The Big Central Conference’s Top Games: Week 7

In this article, we preview some of the Big Central Conference's top games going into Week 7 of football here in the great, Garden State.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 18</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Hillsborough (4-3) at Piscataway (5-2), 6pm This is a big matchup in terms of both the South V and North V playoff brackets, as Hillsborough currently sits as the #8 seed in the south travels to take on the north's #5 seeded Chiefs. Having discussed Hillsborough last week, we now turn to their passing attack. True to the age-old adage that the quarterback's favorite target is the open target, the Raiders deploy a very balanced passing attach where not one receiver is favored. Four targets on offense ave separated by just 12 receptions. The team leader in receptions is actually a junior in [player_tooltip player_id='1260354' first='Andrew' last='Schwarz'], a prospect I actually saw at the Iron Peak Combine Series in April. Schwarz leads the team with 29 catches for 253 yards and 2 scores. However, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1532310' first='Roberto' last='Santiago'] actually leads the team in yardage and touchdowns with 269 and 3, respectively, while making 23 receptions. We discussed [player_tooltip player_id='1005830' first='Jackson' last='Jankowicz'], their running back, last week, but he is dynamic in terms of not just being a one-trick pony. Jankowicz has slashed 21/247/2 through the air in addition to his 123/617/10 contribution on the ground. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1532312' first='Chimmy' last='Ozokopor'] has did his part when his number has been called, making 17 grabs for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fortunate to roster a number of athletes, there may not be one better than [player_tooltip player_id='1212502' first='Riley' last='Wingate'] on the Chief's roster. Wingate will look interrupt the Raider's passing game by bringing pressure. Currently the team leader in sacks with 3, Wingate has also made 2 tackles for loss, 27 tackles, and had a scoop & score. After coming away with the starting quarterback job last fall, look to [player_tooltip player_id='1196461' first='Landon' last='Pernell'] to compliment a strong rushing game in a responsible manner. Now a sophomore, Pernell has completed 69-96 of his passes for a very high 69% of his passes. Pernell has been cautious with the ball as he has only thrown 3 interceptions while managing to throw 11 touchdown strikes. On the ground Pernell has kept it and scored once.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>South Brunswick (3-4) at Edison (3-4), 7pm After a 3-0 start to kick off his career at South Brunswick, the honey moon period is over for new head coach Ibrahim Halsey. Halsey's squad has dropped their last 4 games, having only scored 13 points in them, while being shut out twice. All that being said, the Vikings' early season success have played dividends late, as they are currently the first team out of the playoffs as South V's #19 seed. The news gets better as on Friday they travel up Route 1 to take on the Edison Eagles, who sit just above the Vikings as the #16 team in the same bracket. Needless to say, this is a huge game for both sides as they fight for their playoff lives. Two, two-way athletes the Vikings will look to for plays are seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1532316' first='Bretton' last='Lynch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1532319' first='Julian' last='Willams']. This tandem sit 1 and 2 in terms of passing game threat. Williams slightly edges Lynch with his 12/156/2 stat line, to Lynch's 9/138/1 on the season. Also key assets on defense, Lynch has made 16 tackles on the year with 1 forced fumble, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for loss. Williams has done well tll, with 16 tackles (10 solo), 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception. Their production, however, might be understated, as it appears South Brunswick has not updated stats in recent weeks. After a year in which he was stymied a bit, [player_tooltip player_id='711579' first='Nykier' last='Eato'] is back and looking to surpass his breakthrough, 182/1249/15 performance on the ground as a sophomore. Now a senior, Eato is back and pacing similarly on the ground with 110 rushes for 697 yards and 8 scores; however, Eato's game seems to have expanded some. How more of a contributor on defense, Eato has made 22 tackles (14 solo) to accompany his 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss. Furthermore, he has intercepted 3 passes on the season. Coach Yascko knows to get the ball into his best playmakers hands, hence why Eato also has 2 kickoff return touchdowns on the year too. All-in, Eaton has accounted for just under half - 10 of 21 - of Edison's total touchdowns. A prospect that Coach Yascko mentioned to me towards the end of the summer appears to be contributing early-and-often in just his sophomore season. Mister Utility, [player_tooltip player_id='1532324' first='Shaun' last='Garland'], appears to fill in many gaps for the Eagles. Offensively, Garland is second on the team in rushing touchdowns, producing a 24/113/4 stat line thus far. Moreover, Garland is their outright leading receiver with 15 receptions for 178 yards and 1 touchdown. Adding to his promise in his young career, as a linebacker Garland is second on the team with 31 tackles (17 solo), tied for the team lead in sacks with 2, leads the team with 6 tackles for loss, and has produced 1 forced fumble. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Somerville (7-0) at Plainfield (4-2), 7pm You may be tired of having me write about Somerville at this point, but when you are unbeaten you are always a game of the week candidate. Moreover, there is some extra juice to this game as Somerville changed divisions within the Big Central Conference this year and now play a Group III schedule. That said, Plainfield is a Group V school and on a hot, 3 game winning streak that has seen them outscore opponents 110 to 8. It seems like every game Somerville plays in, [player_tooltip player_id='939692' first='Terrell' last='Mitchell'] starts, gets off to an early start, gains a big lead, and is pulled really early. Mitchell's season stats have him good for 10 touchdowns and 791 yards on just 84 carries. When looking at these stats, consider that Mitchell has only 3 games where he carried the ball 15 or more times, with his season high being 18 carries. Do not mistake carries, however, from touches. The Wake Forrest commit has 13 catches for 130 yards and another 4 scores. In addition to scoring on 5, two-point conversions, As a return man he has taken both a kickoff and a punt back to the crib. All-in Mitchell has produced 16 of the Pioneers' 35 touchdowns on the season, good for under half their total scores. Their quarterback play has been beyond stellar too, with [player_tooltip player_id='995084' first='Brenden' last='Pacheco'] off to yet another incredibly responsible start to the season. After going 5 straight games and 11 touchdowns to start last year without throwing a pick, he now has gone 7 straight games and 14 touchdowns without throwing an interception this year. Overall, he has gone 65-107 for 1016 yards, also punching 2 on the ground. Although he may not be as highly touted as FBS-bound Mitchell, Plainfield has a talented and productive back of their own in [player_tooltip player_id='1093216' first='EJ' last='Brown']. I cannot lie: heading into the season I expected Plainfield to air it out with all of their athletes, but Brown appears to have been the steady force that stirs their drink. Brown is now up to 559 yards and 8 scores on the ground, having totaled only 69 carries. Further, on defense Brown has made 23 tackles (13 solo) to go with 1 interception. Speaking of defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1215974' first='Chantz' last='Fitz'] is one of their more productive linemen, particularly when rushing the passer. Fritz is tied for the team-lead in sacks with 3, but has also had a tackle for loss, forced a ball loose, and made 21 tackles - 13 of which have been solos.</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, October 19</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>St. Thomas Aquinas (5-2) at St. Joseph's Metuchen (5-1), 1pm In a battle that I personally think we should see every year, the Big Central Conference's two football-playing, non-public school members square off for bragging rights, but perhaps also a leg up recruiting the area. After a scary scene two weeks ago in Elizabeth, St. Thomas Aquinas' senior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='976963' first='Chase' last='Young'] was back on the field Friday against Edison after missing just one game. In his return against the Eagles, Young rushed 7 times for 80 yards, scored twice, and made 3 tackles on defense. After his triumphant return, Young now has a 68/460/6 rush line on the season to go with 21 tackles. Defensively the Trojans have gotten production in the trenches from two underclassmen in [player_tooltip player_id='1532328' first='Channon' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1532329' first='Omar' last='McFarlane']. Just a sophomore, McFarlane leads the team in sacks with 3, while also currently sitting third on the team in tackles for loss with 9. McFarlane also adds a forced fumble to go along with 19 tackles - 12 of which have been solo stops. Joining him is a junior who has had a strong contribution to the team in Johnson. Johnson had produced 8 tackles for loss to go along with a forced fumble and 22 tackles (17 solos). The ball also seems to find its way to Johnson when it is on the ground, as he leads the team with 2 fumble recoveries. I expect the Falcons to come in ready with something to prove. Aside from obviously wanted to defend home turf, in their loss at Phillipsburg last week, St. Joseph's lost their Group D non-public multiplier status by losing to a public school. They look to prove last week was a fluke and will look to [player_tooltip player_id='1529344' first='Jacob' last='Pappas'] to be overlooked some. Pappas might be second on the team in receptions and touchdowns, but he has produced bigger plays, leading the team in receiving yards by just about 80 yards on 9 fewer catches. A two-way player, Pappas has contributed with 22 tackles (13 solo), 1 tackle for loss, and an interception. Teaming up with Pappas on defense is sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='910090' first='Jaylen' last='Frias']. Frias is having an outstanding varsity debut season as he currently sits second on the team with 38 tackles - 22 of which have been for a loss. Furthermore, his 4 tackles for loss lead the team. Frias has, also, sacked the quarterback once. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Woodbridge (7-0) at Summit (4-2), 1pm Off to a great start and now vying for North V's top seed, Woodbridge travels to Summit on Saturday. For Woodbridge to keep their undefeated streak alive, they must stop the run. A good bet is that they will rely on [player_tooltip player_id='1532330' first='Jeremiah' last='Allen'] to do so. Allen is having an outstanding season on defense. Aside from leading the team in tackles with his 59 stops, Allen has made 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and has had a pick-six. Supporting him is fellow 2025 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1532331' first='Tyler' last='Simkovich']. Simkovich sits behind Allen, second on the team with 36 tackles, but is the team leader in sacks with 2. He has also made 3 tackles for a loss, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. Lastly, the Barons' leader in tackles for loss is [player_tooltip player_id='1286668' first='Jeremiah' last='Colon']. A prospect I saw during the spring camp tour, Colon has made 4 tackles for loss, sacked the quarterback once, made 24 tackles, and also has a pick-six to his name. For the third time in four weeks I find myself highlighting a Summit game. As much as I think Summit is a good team and a great program, there is no favoritism or bias here. Simply put, Summit has played three undefeated teams in a row. Talk about a primetime schedule. At this point it is hard to discuss new prospects on Summit, but it appears that they are getting solid contributions on defense from several players. I want to highlight the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1532332' first='Ethan' last='Lawton']. In his last dance as a senior, Lawton has been credited with 14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 sacks - which ties him for the team lead. Upon Lawton's graduation in the spring, [player_tooltip player_id='1532333' first='Anthony' last='Trujillo'] will have to fill his shoes. Having a taste of success during his junior campaign, Trujillo has made 12 tackles on the year, with 3 of them coming for a loss and 1 a sack. Lastly, without having watched any film on the Hilltoppers, if I had to guess [player_tooltip player_id='1532335' first='Shane' last='Walsh'] might be an explosive or gadget-type player they will look to for a spark. Walsh has rushed 7/47/1 on the ground, caught a 30-yard touchdown pass, made 11 tackles, and returned a kickoff 66 yards for a score. Perhaps he might be the x-factor in a tight contest. </li> </ul>

In this article, we preview some of the Big Central Conference's top games going into Week 7 of football here in the great, Garden State.