5 RBs Ready to Feast on Thanksgiving

The season is not over yet, as we have plenty of matchups and players to watch out for Thanksgiving morning. With a lot of players playing in their final game of their high school careers, we can expect them to leave it out all on the field against their biggest rival.    [player_tooltip player_id='1021187' first='Christian' last='Braxton'] is ready for a big Thanksgiving morning. Going up against a winless Camden Eastside, Christian will look to cap off his junior season with another big time performance. A speed demon in the truest sense, Christian has been burning defenders all season long as he cuts right through the middle of the field and destroys any hope of a defender getting the angle on him. You have to be impressed with the explosiveness Christian contains. Whether it's him accelerating out off the backfield or making sharp cuts downfield to make guys miss, Christian has demonstrated all of the qualities a program may be looking for in an elite running back. Christian has been a big part of Camden's success this season, as he's rushed for over 1000 yards and has 14 offensive touchdowns on the year. Don't be surprised if we see a multiple score outing against Camden Eastside.      [player_tooltip player_id='1093216' first='EJ' last='Brown'] has lived up to the hype in 2024 for Plainfield. The last time EJ was on the field, he put on a special performance against a talented Passaic Tech. In the 12-18 loss, EJ was still able to find success by running for 152 yards and finding the end zone once. EJ has now rushed for 887 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this year, but has one more game left in his high school career.   Plainfield will be squaring off against Westfield Thanksgiving morning, an opponent that has dominated the rivalry as of late. Plainfield will need to find production out of their lead back early on in the game if they want to get past Westfield. EJ is not only a shifty runner with the ball in his hands, but is one that will lower his shoulder and bring the hit to the defender in short yardage situations. As long as Plainfield can feed the ball to EJ up the middle, they should have no problems moving the ball down the field. EJ has a talent for getting skinny in the hole and emerging in the second level ready to put a juke on a defender.      Isaac is a rising running back coming out of Steinert. With 911 yards on the ground for the season, Isaac is in a position to cross the 1000 yard mark and help deliver a win over rival Hamilton West. While Isaac may be a smaller back, there is a lot to like in how he plays the position. Isaac is one of those backs that hits the ground running, exploding out of the backfield to gash the defense up the middle. Isaac really is electric as soon as the ball touches his hands. With great field awareness and agility to go with it, Isaac is able to carve between blockers, outmaneuver defenders, and follow his linemen to daylight. Isaac has scored 7 touchdowns so far in 2024, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a big performance out of him Thursday.   Steinert has been very successful against Hamilton West the last two seasons, as they've shut them out the past two consecutive Thanksgivings.      [player_tooltip player_id='675610' first='Trey' last='Tinges'] currently has the same amount of yards that he ended the 2023 season with (832). Thanksgiving day is a great opportunity to top that number and maybe cross the 1000 yard mark as well. An extremely nimble back, Trey has a jump cut that can leave defenders sliding across the turf grasping for his legs. He really has a strong ability to dig his toes into the ground, change directions, and avoid the defenders heading for him. There are countless examples this season of Trey cutting across the field after he initially ran into traffic. With the vision Trey is equipped with, he has been able to rush for 832 yards and find the end zone 15 times. Just as important, Trey has been a top target in the passing game as well as he's racked up 308 yards and 2 touchdowns.   Pitman and Clayton have been trading wins the last few Thanksgiving's, and both teams enter this year's contest with a winning record. This year's matchup is sure to be a historic one in a traditioned rivalry.      On the other side of the Pitman-Clayton battle is [player_tooltip player_id='1029743' first='Demetris' last='Williams']. If there is one RB to really keep an eye on this Thanksgiving, it's Demetris. Demetris has been tough to slow down all year, as he's rushed for 1620 yards and has found the end zone over 20 times. Demetris is electric every time the ball touches his hands. He's not your average size back, as he is a little taller and built like a long distance runner. However, when his legs get moving, defenders have a tough time keeping up with him. Demetris has excellent vision and great field awareness to go with it, having the ability to anticipate the flow of the defenders and stop in his tracks when they get near.   Clayton hasn't played another opponent in almost a month, but the last time they stepped on the field against Lower Cape May Demetris exploded for 210 rushing yards and finished the day with 5 rushing touchdowns. We will have a huge rushing battle Thursday morning when [player_tooltip player_id='675610' first='Trey' last='Tinges'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1029743' first='Demetris' last='Williams'] meet one last time in the rivalry.

The season is not over yet, as we have plenty of matchups and players to watch out for Thanksgiving morning. With a lot of players playing in their final game of their high school careers, we can expect them to leave it out all on the field against their biggest rival.