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

<p>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.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2>   <ul> <li>St. Joseph (Metuchen) (4-2) at Watchung Hills (6-1)</li> </ul>   <p>In a divisional crossover matchup, the three-in-a-row win Falcons travel up the mountain to take on the one-loss Warriors. With the carries spread around, Watchung Hills has evolved into a robust passing attack. The Warriors' favorite target is senior receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1042035' first='Jack' last='Clintock']. Clintock is one of the Big Central's top receivers this year as he has gained 568 yards and 6 scores on 32 receptions. Clintock has also scored one, two-point conversion as well. Lining up opposite him is junior [player_tooltip player_id='723582' first='Brayden' last='Kelly']. Kelly has slashed 16/286/4 this season as a compliment to Clintock; however, Kelly's biggest impact is on the defensive side of the ball. A tough corner to go against, Kelly has 26 tackles (22 solo) heading into this game. A playmaker as well, Kelly has made 2 tackles for loss, forced 3 fumbles, recovered a fumble, intercepted 3 passes, and scored on one pick-six. He routinely shadows his opponent's top target.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1041985' first='Javon' last='Hudson'] is having himself a breakthrough season as a linebacker for St. Joe's. The thing about St. Joe's is that nobody is head-and-shoulders out-performing one another, as everyone's production is within an earshot of each other on both sides of the ball. Hudson is coming across as the type of player who gets better with each snap he takes each and every week. For the season Hudson has made 26.5 tackles (18 solos), 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries. He is the type of player that the Warriors should be weary of. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2>   <ul> <li>Mahwah (4-2) at Paramus (5-2)</li> </ul>   <p>For the second week in a row the Thunderbirds have made the must-see matchup of the week list; but for this week they will be traveling to take on the Spartans. [player_tooltip player_id='1041988' first='Preston' last='Duffy'] has been a nice chess piece for the Mahwah this season. As his carries have increased each and every game, so has his production. The junior has now rushed 59 times for 382 yards and 3 scores on the season. </p>   <p>Looking to wrangle down Duffy are two Spartans looking to lead the charge. Up front Paramus solicits the play of two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1042037' first='Daniel' last='Elyash']. At 6'2", Elyash is having a tremendous senior season. Aside from controlling the trenches in offense, Elyash has made big-play after big-play on defense. Elyash has made 6 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, forced 3 fumbles, and recovered 2 fumbles to go along with his 20 tackles/16 solos. Lining up behind Elyash is junior [player_tooltip player_id='218553' first='Liam' last='Jones']. A linebacker, Jones has cleaned up this year to the tune of 51 tackles (29 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. </p>   <ul> <li>Roxbury (7-0) at Morristown (4-3)</li> </ul>   <p>Roxbury, on their way to having a magical season, could prove a big help to many North V teams if they manage to sink the Morristown Colonials - but not if [player_tooltip player_id='1041990' first='Alex' last='Davis'] and company have anything to do it. For the Colonials, Davis does a tremendous job establishing the line of scrimmage on defense. Davis has made 4 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss this season. Beyond that, Davis has made 29 tackles (20 solos), forced a fumble, and recovered 2 fumbles. Davis' fellow 2025 trenchmate [player_tooltip player_id='1041981' first='Dimitrios' last='Mihalakakos'] has also had a very productive season. Mihalakakos, a junior, has made 38 tackles to go along with 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. These two defensive linemen are backed by [player_tooltip player_id='402217' first='Jasiah' last='Brown']. Just a sophomore, Brown gets it done in all three phases of the game. On defense Brown has made 23 tackles (12 solo) and intercepted 2 passes - one of which he took all the way back for a score. Brown pitches in on offense slashing 8/90/2 on the ground and 17/169/2 through the air. Lastly, Brown has 153 kickoff return yards on 7 returns (long of 34 yards) and 3 punt returns for 67 yards (long of 40).</p>   <p>The Gaels have gotten big plays all over the field from different players, particularly on the defensive side of things. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='220161' first='Matt' last='Rattay'] is looking to ride off on a high note to conclude his prep career. Primarily a linebacker, Rattay has made 73 tackles as well as forcing 1 fumble, sacking the quarterback twice, and registering 3 tackles for loss. Also a spell back, Ratty has slashed 48/126/5 on the ground and has scored at least once in his last four games. [player_tooltip player_id='1041989' first='Connor' last='May'] has also done a nice job for the Gaels all season long on defense. May has made 36 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, sacked the quarterback, and made 4 tackles for loss. </p>   <ul> <li>Pequannock (4-2) at Hanover Park (5-1)</li> </ul>   <p>Hannover Park looks to continue their special season as they play host to the Panthers this Friday. For the visiting Panthers, they are led by the efforts of a sophomore named [player_tooltip player_id='1042022' first='Dylan' last='Roemmele']. Roemmele has been a force in many aspects of the game, particularly as a running back, as he has rushed for 607 yards and 8 scores on 53 attempts. Roemmele has three 100+ yard and 2 score games to his credit. Roemmele has also hauled in 7 passes for 109 yards. Defensively Roemmele has made 20 tackles - half of which have been solos - to go along with 1 sack, 8 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble.</p>   <p>The Hornets are a team that we have covered relatively often; however, there has been some new talent I was able to identify off of their roster. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1042040' first='Jason' last='Grzymala'] is having himself a strong season in the defensive secondary. Outside of his 19 tackles, Grzymala has picked off 3 passes this season and made 3 tackles for loss. As Grzymala buzzes around the Hornets' secondary, [player_tooltip player_id='1042038' first='Luke' last='Riordan'] is the man in the trenches who protects the hive. A two-way lineman - and a massive individual at 6'5" 230lbs - Riordan moves lineman off the ball, protects the pocket, and has made 17 tackles, forced 1 fumble, made 2 tackles for loss, and recorded 3 sacks during his senior campaign. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shore Conference</h2>   <ul> <li>Shore (4-2) at Monmouth (5-2)</li> </ul>   <p>In a battle down the shore, two regional schools will be competing to avoid loss number 3 as Falcons look to defend the nest against the Blue Devils. Aside from also being named the greatest name known to mankind, [player_tooltip player_id='1041991' first='Brendan' last='O'Brien'] is in many ways the heart and soul for Shore. In limited attempts, O'Brien appears to be the Blue Devils' leading rusher with 411 yards and 5 scores on 62 attempts. O'Brien also mixes it up as a linebacker as he has made 29 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble on defense.</p>   <p>With regards to Monmouth, there are actually three defenders I want to take the time to highlight - the first of two make tons of tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The first is [player_tooltip player_id='971264' first='Daniel' last='Kikta'], a player I recently highlighted. Kikta has made 52 tackles on the season and registered 6 sacks; however, his most stat total is that he has made 18 tackles for loss. Accompanying Kikta as a frequent visitor in the backfield is [player_tooltip player_id='1042041' first='Jake' last='Rickert'], who has made 10 tackles for loss this season. Rickert also has recorded 3 sacks, 35 tackles, recovered a fumble, and 1 safety this season. Anything that Kikta and Rickert do not get to, [player_tooltip player_id='999495' first='Evan' last='Booth'] cleans up. Booth has been a steady force at linebacker as he has made 52 tackles (27 solos), 5 tackles for loss, recovered 1 fumble, blocked a kick, and 4 interceptions.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2>   <ul> <li>Cherokee (5-1) at Kingsway (5-2)</li> </ul>   <p>If the playoffs started today, #10 Kingsway would actually be visiting #1 Cherokee in the South V bracket. Maybe about a month away from this possible matchup, we get perhaps a playoff preview in October. The next few seasons may be bright for Cherokee, as they are led by junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1041986' first='Murad' last='Campfield']. After serving in a spell role as a sophomore, Campfield has put forth an outstanding season having rushed for 742 yards and 7 scores on 120 attempts. Meanwhile on defense senior [player_tooltip player_id='462997' first='Austin' last='Lenart'] has been an absolute terror in what is going to be his last dance. Lenart has led a defense that has had three straight shutouts and allowed just 29 points in its six games. Making plays all over the field has led Lenart to amass 57 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, and 1 scoop-and-score.</p>   <p>Two defenders on Kingsway that caught my eye were [player_tooltip player_id='1042042' first='Amir' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1041987' first='Tommy' last='Dipietro']. An interior lineman, Washington has had a super-productive senior season. The defensive tackle has made 40 stops on defense including 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Dipietro is no slouch either, has he is amongst the team leaders in tackles. Dipietro has made 4 tackles for loss and 1 sack to go along with his 48 stops. </p>   <p></p>

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.