Garden State Gamers: Week 0’s Top Offensive Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With New Jersey playing for one true state champion per group for just the second season, the emphasis and importance of week 0 games is more prevalent than ever before. To kickoff the 2023 season, there were over 90 week 0 games played this weekend - many of which were billed as premier, feature events.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are a handful the top offensive performers from week 0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 0's Top Passing Performances</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["271057"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Paramus Catholic was just one of two teams this weekend to win their game against an out-of-state opponent. In a 43-41 shootout Colon, the Paladin's quarterback, led them to victory against Cleveland (OH) Heights. Although he was just 15 for 27, he led the state with 335 yards through the air - good for an average better than 22 yards per completion - and three touchdown tosses. Colon and Paramus Catholic face off against Hudson Catholic on Friday, September 1.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b0edc"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["380325"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In convincing fashion, Atlantic City went on the road and defeated Williamstown 28-7. Lyons, the Vikings signal caller, was highly efficient 18 for 24 through the air. This high completion percentage converted to 301 yards and an average of nearly 17 yards per attempt. Lyons favorite target was FCS-level prospect [player_tooltip player_id='675553' first='Sahnye' last='Degraffenreidt'], who hauled in 6 of those passes for 141 yards and a score.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b0f3c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971122"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In one of the more dominant victories of the weekend, Popoff led his Dragons to a 45-0 win against Egg Harbor. Popoff was 11 for 15 for 239 yards through the air, an average of nearly 22 yards per completion, and led the state with 4 touchdown tosses. Kingsway faces Williamstown next week, who Atlantic City had much success against through the air in week 0, so it will be interested to see if Popoff and the Dragons can pop off and replicate their air-based assault.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b0f8d"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 0's Top Receiving Performances</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["220088"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"As teammate Crew Colon sliced up the Cleveland Heights' defense, Massey was the biggest benefactor. Ten of Colon's 15 completions were hauled in by Massey, who converted those receptions into 224 yards (22.4 yards per reception), while scoring once. Massey accounted for 68% of the Paladin's reception yardage.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b0fdb"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["761025"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In, to many, a surprising final score, the Orange defeated Wayne Hills 42-6. Acey was the primary offensive weapon for the Tornadoes. Acey hauled in 10 receptions for 170 yards; however, he accounted for, and finished tied for first in the state this weekend with 3 touchdown receptions.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b1026"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["826553"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Liles was an athlete I got a good look at this camp season live and in person. Make no mistake about it: Liles does more than just camp well - this kid balls. Teammate [player_tooltip player_id='971122' first='Tommy' last='Popoff']'s favorite target on the day, Liles caught 7 balls for a whopping 28.1 yards per reception. He finished with 197 yards and 3 scores. Another way to look how dominant he was is that he accounted for just under 83% of Kingsway's passing output, while the rest of his teammates totaled just 42 receiving yards. Can Liles replicate the success Degraffenreidt had against Williamstown this week? Stay tuned to find out.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b1077"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 0's Top Rushing Performances</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["220067"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"While the WJFC caught the headlines passing and receiving in week 0, we turn up north for leaders in the ground game. In New Jersey's most northwest corner, Baker, the tailback for Sussex County Tech, led the state in rushing for week 0. Baker totaled 253 yards on just 19 carries, while managing to find pay dirt 3 times. He was an automatic first down, averaging better than 13 YPC, and grinded away against Parsippany, with his longest run only being 49 yards. We will see if Baker can continue this success against Wallkill Valley next week.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b10c6"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["174107"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A quarterback that I happen to u003cemu003ereally u003c/emu003elike, Dietz did it through the air, but dominated on the ground. Brick's signal caller led his squad to a 51-25 victory over Allentown as he accounted for 6 scores (5 rushing, 1 passing). On the ground, Dietz rushed 17 times for 225 yards - a 13 YPC average. He also was an efficient 8 for 11 with 173 yards through the air. Middletown North is next up on the schedule for the Mustangs.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b1115"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971149"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In an emotionally charged, back-and-forth game against neighboring city Elizabeth, Thomas led his Linden Tigers to a 27-22 victory with his play as a ball carrier. In a game that was played at Kean University where all proceeds went to the endowment of a scholarship fund in the name of late teammate Xavier McClain, who passed away from a head injury last season, Thomas lifted his team and carried McClain's spirit. Thomas finished with 236 yards on the ground on 21 carries, while scoring 3 times. Next week the Tigers face off against Rahway.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b1165"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 0's Top Kicking Performances</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["916268"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Joyce, a prominent kicker in the state, was a Mr. Perfect for St. Thomas Aquinas. As the Trojans leaned into Paul VI 42-7 during the Battle at the Beach, Joyce was a perfect 7 for 7 on PATs.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b11b0"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971159"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The only other team from New Jersey to win an out of state matchup this weekend was St. Joseph's Regional in Montvale. In dominating fashion, the Green Knights defeated Christ School on the road in North Carolina 49-10. Salafia, their kicker, was a perfect 7 for 7 in PAT attempts on the day.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b11fc"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["971175"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Opening the season with three straight road games is no easy task; however, when you have a kicker you can rely on it makes it just that much easier. Cedar Grove opened the season with a 34-7 victory on the road at Ramsey. Kovacs, the Panther's kicker, was a perfect 4 for 4 on PATs. Moreover, the sophomore was a perfect 2 for 2 on FGAs, while making the state's longest field goal of week 0, bombing a 41-yard attempt through the uprights.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed5423b1247"} /-->