Circle Your Calendars: Week 7’s Top (Friday) Matchups, Part I

As cutoff week is just two weeks away, across the state teams are fighting it out for playoff positioning. Here are some big time matchups that impact not just those teams playing, but also the playoff prospects of several others.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2>   <ul> <li>Sayreville (5-2) at Piscataway (4-3)</li> </ul>   With several teams looking at current Group V #15 seed Piscataway in the standings, those teams are hoping the Bombers bombard the Chiefs playoff hopes this week. Sayreville will look to explosive tailback [player_tooltip player_id='220075' first='Zaimer' last='Wright'] to score from any point on the field. This season Wright has slashed 84/901/10 in just 5 games. In every game in which he has appeared, Wright has rushed for better than 100 yards and scored. He has three games with 190+ yards and 3 multi-score games to his credit as well. Wright is also a threat in the passing game as he has scored twice via reception. An enforcer in the trenches is [player_tooltip player_id='1040470' first='Diego' last='Jesus']. A tight end in their Wing-T attack, Jesus also mashes it up on defense. This Bomber has made 59 tackles on the season, including a highly disruptive 10 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.   Piscataway meanwhile is a bit of a more difficult team to get a handle on personnel wise. [player_tooltip player_id='1040414' first='Horace' last='Thompson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1040415' first='James' last='Bodley'] both seemed to pace the Chiefs' rushing attack, where Bodley has ran about twice as often has Thompson. Thompson, however, is the bigger "thundering" back due to his size. In a three game stretch, Thompson had scored 5 touchdowns, as well has controlling the line of scrimmage on defense.   <ul> <li>Hillside (4-2) at Delaware Valley (4-2)</li> </ul>   This ought to be an interesting matchup as an athletic Hillside team travels to take on a disciplined Delaware Valley team. For host Del Val, they are led offensively by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1040469' first='Luke' last='Brogan']. Brogan has completed 75 of 112 passes for 1015 yards while throwing 11 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. On the ground the senior has rushed for 398 yards and 4 scores on 67 attempts. Lastly, as a special teamer Brogan has converted a two-point conversion, made 11 of 18 PATs, and nailed his only field goal attempts of the season. When Brogan drops back to throw more times than not he is looking to feed [player_tooltip player_id='1040419' first='Eric' last='Klemmer']. Klemmer, a junior, leads Del Val in receptions with 21 on the season. Those 21 grabs have translated to 259 yards and 4 scores. Klemmer also has an impact on defense as he has made 17 total/12 solo tackles from the secondary to go along with 1 interception.   I suspect that the Comets think they can win this game up front along the line on defense. Blessed with two huge, yet equally talented, defensive linemen, expect running lanes to be tough to come by. [player_tooltip player_id='1040422' first='Ivie' last='Igiehon'] has set the tone up front all year as he has made 23 tackles - 13 solos, to go along with 1 tackle for loss and 2 sacks. Igiehon is a very tough individual to move off the line. As if Igiehon was not big enough to move, [player_tooltip player_id='846959' first='Darren' last='Ikinnagbon'] makes his teammate look small. Ikinnagbon, all 6'6" 215lbs of him, has made 34 tackles on the season, where 22 of those tackles have been solos. Ikinnagbon has added 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles to his ledger as well.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2>   <ul> <li>Old Tappan (6-0) at Ramapo (6-0)</li> </ul>   In the first of two matchups of unbeaten teams out of the Super Football Conference, the Raiders are hosting the Golden Knights. With so much on the line, Old Tappan will look to their two-headed monster of rushing attack to secure the victory. Although a quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='539076' first='Alex' last='Orecchio'] is just about 50 yards away from the team lead in rushing with 468 yards. On the ground Orecchio has scored 6 times (in every game but one) on 42 attempts. When he drops back to throw, Orecchio is 41/62 on the year with 745 yards and 12 touchdowns. Orecchio has not yet thrown an interception this season. Nick Rossi is the lead back for Old Tappan, having gone for 10 scores and 527 yards on 55 carries. Rossi has scored on the ground in every game and plays effectively on defense as he has made 38 tackles (23 solos) and 3 tackles for loss. Lastly, Ramapo might be wise to run away from [player_tooltip player_id='1040327' first='Devyn' last='Radoian']. Radoian, a junior, had himself a great year cracking the varsity lineup. A linebacker, Radoian has made 43 tackles (24 solo), 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.   An interesting do-it-all sort of player for Ramapo has been [player_tooltip player_id='1040431' first='Dylan' last='Rosano']. In his junior year Rosano has slashed 27/139/3 on the ground as a ball carrier, 12/106/1 as a receiver, and picked off 2 passes while making 2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage as a defender. On defense Rosano wll share the field with [player_tooltip player_id='1040423' first='Mason' last='Shifar']. Also a junior, Shifar is having a strong season in his first year breaking the varsity lineup. Shifar has made 30 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack during the 2023 campaign.   <ul> <li>Westwood (6-0) at Lakeland (5-2)</li> </ul>   Heading into the season there was much buzz around Westwood whose only loss came to the hands of the eventual Group II Champion Caldwell - a team on a 34+ game winning streak - in the state semifinal game. Aside from a wildly successful season, Westwood returned several starters entering 2023. [player_tooltip player_id='777879' first='Aidan' last='Carrazana'] has been a big part of what the Cardinals do on offense. As the offense's primary target he has hauled in 20 receptions for 323 yards and 3 scores. Carrazana also is a factor in the ground game as he has 122 carries and 2 scores on just 11 attempts. He is also a factor in the other two phases of the game as Carrazana has one pick-six and one kickoff return touchdown to his credit. Defensively [player_tooltip player_id='774926' first='Luke' last='Biello'] gets the job done both as an offensive lineman as well as a linebacker. To his credit, Biello has made 20 stops on the season thus far; however his impact is felt tremendously behind the line of scrimmage as he has made 6 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.   On the other hand Lakeland has two players who impact the game at the same position - both on offense and on defense. [player_tooltip player_id='1040430' first='Jeremy' last='O'Hernandez'] appears to be Lakeland's lead back as he has slashed 106/583/2 on the ground this season. O'Hernandez also has 20 stops and 1 tackle for loss to his name this year. Meanwhile, flanking O'Hernandez on defense and spelling him on offense, [player_tooltip player_id='1021615' first='Brennan' last='Stocker'] impacts the game when he has his shot too. Stocker has rushed for 101 yards and a score on 9 attempts this year; whereas defensively he has been credited with 23 stops, 2 forced fumbles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack during his junior season.   <ul> <li>Caldwell (6-0) at Cedar Grove (7-0)</li> </ul>   The hottest team in the state, by far, rolls into Cedar Grove to face the team that last beat them. That loss? It was a 33-27 score back on November 6, 2020. With the same teams but new faces entering this rivalry, let us get familiar with the new names. [player_tooltip player_id='1040427' first='Michael' last='Mignone'] is a team leader on defense for the visiting Chiefs. Mignone, who appears to have been a starter since is sophomore year has made 21 tackles on the season to go along with 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 blocked kick. Additionally, Mignone has slashed 12/132/3 through the air as a receiver. His defensive counterpart is senior [player_tooltip player_id='220104' first='Julian' last='Casale']. On the heels of a 115 tackle, 9 sack, 34 tackle for loss season as a junior, Casale has 46 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks so far this season.   As far as Cedar Grove goes, they ought to rely on a quarterback-receiver tandem that has not failed them yet this season. [player_tooltip player_id='933995' first='Stephen' last='Paradiso'] is a signal caller I saw back at the New York Jets 7on event in July. The junior gunslinger is having a tremendous year, going 102/166 for 1502 yards with 22 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. Paradiso has also grinded out tough yardage on the ground as he has scored 6 times. His favorite target is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1037061' first='Nick' last='Iannacone']. Iannacone, fresh off of a 10-reception, 172-yard game, has slashed 37/580/8 on the year. Iannacone is also a defensive cornerstone as he has made 42 tackles (40 solos), 4 tackles for loss, and 3 interceptions this year.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shore Conference</h2>   <ul> <li>Toms River South (5-1) at Toms River North (6-1)</li> </ul>   The battle for Toms River is in full effect this year, as both North and South have only sustained one loss a piece. Sure to be a cross-town rivalry game talked about with much anticipation, there are some new Mariners to introduce to the rest of the state.   First up is linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1040416' first='Blaise' last='Boland']. After finding a role for himself during his sophomore season, Boland has emerged as a glue-guy who holds together an otherwise star-studded defense. So far Boland has made 44 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble as well. Boland plays like a possessed maniac as he makes plays all over the field.   Cracking North's lineup as a sophomore is a impressive task, a task that Giovani Anglin has been up to this year. An anchor for the Mariners in the trenches both on offense and defense, Anglin has had his impact felt to the tune of 35 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.   Unfortunately there are not any good datapoints on South to highlight some of their players who are having a standout season.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2>   <ul> <li>Seneca (5-1) at Cinnaminson (7-0)</li> </ul>   As we travel to South Jersey, the Golden Eagles will take on the host Pirates down in Cinnaminson. For the Pirates they are paced by an outstanding two-way talent named [player_tooltip player_id='1040425' first='Gavin' last='Prendergast']. As a tight end Prendergast has an immeasurable impact in the blocking game, but has also hauled in 12 receptions fro 286 yards and 6 touchdowns. A dependable red zone target for his team, Prendergast has scored in four straight games. On defense Prendergast has been stellar with 39 tackles, 22 of which have been solos. Aiding Prendergast on defense is a young sophomore - [player_tooltip player_id='1040329' first='Jason' last='Straub']. In his first taste of varsity football, Straub has been really solid en route to 31 tackles on the season.   These two Pirates will look to raid and loot Seneca's offensive production. Perhaps their most involved player, young Anthony Tiricio has been a pleasant surprise. Quarterbacking his team to just one loss, the freshman has done a tremendous job. Tiricio has gone 62/102 for 861 yards with 7 passing touchdowns to 3 interceptions. Tiricio has also added about 200 yards and scored on the ground 3 times this season, as well as having a 6-game passing touchdown streak finally snapped last week. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1040420' first='Jamar' last='Warthen'] is a player that Tiricio and the Golden Eagles look to get involved multiple ways. On the ground, Warthen has slashed 18/142/3 and gone 23/289/2 through the air. Also all over the place on defense, Warthen has made 29 tackles (21 solo), 8 tackles for loss, 1 sack, forced 1 fumble, recovered another fumble, and intercepted a pass too.   <ul> <li>Woodstown (5-1) at Haddonfield (5-1)</li> </ul>   Another matchup pits the visiting Wolverines against the Bulldawgs. Woodstown is not a team we have covered much this season, but yet perhaps should be moving forward. Their leading rusher is [player_tooltip player_id='1040432' first='Bryce' last='Belinfanti']. Belinfanti steps into the role of lead back in his junior year after accruing 84 attempts as a freshman and sophomore combined. Getting his feet wet has translated to a 111/858/11 explosion once the job was officially his. He has rushed for 100 yards in all but two games this year and scored in all but one. Defensively Belinfanti has made 27 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and 1 interception. Belinfanti's 2025 classmate [player_tooltip player_id='1040433' first='Bobby' last='Donahue'] is having a big impact on defense. Donahue has made 35 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4/5 sacks, and forced 1 fumble.   Whereas Woodstown is a team we are getting more familiar with, Haddonfield has some faces and names we have covered. That said, here are two new names we ought to acquaint ourselves with. There might be no player who impacts the line of scrimmage than [player_tooltip player_id='1040471' first='Jack' last='Tarditi']. A two-way lineman, Tarditi is amongst the team leaders with 50 tackles. This total excludes his 4 tackles for loss and 3 sacks during his senior campaign. Where Tarditi is a senior, [player_tooltip player_id='1040291' first='Luca' last='Lentini'] is just a freshman. Perhaps a prospect we ought to keep in mind down the line, Lentini has made 22 tackles (13 solos) in his first taste of varsity football. One tackle went for a loss and Lentini has picked off 3 passes this season - including 1 a game in three straight games.

As cutoff week is just two weeks away, across the state teams are fighting it out for playoff positioning. Here are some big time matchups that impact not just those teams playing, but also the playoff prospects of several others.