Young Studs to Watch in Tuesday’s State Championship Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are near the end of the New Jersey high school football season, and there is no better way to end it than two great matchups in Metlife. In a rematch of last season's state championship game, star studded Red Bank Catholic faces off against defending champion DePaul. And in the grand finale, we have Bergen Catholic looking to defend their title against an on the rise program in Delbarton. Within both games there is a ton of talent to watch, but here again we will drive attention to the younger players that have been stepping it up within some of the best programs in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["521913"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Red Bank Catholic hasn't lost a game since week 1 (Bergen Catholic). Since then, the team has been firing on all cylinders and have been lead offensively by their junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='521913' first='Frankie' last='Williams']. Frankie has been by far one of the most talented QBs in the state this season. With 1536 yards through the air and 17 touchdowns, Frankie has impressed with his mobility in the pocket and ability to throw with any arm angle. He is capable of not only delivering the ball with some zip, but his ability to put great touch on it to get the ball over the defender and into his receiver's hands. A runner when he needs to be, Frankie has been the leading rusher on the team as he has taken off for 419 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. The state will get more familiar with Frankie very soon.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a0be"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16148564/652dd72bdfd9db0468d02e4f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a10f"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1033349"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"DePaul entered the playoffs with a losing record, but are now on a 3 game winning streak. DePaul has one of the most talented 2025 classes in the state, and if they were to not take home the title Tuesday evening, don't be surprised if they're an early favorite to win it in 2024.rnrnI have highlighted a lot of DePaul's juniors already but wanted to shed light on an up and coming talent in [player_tooltip player_id='1033349' first='Elijah' last='Burress']. Elijah is a junior wide receiver that has been picking up steam towards the latter half of the season. With 113 yards and 2 touchdowns in their first playoff game, Elijah has been making a bigger and bigger impact as the team gets closer to the state championship. A receiver with track star speed, Elijah can dart past defensive backs and reel in over the shoulder catches with ease. And a player with sharp cuts that separates him from defenders, Elijah makes it easy for his QB to throw to.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a169"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16180754/6518d38a5b47890808ba9e98' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65623a545101d"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='366484' first='Jordan' last='Thomas']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Bergen Catholic","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The most talented team in the state may once again be Bergen Catholic. Loaded in every class, a few of the sophomores have been able to make an impact on the field in 2023. Leading the charge in the defensive backfield is [player_tooltip player_id='366484' first='Jordan' last='Thomas']. Jordan is no ordinary corner. He has great awareness on the field and is able to decipher the play to reel the ball in for a pick. With 4 interceptions on the season, Jordan's longer reach has been on full display. And with 48 tackles, Jordan has been able to fly up field to make tackles at the line of scrimmage. This is a name all scouts should get more familiar with.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a1de"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17907921/636b0d735b3d470e58917fb5' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6562aaa457933"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["995369"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Delbarton is a team I highlighted in the offseason quite a bit, and for good reason. This team has lived up to the hype and have put themselves in a position to beat the defending champs in Bergen Catholic. One of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball for Delbarton is [player_tooltip player_id='995369' first='Kyle' last='Checchio']. A junior outside linebacker, Kyle has found success wherever he is found on field. Coming off of the edge, Kyle has consistently lit up runners when he gets into the backfield. He sees the QB hand it off to the runner and takes him down for little to no gain. Kyle is very athletic and relentless in his pursuit of the ball carrier, filling the hole extremely quickly. With 75 tackles and 4 sacks on the season, Kyle is sure to put some pressure on a talented Bergen Catholic backfield.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a24e"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16414550/651cae5a0c536210e4fe4707' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65625139ae716"} /-->