New Jersey First- Round: Defensive MVP’s

These young talented athletes performed at a high level to help their team advance to the next round. Defense plays a big part in winning a championship and that is what everyone is striving for. That being said, scroll down below and check out the most valuable players on the defensive side of the ball. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 24pt;"><strong>Sr., LB [player_tooltip player_id="27996" first="Jackson" last="Collins"], Seton Hall Prep</strong></span> Mr. Collins was a ball hawk against St. John Vianney. He helped lead his team to a scoreless victory 49-0. Collins finished with 2 sacks and 7 tackles. He is a great tackler and has great instincts. Collins constantly makes his presence and he is the type of player you should stay away from. Collins will look to build on this performance this Friday in the Quarterfinal Non-Public game against top seeded St. Peters Prep. <span style="font-size: 24pt;"><strong>Sr., LB Jack Willi , Middletown South </strong></span> Mr. Willi was a dominate force against North Hunterdon to help his team earn a first- round win 34-20. Willi had 13 tackles, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, and an interception. Willi has an eye for the football and he does a good job recognizing plays. He played a big role in this win and will need to continue this performance Friday against Sayreville in the second- round Friday night. <span style="font-size: 24pt;"><strong>Sr., DB [player_tooltip player_id="190973" first="Dylan" last="Connors"] , West Milford </strong></span> Mr. Connors made a big impact against top- seeded Lincoln to help lead his team to victory 20-14. Connors had 19 tackles, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. Connors is also the starting quarterback as well. He does a great job playing with a lot of effort on both ends. Connors will build off this performance against Essex Friday in the Group 3 semi-final round. <span style="font-size: 24pt;"><strong>Sr., DL [player_tooltip player_id="191039" first="Steven" last="Demboski"], Pascak Valley </strong></span> Mr. Demboski the University of Delaware commit finished with 3 sacks and 14 tackles. Demboski is a great interior lineman that plays with good leverage. He is very athletic and physical at the point of attack. He has good hands to defeat blockers and plays with good pad level. Most of times Demboksi will attract double teams but somehow manages to make plays. Pascak Valley will face Cranford in the Group 2 Semi-final on Friday night. <span style="font-size: 24pt;"><strong>Sr., LB Damir McCray , Woodrow Wilson </strong></span> Mr. McCray helped lead his team to a shutout win 52-0 over Triton. McCray had 14 tackles and a forced fumble. He does a great job limiting ball carriers to get passed the second level. McCray is a solid linebacker that has to be accounted for every play. He is also the teams leading tackler and averages over 8 tackles a game. Woodrow Wilson will advance to the Group 3 semi-final round to face Manasquan Friday night. Look for McCray to have another big game.