The Shore Conference’s Top Games: Week 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, we preview some of the Shore Conference's top games going into Week 3 of football here in the great, Garden State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, September 20</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Toms River North (3-0) @ Brick Memorial (3-0), 6pm </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Toms River North is up to Toms River North things, as the Mariners look to three-peat as Group V State Champions. So far things are a little different than in years past. In the two seasons prior, Toms River North relied heavily on their ground game whereas this year it is the inverse where their aerial assault outpaces their ground game. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1054133' first='TJ' last='Valerio'] is having a tremendous start to the season, throwing less incompletions (2) than games played (3). Valerio is 28 for 30 with 635 yards and 7 touchdowns. Additionally, Valerio has slashed 23/156/4 on the ground. Going stride-for-stride with Valerio are two fellow senior graduates. [player_tooltip player_id='675012' first='Nasir' last='Jackson'] leads the team in receptions and yardage with 8 and 195, respectively. Opposite Jackson is [player_tooltip player_id='674968' first='Camryn' last='Thomas'] who leads the team in receiving touchdowns with 3. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking to stop the Mariners offense will be a few high performers from Brick Memorial's offense. Two underclassmen I am specifically looking at are junior [player_tooltip player_id='1453896' first='Trey' last='Tallmadge'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1453899' first='Shawn' last='Fowler']. On the season Folwer has contributed with 11 tackles and 1 interception. Tallmadge, on the other hand, has been all over the field. Brick's leading tackler, he as made 28 stops on the year (19 solo), 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception. With Folwer patrolling the secondary and Tallmadge flying all over the field, expect these two to do everything in their power to make the Mariners ship sink.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>St. John Vianney (3-0) @ Wall (3-0), 7pm</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the Lancers of St. John Vianney look to undertake a renaissance of sorts to their program, running back [player_tooltip player_id='691039' first='Abdul' last='Turay'] seems to be a focal point of it. On the season, Turay has slashed 39/472/9 on the ground through three games, or a 12.1 YPC average. This total includes three straight 100+ yard performances, including a 15 carry, 223-yard and 4 score performance Friday at Holmdel. Turay has also hauled in 178 yards on 7 receptions, made 11 tackles (1 sack, 2 TFL), and returned a kick for a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two juniors from Wall hope to slow down Turray in [player_tooltip player_id='1453903' first='Dylan' last='Cohen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1453901' first='Thomas' last='Plisky']. Cohen appears to be the sure-bet tackler who is always around the ball. Cohen Leads his team with 30 tackles thus far, with 1 of those being for a loss. Plisky, on the other hand, seems to profile as a bit more of a playmaker. Thus far Plisky is second on the team with 16 tackles (11 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and has forced and recovery one fumble each. Together, expect a number of vice tackles against Turray.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Neptune (2-1) @ New Egypt (2-0), 6:30pm</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Egypt appears to be committed to the ground game, rushing the ball roughly four times more than they pass. Two junior running backs are the beneficiaries of this approach. Leading the team in carries is [player_tooltip player_id='1453906' first='Eddie' last='Novatkowski']. On his team-leading 40 totes, Novatkowski has amassed 142 carries and 2 scores. His backfield mate is [player_tooltip player_id='1036992' first='Lucas' last='Burgos']. With four less carries at 36, Burgos has also scored twice but rushed for an impressive 359 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neptune looks to match the New Egypt thunder-and-lightning with a duo of their own in [player_tooltip player_id='1453908' first='Jarairya' last='Jean'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1453909' first='Michael' last='MacLennan']. MacLennan currently leads the team in tackles with 31 total stops (11 solos). He is also a threat to make stops in the backfield with 5. Jean, on the other hand, is not far behind MacLennan's team-lead in tackles with 26. Further, Jean leads the team in tackles for loss (7) and sacks (3). He has also forced a fumble, recorded a safety, and blocked a kick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->