The Big Central Conference’s Top Games: Week 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, we preview some of the Big Central Conference's top games going into Week 5 of football here in the great, Garden State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 4</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Summit (4-0) at Somerville (5-0), 7pm<br><br>Two teams featured in the last few weeks appear again as unbeaten Summit travels to take on unbeaten Somerville. Having touched on Summit already, [player_tooltip player_id='1002364' first='Oscar' last='Marx'] is a receiving threat that can get behind the Pioneers' secondary if they sleep on him. Yes, Summit is a run-first team; however, Marx has incredible output when given the opportunity accumulating 174 yards on 8 receptions while scoring 3 times. Marx has also scored on a kickoff return, too. Along the defensive line, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1515056' first='Minjoon' last='King'] is the team-leader with 5 tackles for loss, is tied for the team lead in sacks with 2, while also making 17 tackles. <br><br>Defensively it has been a team-effort for Somerville. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1515058' first='Justin' last='Bowen'] is the team leader in sacks with 3 thus far. Additionally, he has made 3 tackles for loss, intercepted a pass, and made 15 stops. In the trenches [player_tooltip player_id='1515065' first='Giovanni' last='Ippolito'] is an impact player. Ippolito has made 8 tackles on the season (7 solo), leads the team in tackles for loss with 4, and has 2 sacks. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Middlesex (4-1) at New Providence (4-1), 7pm<br><br>Even with a new head coach, Middlesex is off to another strong start to the season. It seems as though Mr. Everything to the Bluejays is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1001986' first='Dom' last='Parenti']. Parenti quarterbacks the squad and has gone 20-34 through the air for 454 yards and 6 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. On the ground Parenti is his team's leading rusher, in all categories, totaling 444 yards on 51 attempts, while scoring 8 times. Defensively [player_tooltip player_id='1515069' first='JoJo' last='Pham'] is making an impact yearly in his career. The sophomore has made 15 stops, while also notching a tackle for loss, forcing a fumble, and an interception thus far.<br><br>A trio of defenders will look to slow down Parenti on Friday. [player_tooltip player_id='1515072' first='Gianni' last='Carreno'], a senior, looks to make a lasting impact on the program this year as he has made 31 tackles, including 1 tackle for loss, 1 safety, and blocked 1 kick. [player_tooltip player_id='1515074' first='Drew' last='Gullo'], a junior, is having a breakout campaign. Gullo trails Carreno in tackles by just one, with his 30, but leads the team in sacks with 2.5 with 1 tackle for loss. Fellow 2026 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1515075' first='James' last='Keneally'] supports Gullo as he leads the team in tackles for loss with 3, while having made 2 sacks and 25 tackles. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Plainfield (2-2) at Franklin (3-2), 6pm<br><br>The matchup between Plainfield and Franklin is going to be a good barometer of where both teams are at. A much-hyped team going into the season - and one of my preseason favorites in North Group V - the Plainfield Cardinals stand at 2-2 having shutout two struggling teams, lost to North IV's top team in Woodbridge, and lost to an upstart Newark East Side team many slept on. For Franklin, they are much improved after starting 3-0 against struggling Trenton, Passaic, and East Brunswick; however, they have since lost 2 straight against Middlesex County power St. Thomas Aquinas and rival Edison. That said, this matchup will be a good indicator of just exactly who these two teams are. <br><br>Offensively it appears that junior [player_tooltip player_id='1187538' first='Kamai' last='Lowery'] has beaten out senior [player_tooltip player_id='1048201' first='Ala-Meen' last='Watkins'] as the team's starting quarterback. Lowery has gone 29-55 for 506 yards with 6 touchdowns and no picks thus far, while adding 2 scores on the ground. With a plethora of talent along the perimeter, running back [player_tooltip player_id='1093216' first='EJ' last='Brown'] is a stabilizing force out of the backfield, flashing 37/278/7 on the ground so far. Defensively [player_tooltip player_id='883312' first='Joel' last='Cordoba'] is all over the field with 30 tackles (18 solo), 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 recovery. The aforementioned Watkins earns his keep all over the field as a receiver (3/11), quarterback (6-15, 83), and receiver (2/26); however, defensively is where he seems to make his presence felt, making 16 tackles with 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss a piece.<br><br>Two prospects that will look to hold down the Warriors against Plainfield are junior [player_tooltip player_id='1305449' first='Maurice' last='Langford'] and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1515077' first='Solomon' last='Pasteur']. The elder statesmen for their defense, Pasteur leads the team in tackles with 24 and has made a tackle for loss. Langford is not far off of Pasteur's lead with 21 tackles of his own and a tackle for loss as well. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, October 5</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Watchung Hills (4-1) at South Brunswick (3-2), 3pm<br><br>Despite being dominating teams like in years' past, the 4-1 Watchung Hills Warriors are still finding ways to get things done. [player_tooltip player_id='1515079' first='Lucas' last='Garcia'], a senior, appears to be the lead back on the squad as he has rushed to a tune of 385 yards and 3 scores on 50 attempts. However, their best two-way player might be a favorite of mine in [player_tooltip player_id='723582' first='Brayden' last='Kelly']. As a receiver Kelly leads the team with a 13/311/2 slash line and continues his outstanding defensive play, leading the team with 4 interceptions on the year to go along with 10 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Joining Kelly in the defensive backfield is [player_tooltip player_id='1515080' first='Nick' last='Valenti']. Valenti has been active, making 40 tackles with 3 tackles for loss, recovering a fumble, and intercepting 2 passes. However, the Warriors front-seven are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1206811' first='Jake' last='Arakelian']. After a limited role last year, Arakelian has already matched his tackling output from last year with 54. He has also made 9 tackles for losses, sacked the quarterback twice, and forced a fumble. <br><br>After a 3-0 start where the offensive scored 28 points or better in those games, South Brunswick has now lost two in a row and only managed to score 6 points in those games. Looking to right the ship. [player_tooltip player_id='1515081' first='Omar' last='Adams'] has been a steady, leading force in the backfield for understudy [player_tooltip player_id='1476945' first='Kamari' last='Toney']. Adams leads the team in carries with 66 and yardage with 289 yards. He has scored twice thus far. A player on defense that is breaking out for the Vikings is [player_tooltip player_id='1515084' first='Ronan' last='Kasziba-O'Rahilly']. Kasziba-O'Rahilly has made 22 tackles, forced a fumble, and leads the team with 2 interceptions.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->