Circle Your Calendars: Week 3’s Top (Friday) Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With school in full-swing there is a full slate of games on the docket across the state. In observance of Rosh Hashanah on Friday, September 15, many school districts opted to play games the day before on Thursday. Here are a handful of headlining games and key players in each matchup I am looking forward watching go against one another.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Montgomery (3-0) at Somerville (3-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday night features a head-to-head battle of 3-0 teams as the Cougars face off against the Pioneers. First year Head Coach Matt Bloom will look to his junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='995084' first='Brenden' last='Pacheco'] to stay undefeated. Aside from having a great first name (since we share it), Pacheco profiles as more of a pocket passer, rushing for only 49 yards and 1 score on the ground; however, through the air is where Pacheco slices and dices. On the season he is 29 for 46 with 568 yards. Although not the largest output in the state, what impresses me is his 8:0 TD to INT ratio. Careful with the ball and efficient is the name of his game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On one sideline we have a first year coach and on the other sideline we have Zoran Milich, the only head coach Montgomery has known in its 20+ seasons of football. Leading the defensive pressure for the Cougars will be [player_tooltip player_id='380338' first='Brady' last='Post'], a senior linebacker. Featured in an odd front, Post has shown that he can line up and play anywhere, disrupting an offense's flow and making plays. So far he has made 15 tackles on the season with 3 tackles for loss. He already has surpassed last season's sack total with 3.5 in 2023. He has also intercepted a pass on defense. Going out strong for his senior season, Post will look to harass Pacheco as a pass rusher and clog passing lanes as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Montclair (3-0) at Union City (1-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='341839' first='Mark' last='Boyd'] slashed 107/973/15 on the ground for Union City's Wing-T offense. In two games thus far Boyd is on pace to shatter the production from his sophomore campaign, as he has totaled 21 totes for 214 yards and 4 TDs. The scary thing? He has a full senior campaign left. Aided by the Wing-T's deceptive nature, him being versatile enough to line up at fullback or wing, willingness to grind through an incredible offseason strength and conditioning program, and being just a helluva football player has Boyd in prime position to be the top runner in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hoping to slow Boyd down for the first time this season is [player_tooltip player_id='995083' first='Richard' last='Williams'], a junior, and senior teammate [player_tooltip player_id='995095' first='Manny' last='Robinson']. After limited action as a sophomore, it appears that Williams is a prospect who has come into his own and anchored the Bulldogs' defense. Across three games thus far, all victories, Williams has recorded 16.5 tackles, 1 TLF, and recovered 1 fumble. If Williams does not make the play, Robinson certainly will. To start the season Robinson has been credited with 27.5 tackles (21 solo) with 3 TFL. With all the gadgetry the Wing-T brings Robinson and Williams will benefit from keying in on Union City's guards all game long if they hope to stop Boyd on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: St. Joseph's Prep (PA) (2-1) at Don Bosco Prep (1-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perennial state powerhouse Don Bosco is playing their <em>third </em>out-of-state matchup in 4 games thus far as they face off against St. Joseph Prep out of Philly. Although the Hawks will be taking the trip up the turnpike, it is tailback [player_tooltip player_id='606226' first='Logan' last='Bush'] who drives the bus for Ironmen. Bush has had a strong start to his senior campaign, having rushed 49 times for 205 yards and 3 scores. He has also pitched in in the pass game, serving as a reliable safety valve for his quarterback en route to 39 yards on 7 catches. This comes on the heels of a 179 carry 1319 yard and 13 TD junior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After speaking with Prep Redzone's own <a href="https://twitter.com/PRZPAvic">[player_tooltip player_id='1156407' first='Vic' last='Castillo']</a>, he was able to give me a rundown of St. Joseph's top defensive chess piece [player_tooltip player_id='255078' first='Anthony' last='Sacca']. I was very deliberate in describing Sacca as a "chess piece," as he is a freak athlete who can dominate and change the game at all three levels of the defense. I was told that he lines up at the safety position, can play at linebacker, and is an excellent pass rusher who can also set the edge in the run game. He is Prep Redzone PA's #2 overall prospect and holds better than 30 FBS-level offers. St. Joe's comes into the game with a 2-1 record, dropping a 3-point game to Florida's IMG Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shore Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Toms River North (3-0) at Donovan Catholic (2-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By now we should all be very familiar with the abundance of talent that Toms River North has at all three levels of the defense and across the board on offense. There is one linebacker that I do not believe we have discussed much. His name is [player_tooltip player_id='995096' first='Christian' last='Oliveri']. Entering his senior season, he has just about matched his production as a role player during his junior season, and is now anchoring the Mariner's defense. Across their three wins to start the season, Oliveri has accrued 24 tackles, a third of which were credited as solo tackles, and 2.5 sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lining up on the opposite him on the line of scrimmage is sophomore phenom [player_tooltip player_id='284069' first='Najee' last='Calhoun']. As first identified by our team at <a href="https://prepredzone.com/next/">Prep Redzone Next</a>, last year as a freshman Calhoun tore up the Shore Conference to the tune of 942 yards on 152 carries and 13 TDs. As incomprehensible as it sounds, across two games this year Calhoun is even <em>more </em>productive than he was last fall. He has gained 192 yards on 28 carries while scoring 3 times. However, the biggest jump in production comes in terms of Calhoun's yards per cary average - which has jumped from 6.2 YPC to 6.9 YPC thus far. These two are destined for a collision course on Friday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Riverside (2-0) at Schalick (3-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am truly excited for this next matchup of underclassmen who are leading undefeated teams out in West Jersey. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='995082' first='Reggie' last='Allen'] from Schalick is primed for a breakthrough season. After two grind-it-out performances to open the season on the winning side of things, Allen ran for 144 yards and 3 TDs on 25 carries on the road at Wildwood last week. This brings his total for the season to 52/144/4 on the ground. My guess is that Allen is locked in and continue riding that wave.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Riverside has any shot of slowing down Allen, I would expect [player_tooltip player_id='995097' first='Isaiah' last='Ali-Lewis'] to have a big hand in doing so. Just a sophomore, Ali-Lewis has surpassed his production last year as a freshman on varsity. Impacting the game in numerous ways, Ali-Lewis has been an especially apt run-stuffer as he has made not just 15 tackles but also 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss in just two games thus far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Mainland (3-0) at Atlantic City (3-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In one of the state's few battles of undefeated 3-0 teams, can we talk about Atlantic City without discussing [player_tooltip player_id='675553' first='Sahnye' last='Degraffenreidt']? As much as I try to spread the love to new prospects, Degraffenreidt's production has been insane this season to the point that I cannot overlook it this week. In only three games, Degraffenreidt has <em>already</em> caught 6 touchdown passes. He has done this on 375 yards and 16 catches. Additionally, he has been on the finishing end of 2, two-point conversions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Doing his best to stop Degraffenreidt will be Mainland's [player_tooltip player_id='967106' first='Stephen' last='Ordille']. As a senior Ordille has been extremely active on the defensive side of the ball. This year he has been credited with 20 tackles thus far - probably one of the highest individual totals in the state for a defensive back - but has also made 4 tackles for loss as well. Let us not forget the fact that he has also intercepted a pass too. Ordille impacts the offense too, slashing 37/296/3 on the ground, 6/21 in the air, and also returning a punt for a score thus far in the young season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->