Games We Need to Recap from the First Weekend of October

Phillipsburg (4-1) vs. West Orange (4-2) 21-14   What stands out the most in this game is not just the players in the matchup and the tightness of the score, but more in how those points were put up. If you strictly watched the game when West Orange was on defense, you would have thought they were the ones that came out victorious. Traditionally, Phillipsburg picks defenses apart with the arm talent of [player_tooltip player_id='855768' first='Jett' last='Genovese'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1189138' first='Matthew' last='Scerbo'] Jr. on the receiving end. However, West Orange's defense did an exceptional job shutting down the passing game and forcing Phillipsburg to try to beat them on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='855768' first='Jett' last='Genovese'] ended up being the lead ball carrier for the Liners, as he powered his way for 16 carries, 58 yards, and a crucial touchdown. However, that touchdown didn't come until the 4th quarter, meaning Phillipsburg had to find other ways to find the end zone if they wanted to walk away with the win. This was achieved through exceptional efforts in every phase of the game.   In the first quarter, the first points of the game were scored off of a blocked punt and a touchdown return by [player_tooltip player_id='1189137' first='Felix' last='Matos']. Later in that half, [player_tooltip player_id='1189138' first='Matthew' last='Scerbo'] Jr. picked off West Orange's [player_tooltip player_id='1190937' first='Charlie' last='LaMorte'] and returned it to the house to put the Liners ahead 14-0. West Orange didn't let the game get away from them, however. [player_tooltip player_id='1190937' first='Charlie' last='LaMorte'] led a valiant effort to bring his team back from behind. Throwing for over 180 yards, 2 touchdowns, and another 80+ yards on the ground, Charlie did everything he could to get his team back into a position to compete towards the end. After a competitive game like this one on Friday night, both team's defenses deserve a little more recognition. In particular, Phillipsburg's [player_tooltip player_id='1211566' first='Luke' last='Hywel'] and Jah'lil Dooley both recorded a sack, and the same can be said for West Orange's EahJay McAdams and [player_tooltip player_id='1216551' first='Darius' last='Brown'].   Ramapo (2-3) vs. Passaic Tech (5-1) 21-7 (upset)   Here we have one of the biggest upsets of the season thus far. Handing Passaic Tech their first loss of the year, Ramapo stunned the Bulldogs Friday night. There is a lot that needs to be said about this matchup and storyline. In particular, Ramapo getting back on track after starting the season 0-3. With back-to-back victories, Ramapo is maybe one game away from being back in the conversation for a playoff push. Led by their young duel threat QB, [player_tooltip player_id='1546513' first='Casey' last='Grusser'], Ramapo was able to pull off the upset through exceptional play on both sides of the ball. Casey really took charge of the game offensively as he dominated through the air and on the ground. Casey has amazing athletic ability and can keep the play alive even when it breaks down early on. You need to check out his 35 yards touchdown scramble; Casey evaded multiple tackles and may have ran for over 70 yards just in that play in order to get to the end zone. Casey finished the evening with 106 yards on the ground and that score. To go with his scrambling ways, Casey lit up Passaic Tech's secondary with consistent, precise throws. Passing for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns, teams need to start worrying about covering every inch of the field when they go up against Casey.   This win was not a lone effort, however. On the receiving end of [player_tooltip player_id='1546513' first='Casey' last='Grusser']'s catches was his favorite target, [player_tooltip player_id='1552333' first='Salvatore' last='Livoti']. Salvatore was nearly uncoverable, as he caught an astonishing 12 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. Ramapo's defense was able to stifle a Passaic Tech offense that few others have been able to slow down. The defensive effort was led by a Gino Gorga interception and an impressive 16 tackle game by Zack Darwish. While Passaic Tech did not walk away from the game with the outcome they hoped, they are still a team that is a contender in their conference. The Bulldogs I am sure will learn from this loss and bounce back from it; there is still a lot to build off of from this loss. [player_tooltip player_id='1538176' first='Gabe' last='Miles'] was able to find success throwing downfield, as he threw for 130 yards and a touchdown. Passaic Tech is sure to continue the ground and pound success they've had as well, as [player_tooltip player_id='1538176' first='Gabe' last='Miles'], Naz Mitchell and [player_tooltip player_id='1052330' first='Aarom' last='Mendoza'] combined for just under 200 rushing yards. Speaking of [player_tooltip player_id='1052330' first='Aarom' last='Mendoza'], he was a constant presence in Ramapo's backfield, as he was able to bring Grusser to the ground 2 times on Friday.    New Providence (5-1) vs. Middlesex (4-2) 26-19   A battle of one loss teams, this was a hard fought battle led by two strong running teams. A game in which Middlesex was in control of deep into the 3rd quarter, New Providence made their final push with 19 unanswered points. This wasn't a game that the statistics jumped out at you across the board; neither starting quarterback put up more than 70 yards. The outlier of that statement is the production that New Providence got out of their team leading runners, [player_tooltip player_id='1467528' first='AJ' last='Whitehead'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1467524' first='TJ' last='Munn']. [player_tooltip player_id='1467528' first='AJ' last='Whitehead'] had himself a day, finding the end zone 3 times on the ground and rushing for 143 yards off of 23 carries. To go with AJ's dominance on the ground was [player_tooltip player_id='1467524' first='TJ' last='Munn']. TJ also ran the rock 23 times and rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown. Just as important, TJ played a big part in his defenses success as he picked off Middlesex's [player_tooltip player_id='1001986' first='Dom' last='Parenti']. The positive's of Middlesex's play on the field came from the all around athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1001984' first='Jax' last='Jarvis']. Jax scored each of Middlesex's touchdowns, and each in a different manner. Jax not only picked the ball off twice Friday night, but also returned one of them for a second quarter touchdown. If that wasn't impressive enough, Jax started the game off with a rushing touchdown (and finished with 55 yards on the ground), and then threw a touchdown on a trick play to his QB, [player_tooltip player_id='1001986' first='Dom' last='Parenti']. Both teams are on the right path to make a statement as we near the playoffs.

Phillipsburg (4-1) vs. West Orange (4-2) 21-14