The Big Central Conference’s Top Games: Week 8

In this article, we preview some of the Big Central Conference's top games going into Week 8 of football here in the great, Garden State.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 25</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Delaware Valley (6-1) at New Providence (6-2), 7pm Although this is only a home game for New Providence, future home games are at stake. Delaware Valley comes in as the #10 seed in South II and New Providence as #6 in North I. A win for either team could allow the visiting Terriers to host a playoff game and, perhaps, allow the Pioneers to host two. The Terriers have not amassed an overwhelming amount of offensive yardage this season, but their passing attack has led the way. [player_tooltip player_id='1538269' first='Kelton' last='Ibach'] has done a great job of coming up big in key spots. Ibach, a junior, is 54-89 for 994 yards with 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Having attempted every one of his team's passing attempts, Ibach has also scored 3 times on the ground. His favorite target, and rightfully so, is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1040419' first='Eric' last='Klemmer']. A player whose film I really liked last rankings update, Klemmer has dominated the offensive timeshare going 20/393/7 as a target. Also a good defender, Klemmer has 24 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 1 blocked kick. Fellow seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1538271' first='Will' last='Fritsche'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1538272' first='Ben' last='Cobb'] are highly engaged as well. Fritsche actually leads Delaware Valley in tackles with 50 on the year, with 5 stops for loss and 1 forced fumble where Cobb, who as been particularly active in the secondary, has made 49 stops, 1 tackle for loss, and taken an interception the other way for a score. Having featured New Providence twice already I will refrain from mentioning the steady play of [player_tooltip player_id='1467524' first='TJ' last='Munn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1467528' first='AJ' last='Whitehead'], and instead focus on some new names that could open this game up for the host Pioneers. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1538276' first='Mike' last='Petses'] is quietly having a strong year. His 73 tackles (43 solo) are good for first on the team. He has also made 4 tackles for loss, intercepted a pass, and recorded a safety. Another 2026 graduate to be mindful of is [player_tooltip player_id='1538278' first='Gui' last='May']. A defensive lineman by trade, May has enforced the defense by making 36 tackles (17 solo), 2 tackles for loss, and one-half sacks. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1538281' first='Ryan' last='Bournique'] somehow manages to come up with huge, momentum-changing plays. Although he has made just 13 stops - 10 of which have been solos - he has scored twice on defense: once via scoop & score and once via pick-six.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Old Bridge (5-3) at Colonia (4-4), 6pm Colonia will be fighting for their playoff lives as the Patriots look to defend home turf against the visiting Knights. Colonia currently sits as the final seed in North IV, while Old Bridge looks to get a win and some help to leapfrog two teams in hopes to host a playoff game, as they are currently 10th in South V. For visiting Old Bridge, they have paced by the stellar play of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1357858' first='Brody' last='Nugent']. Nugent, still just a junior, has gone 50-101 passing for 752 yards with 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions; however, Nugent is where he makes his bones. Having called his number a team-leading 103 times on the ground, Nugent has rushed for team-highs with 775 yards and 13 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1538283' first='Jeremiah' last='Dixon'] makes up the second part of that option-based backfield, as he has slashed 77/416/2 on the ground. There are several defenders that make serious contributions for the Knights. I will start with [player_tooltip player_id='1538285' first='Justin' last='Valinotti'], who, as a junior, leads his team in tackles with 95 (60 solo) with 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, and one-half sacks. Supporting him at linebacker depth is [player_tooltip player_id='1538286' first='Jayden' last='Endaz'], their second leading tackler. Of his 57 tackles, 44 have been solo and 4 have come at a loss. The big man in the trenches appears to be [player_tooltip player_id='1538289' first='Zahmir' last='Evans.'] Evans hs played to a 55 (31 solo) tackle season. He leads the team in sacks with 5.5 and has made a whopping 19 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles - both of which also lead the team. To boot, he also has a fumble recovery. Evans is joined in the trenches is fellow [player_tooltip player_id='1538291' first='Michael' last='Kvas']. Kvas profiles as having more speed as he also plays receiver, but has been credited with 46 tackles (24 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Lastly, another 2026 graduate making an impact with his hand in the dirt is [player_tooltip player_id='1538292' first='Zach' last='Florio']. Florio has 54.4 tackles (31 solo), 7 tackles for loss, and one-half sack. To ensure that their squad makes the dance, the Patrios will look to [player_tooltip player_id='1535480' first='Dylan' last='Chiera'] to get things done. Chiera has done more than just weather the storm at quarterback, putting up a respectable 94-17/1393/16/8 stat line, while also punching one in on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1467565' first='Julien' last='Jones'] continues his torrid pace at linebacker, but he does not get it done all alone. Jones' fellow 2026 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1538500' first='Harsimran' last='Mann'] has been productive too. Mann has matched Jones in terms of sacks with 3 (both leading the team), has made 5 tackles for loss, forced a fumble, while making 22 total stops. [player_tooltip player_id='886066' first='Nicolas' last='Straile'] has continued to be a plus defender for Colonia for two consecutive seasons now. Straile has made 69 tackles (40 solo), with 8 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and recovered 2 fumbles. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1538510' first='AJ' last='Reinoso'], along with [player_tooltip player_id='1467556' first='Kyle' last='Bell'], is a sophomore to keep tabs on for years to come. Reinoso has contributed with 52 tackles (27 solo), 5 forced fumbles, and 1 sack.</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, October 26</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>South Plainfield (3-5) at JFK Iselin (3-5), 1pm Although neither the visiting Tigers nor host Mustangs are playoff bound, as both teams look to the consolation bracket they can each build moment going in to 2025 with a victory on Saturday. For South Plainfield, they deploy a dual-back system that has both their leading rushers sharing 66 carries a piece. [player_tooltip player_id='1017495' first='Dominic' last='Massaro'] has made better of those opportunities, going for 585 yards and 5 scores; whereas [player_tooltip player_id='1538512' first='King' last='Hills'] has gone for 408 yards and scored twice. Massaro is also a key component on defense with 36 tackles (22 solo), 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions and 1 pick-six. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1538516' first='Dylan' last='Oller'] has been the one player on the Tigers who cleans things up on defense, however. Oller has made 90 tackles thus far on the season with 1 sack. Further, his 9.5 tackles for loss lead the team. For as spectacular a season [player_tooltip player_id='1110220' first='Fiheem' last='Howell Jr'] has had, believe it or not, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1538520' first='Richie' last='Trotman'] has nearly matched that production yard-for-yard. Trotman has gone 84-134 on the season with 1006 yards through the air with 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Trotman has also trotted the ball into the endzone twice on his own. [player_tooltip player_id='1538525' first='Jamir' last='Campbell'] looks to have a solid performance to close out the regular season as he prepares for his senior season next fall. Campbell has made 49 tackles with 3 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Finally, [player_tooltip player_id='1513532' first='Dylan' last='Driz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1538531' first='Jayden' last='France'] look to close out their strong careers at home. Driz leads JFK in tackles with 99, as well as 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 blocked kick. On the other hand, France leads the team in sacks with 4.5 to go with his 77 tackles and 6 tackles for loss.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Middlesex (6-2) at Belvidere (7-1), 1:30pm Group I football has much at stake as the Blue Jays swoop into Belvidere to play the County Seaters. The Blue Jays are currently #6 in the South I bracket, while the County Seaters are #12 in North I. [player_tooltip player_id='1001986' first='Dom' last='Parenti'], the Middlesex quarterback, has continued to be a two-way dynamo, but every Batman needs his Robin, do they not? That figurative Robin is fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1001984' first='Jax' last='Jarvis']. Jarvis is second to only Perenti on the ground with a 45/435/6 slash line. Further, Jarvis has managed to be the number one threat in the passing game, going 16/347/5 as a target. Lastly, Jarvis has made 24 tackles on the season, recovered a fumble, picked off 2 passes, returning 1 for a score. [player_tooltip player_id='1538533' first='Joey' last='Lawler-McDaniel'] has emerged as the Blue Jays most fierce defender of the nest. Lawler-McDaniel has made 60 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, intercepted a pass, and also blocked a kick. Unlike most Group I schools I have brushed up on, the County Seaters are a pass-first team. The quarterback that allows them to do this is [player_tooltip player_id='1538535' first='Kyle' last='Blew']. Blew has gone 68-129 for 1070 yards with 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, while also producing a 61/198/3 stat line on the ground. Blew has two targets he favors. First is his fellow 2025 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1538539' first='Mason' last='Chamberlain']. Chamberlain leads his team in receptions with 26 and has returned 7 scores and 296 yards. Although he has fewer receptions with 18, [player_tooltip player_id='1538541' first='Elijah' last='White'] has managed to lead the team with 413 yards and 10 scores during his sophomore season. Expect [player_tooltip player_id='1538544' first='Geoffrey' last='Young'] to do his damndest to push Belvidere into a top-8 seed and have a home game. The junior lineman has made 55 tackles with 1 forced fumble, 1 scoop & score, 1 interception, and a team-high 5 sacks. </li> </ul>

In this article, we preview some of the Big Central Conference's top games going into Week 8 of football here in the great, Garden State.