Games to Watch: Week 3 Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Donovan Catholic (2-0) vs. Toms River North (3-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>9/15 7pm at Toms River North</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Donovan Catholic was one of my favorite teams entering 2023. They are loaded with young talent, and I believe have the ability to compete with the best of them within the state. Starting the season off 2-0 and a big 21-16 win over St. Augustine in the season opener, this team is ready to continue the momentum into the weekend. Donovan Catholic has multiple weapons on offense, and the one's that deserve the attention this weekend are [player_tooltip player_id='284069' first='Najee' last='Calhoun'] and Michael Thomas III. [player_tooltip player_id='284069' first='Najee' last='Calhoun'] is a player I have highlighted before, and so far has proven his worth. Rushing for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns thus far, Najee is hard to stop once he gets going. In the pass game, Michael Thomas III is the main downfield threat to be worried about. Racking up 179 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, he's on pace for some big numbers this season. To balance out the offensive power on the defensive side of the ball, senior Hunter Johnson has been holding it down with 27 total tackles on the season and 3 sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, Donovan Catholic's opponent this weekend is no ordinary opponent. Toms River North is coming into the weekend as the top ranked public school in the state, lead by the talented ATH [player_tooltip player_id='172516' first='Micah' last='Ford']. Micah is having himself a year. A challenging player to contain on offense, Micah has already accumulated 332 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns, and has also ran for 508 yards and 6 touchdowns. The other offensive weapons that defenses have to worry about are at the receiver position. [player_tooltip player_id='447441' first='Jeremiah' last='Pruitt'] has racked up 175 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, while his teammate [player_tooltip player_id='674968' first='Camryn' last='Thomas'] has brought in 101 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Lastly, this defense is strong. They have only let up 28 points in 3 games so far this season. Led by Ja'Elyne Matthews, who has brought the QB to the ground 2.5 times, Toms River North is a dominate force within the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rancocas Valley (3-0) vs. Timber Creek (3-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>9/15 7pm at Rancocas Valley</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rancocas Valley is a team that is climbing up in the rankings. A team that has only let up 20 points in 3 games, they have been able to dominate their opponents. This defense is led by [player_tooltip player_id='993119' first='Malachi' last='Handberry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='993117' first='Damien' last='Peterson']. Both players have struck fear into opposing QBs, as they have combined for 73 total tackles and 8 sacks this season. Offensively, this team has a very strong run attack. [player_tooltip player_id='1043531' first='Jameer' last='Bellamy'] from the 2026 class has rushed for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns, while his teammate [player_tooltip player_id='220114' first='Malachi' last='Castle'] has ran for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A battle of undefeated teams with strong defenses is always something to keep an eye on. Just as Rancocas Valley has only let up 20 points so far this season, the same can be said for Timber Creek. Brahim Wynn was on the radar all off season and is really producing early in the season with 14 total tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble returned for a touchdown. A player that is on the rise on this defense is [player_tooltip player_id='218547' first='Amir' last='Reason-Dallas']. Amir has made a big impact so far with 29 total tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown. Just as Rancocas Valley has a strong run game, so does Timber Creek. Senior running back Chase Conway has racked up some stats with 295 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. This matchup is sure to be a battle come Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->