Circle Your Calendars: Week 6’s Top (Thursday) Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the playoffs right around the corner, team's are coming up on their 6th or 7th game of the season. The NJSIAA only takes a team's first 8 games and counts them toward playoff standings. As we come down the wire, here are some top matchups that will inevitably impact the playoff landscape.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Highland Park (0-5) at Brearley (2-3)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the smaller schools in the Big Central square off as the Bears will host the Owls. For Brearley they currently sit 15th of 16 in the North Group 1 playoff bracket. They are led by a tandem of seniors who line up in the backfield, Ryan Obiedzinski and Gavin Marranca. Marranca, their lead running back currently leads the Bears in rushing with 431 yards and 2 scores on 77 attempts. Obiedzinki, on the the other hand, is their starting quarterback who has found success both through the air and on the ground. Obiedzinki is second on the team in rushing with 248 yards and 4 scores on 34 attempts; where through the air he is 18 of 35 for 329 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highland Park will look to knock of Brearley in hopes to snap their 47-game losing streak that dates back nearly seven full seasons ago. They have an interesting talent in [player_tooltip player_id='1025994' first='Markos' last='Hantsoulis'] taking snaps at quarterback. Highland Park has not kept the best team statistics; however, in their last game against Dayton Hantsoulis slashed 25/177/3 on the ground while going 6 of 12 for 78 yards through the air. Hantsoulis also stands at 6 foot 4 inches tall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Jersey Interscholastic Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Manchester Regional (2-3) at Harrison (0-4)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Akin to Highland Park, Harrison is riding a losing streak of their own - albeit just 16 games. They look to play spoiler against a Manchester Regional team who happens to have some young, talented prospects that headline both the offense and defense for the Falcons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively [player_tooltip player_id='1025998' first='Tyree' last='Gunthrope'] seems to be leading the way delivering big plays on a consistent basis. Through two games the sophomore is currently second on the team with 25 tackles. He has also recorded 1 tackle for loss to go along with two interceptions - both of which he returned for scores. Gunthrope is also a two-way talent as he is a key contributor on offense as well. In fact, Gunthrope is actually both the Falcon's leading rusher and leading receiver. On the season he has caught 10 balls for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns, while he has rushed 46 times for 370 yards and 4 scores. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Getting Gunthrope the ball is junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1025995' first='Ashawn' last='Johnson']. Johnson is 32 of 55 for 533 yards on the season with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He has also rushed for 5 scores and 277 yards on 44 attempts. With the talent Johnson brings to the table, are we really all that surprised that he also plays defense? In four games worth of defensive stats, he has made 17 tackles - 10 of which have been solo - with 1 tackle for loss and 2 interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Shabazz (3-3) at Newark Central (3-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a clash for intra-city bragging rights, the Newark's Blue Devils will host the same city's Bulldogs. Entering the season there was much buzz surrounding Shabazz who hired Naz Oliver to take over the program. As Oliver has began implementing his approach, he has managed to get seniors on board with his agenda and also infuse youth along the way. [player_tooltip player_id='1025989' first='Nayad' last='Walker'] is the team's senior receiver and playmaker. Through five games, the senior has caught 18 passes for 389 yards and 7 touchdowns. Additionally, Walker has caught a two-point conversion and returned a punt for a score. Defensively Shabazz experiences the benefits of having [player_tooltip player_id='402249' first='Zaiden' last='McDonald'] lining up for them on defense. Through three games, the sophomore has made 28 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side of town, Central has something of a youth movement of their own festering. Two freshman, one on each side of the ball, are delivering now and for the next several years for Mark Ingram's team. On offense [player_tooltip player_id='910914' first='Andrew' last='Wright'] is the team's gunslinger who has taken a fearless approach to the game. Wright is 36 of 64 on the season with 3 touchdowns to 6 interceptions with one helluva first varsity game. Against Hoboken he was 14 of 20 for 324 yards with 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 1 rushing score. Wright has scored twice on the ground this season and converted one, two-point conversion as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1026003' first='Dishon' last='Jerman'], has been an anchor defensively as well as a contributor on offense. On defense he is amongst the Blue Devils' leaders in tackles with 32. Moreover, he has forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass as well. On offense he has slashed 10/118/1 as a receiver and also converted one, two-point conversion as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->