong>Martini had a nice season and finished his high school career on a strong note before heading off to Cornell. He threw for 1,430 yards and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. He also ran 56 times for 230 yards and five TDs. Martini threw for 300-plus yards twice, including a 21-20 upset victory over state-ranked Phillipsburg, where he finished with 318 passing yards and three TDs. He finished off his high school career with 242 passing yards and three TD strikes and only two incompletions in an impressive victory over Wayne Hills. Watchung Hills finished with a 5-2 record. <strong>Brandon Boria, Cherokee: </strong>Boria had a great sophomore season for Cherokee with 888 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, also finishing with a pair of receiving scores. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry, and he finished with five 100-yard performances, including a whopping 267 yards and two scores against Lenape in a battle of ranked teams. <strong>Ja’Heem Frederick, Atlantic City: </strong>Frederick made his mark as one of the top receivers in South Jersey. In six games of action, he made 29 receptions for 649 yards and six scores. He made eight receptions in two different games, and he finished with at least 100 receiving yards in three games, which included an eight-catch, 211-yard performance in a game against Absegami in November. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27912" first="Jaden" last="Allen"], Washington Township:</strong> Allen made an impact on defense despite Washington Township only playing four games. He had five sacks in two games – three against Kingsway and two against Shawnee in the first two games of the year. <strong>Sean Levonaitis, Hillsborough: </strong>Levonaitis, a Hillsborough senior, ran for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns, finishing with four 100-yard games on the season. He averaged nine yards a carry and finished the season on a very high note with a 252-yard, three-touchdown performance against Edison. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27915" first="Zahir" last="Abdus-Salaam"], Union City: </strong>Abdus-Salaam, a Western Michigan commit, totaled 715 rushing yards and 12 TDs for Union City. He ran for at least 100 yards in every game but one, including a 223-yard, three-touchdown performance in the team’s season finale victory over Hudson Catholic. Abdus-Salaam got it done in other areas, too. He had a receiving score, made an interception to go with 22 tackles and he had two punt returns for touchdowns on the season.<strong>                   </strong> <strong>Gavin Claro, Manalapan: </strong>Claro, a senior defensive end, finished with 61 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss. He also had nine sacks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27958" first="Locksley" last="Burke"], East Orange: </strong>Burke was an impact player on the defensive end. He hit double-digit tackles in every game on his way to 113 for the season, and he had five sacks and two forced fumbles to go with two rushing scores on offense. <strong>Other Names: [player_tooltip player_id="27898" first="Shakhi" last="Carson"], West Orange; Zack Brown, Toms River North; [player_tooltip player_id="27894" first="Josh" last="Toner"], Cherokee; Jeff Kazanowsky, Toms River North; Diante Wilson, Union; Brady Long, Lenape; [player_tooltip player_id="27990" first="Turner" last="Inge"], Williamstown; Andrew Taddeo, Ridge; Thomas Amankwaa, Hillsborough; Albert Canty, Paterson Eastside; Jai Patel, South Brunswick; Donovan Ezeiruaku, Williamstown; Kyle Degraw, Monroe; [player_tooltip player_id="27951" first="Luke" last="Cole"], Lenape; [player_tooltip player_id="27914" first="Tyler" last="Davis"], Lenape; [player_tooltip player_id="27878" first="Desmond" last="Igbinosun"], Union; Chris Parsons, West Orange; Dorian Rawls, West Orange; [player_tooltip player_id="27876" first="Xavier" last="Coleman"], Lenape</strong>