The West Jersey Football Conference’s Top Games: Week 6

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, we preview some of the West Jersey Football Conference's top games going into Week 6 of football here in the great, Garden State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday, October 10</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Mainland (4-2) at Egg Harbor (4-2), 6pm<br><br>First up is an enticing divisional crossover game as Mainland travels into Egg Harbor. In South, Group III Mainland currently sits as the #3 seed, where a win for Egg Harbor be tremendous for their postseason hopes, as they are currently 21st in the South, Group V bracket that only allows the top 16 teams in.<br><br>Appearing to be evolving from their Wing-T offense of years' past, Mainland appears a bit more air-oriented this year. Junior target [player_tooltip player_id='1097477' first='Jake' last='Blum'] is easily the go-to man for the Mustangs. He leads the team in total yardage and touchdowns, with 579 and 7 respectively, while ranking second on the team in total touches with 24. True to their Wing-T roots, Mainland continues to commit to the ground game, highlighted by senior [player_tooltip player_id='1002362' first='Rocco' last='DeBiaso'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1097478' first='Chase' last='Hoag'], who profile as their wingback and their fullback. DeBiaso is the team leader in touches with 29 carries for 100 yards; while Hoag leas the team in rushing yardage (123) and ground scores (3), on 19 carries. <br><br>Egg Harbor rosters two sophomore brothers who are getting it done on their respective sides of the ball this year. [player_tooltip player_id='1523171' first='Xavier' last='Cocci'] quarterbacks the team and has had a stelar season thus far. Cocci is 63-106 for 884 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions; however, he is perhaps even more dangerous on the ground. Cocci leads the team in carries with 67 for 418 yards, allowing to lead the team in touchdown scores with 8. This brother, [player_tooltip player_id='1523172' first='Maximus' last='Cocci'], is one of his favorite targets, ranking third on the team with 8 receptions for 74 yards and a team-leading 2 touchdowns. That said, the latter. Cocci has had a tremendous mark on Egg Harbor's defense this season. Cocci leads his team in tackles with 63 (51 solo), has made 7 stops behind the line, while also recovering a fumble and registering a sack. Joining him in the linebacking corps is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1523174' first='Chase' last='Ford']. Ford has made 24 tackles (19 solo) and is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (7) and sacks (2). Ford has also forced a fumble. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Hopewell Valley (6-0) at Burlington Township (6-0), 6pm<br><br>Two undefeated teams look to place their undefeated records on the line as Bulldogs travel to take on the Falcons. With Hopewell Valley having been highlighted as a game of the week last week where we spoke to their offensive talent, we now look to their defensive play makers. Senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1054140' first='Luke' last='Caldwell'] is the team leader in tackles with 48 on the season thus far; however, Caldwell appears to be a highly disruptive playmaker for their defense. Caldwell already has 5 interceptions, has forced 2 fumbles, recovered 3, and returned one of his picks for a score. All these havoc-wreaking plays, obviously, lead the team. The one stat that Caldwell does not lead the team in, sacks, is held by [player_tooltip player_id='1523175' first='Carter' last='Horvath']. A junior, Horvath has sacked the quarterback 3.5 times to go along iwth 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 21 total stops thus far. Breathing right down Horvath's neck for the team lead in sacks is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1523177' first='Johnny' last='Ellis'] with 3. Ellis has the team lead in tackles for loss with 8, has forced a fumble, and made 39 tackles thus far. <br><br>Burlington Township seems to be anchored by a strong running game, with [player_tooltip player_id='1523178' first='Aiden' last='Binns'] being the bell cow. Binns, just a sophomore, easily leads his team in all rushing categories, having slashed 83/507/10 about midway through the season. With several worthy defenders of note for Burlington Township, [player_tooltip player_id='1523180' first='Jimmy' last='Sackie'] might be the most productive of them all. Sackie narrowly holds the team-lead in tackles by one with his 33, but also leads the team in tackles for loss (6) and is also tied for second in sacks with 2. Sackie has also recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass on the season. Right on his heels is linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1523181' first='Chase' last='Carthan'] and his 32 tackles. Carthan has made two stops behind the line of scrimmage, intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, and recovered another.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 11</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Bishop Eustace (5-1) at Holy Cross Prep (5-1), 7pm<br><br>Two United Division rivals squared off in this matchup, putting unbeaten divisional records on the line, while fellow divisional foe KIPP Cooper Norcross and their 3-0 divisional record waiting in the wings, as the Crusaders roll into town to face the Lancers. Bishop Eustace has a strong favoritism to the ground game that outpaces their passing attack 1485 yards to 280. Their lead back is [player_tooltip player_id='218562' first='Mekhi' last='Simmons']. Simmons, easily, leads the team in all major rushing categories as he has scored 10 times on 114 carries for 822 yards. Defensively, sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1523183' first='Will' last='Kraft'] is having a highly productive season at a young age. Kraft has made 45 tackles thus far on the season - leading the team - while contributing with 2 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and forcing 1 fumble. <br><br>For the second time in three weeks there is game of the week buzz surrounding Holy Cross Prep. Two new players worth featuring are a pair of brothers who are highly productive in [player_tooltip player_id='1523185' first='Vincent' last='D'Ambrosio'] and [player_tooltip player_id='993106' first='Anthony' last='D'Ambrosio']. For Anthony, the number 5 seems to be his lucky number so far this year. Anthony leads the team with 5 receiving touchdowns on 17 catches for 250 yards, while also leading the team with 5 interceptions. Defensively he also happens to be second on his team with 54 tackles (27 solo), while also forcing 2 fumbles. Lastly, Anthony seems to be Prep's primary return man, having taken a kickoff to the house. Vincent, a year younger as a junior, is a big contributor too with his 38 tackles for the year, which is good for third on the team. Vincent has also made 2 tackles for loss and recovered 1 fumble. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ocean City (4-2) at Middle Township (3-2), 6pm<br><br>As much as I love the venue at Ocean City High School, the Red Raiders will travel to Middle Township this week. Ocean City has a tremendous ground game that features four rushers with better than 25 carries and 100 yards. In no particular order they are: [player_tooltip player_id='1043145' first='Walker' last='Bailey'] (55/326/3), [player_tooltip player_id='1161279' first='Jackson' last='Becker'] (27/131/2), [player_tooltip player_id='1523187' first='Clay' last='Compton'] (65/293/3), and [player_tooltip player_id='1523188' first='Triston' last='Schmidt'] (73/358/5). With significant production from a senior, two juniors, and a freshman, it will be hard for the host Panthers to zero in on anyone in particular.<br><br>While Ocean City gets it done with four guys on the ground, the Middle Township gets it done mostly with one. [player_tooltip player_id='1054400' first='Remi' last='Rodriguez'] is the workhorse in the backfield for the Panthers. Thus far, Rodriguez has rushed 103 times for 741 yards and for 6 scores. Furthermore, Rodriguez is actually second on the team in all receiving statistics having slashed 7/120/1 thus far. When Rodriguez needs a blow, Middle Township turns to fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1523190' first='Shaun' last='Watkins']. In a spell role, Watkins has gone for 120 yards on 3 carries to go along with 4 receptions and 53 yards. Modest numbers offensively, yes, but Watkins is a terror on defense. Leading his squad in tackles (72), tackles for loss (9), and sacks (3), Watkins has also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass as a disruptive talent on defense. Stepping into a nice complimentary role to Watkins at linebacker is young sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1523191' first='Davon' last='Anderson']. Anderson is actually second on the team with 33 tackles so far. A disruptor in his own right, Anderson has 2 tackles for loss, and a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and interception a piece. Expect Anderson to play a critical role on his this matchup and fill Watkins shoes next season when the senior graduates. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, October 12</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Northern Burlington (3-3) at Trenton (4-2), 1pm<br><br>On the onset this might not look like the most enticing matchup if you judge each team solely by their record; however, North Burlington has a handful of sophomores playing crucial roles early on in their careers to see results and Trenton is having their best season in quite some time. <br><br>Offensively the visiting squad led by sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1523192' first='Brent' last='Walulak']. Walulak has played fairly well managing the game as a drop back passer, going 46-90 for 522 yards with 4 touchdowns to 4 interceptions; however, he appears to call his number often on the ground. Walulak leads the team in carries (76), yards (322), and scores (4) on the ground. Walulak is also asked to play defense too, having made 14 stops and picking off two passes - 1 of which went the other way for a defensive score. Fellow 2027 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1043512' first='Danny' last='Greene'] jostles for the team lead in tackles with sophomore classmate [player_tooltip player_id='1523195' first='Josiah' last='Ruttley']. Ruttley currently has the lead with 43 tackles to Greene's 41, but Greene has a slight edge with 3.5 tackles for loss to Ruttley's 3. Ruttley, however, has blocked a kick. Ruttley has appeared on offense rushing 18 times for 61 yards while Greene has scored a touchdown on 8 receptions for 87 yards. <br><br>Trenton appears to be a one-man show with [player_tooltip player_id='1475655' first='Keyshawn' last='Warthen'] quarterbacking the squad. Warthen profiles as a runner a bit more has his rushing attempts exactly double-up his passing attempts, 104 to 52. Those 102 carries have been productive, yielding 623 yards and 11 scores, whereas on his 52 passing attempts he has completed 22 for 364 yards with 1 touchdown to 2 interceptions. Warthen has been credited with 13 tackles on the season with 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 interceptions. Additionally, Warthen has caught 1 pass for 5 yards. When he needs a blow Warthen will rely on junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1523197' first='Jonel' last='Lince']. Lince has rushed 52 times for 288 yards and 3 scores, while pitching in with 2 catches for 28 yards when targeted.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->