Group III Title Game Preview: Mainland vs. Old Tappan

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are down to the season's final seven games. These seven games, however, have the most gravitas as they represent one game to win it all. Congratulations to each and every team throughout the state for their efforts and performance this season. Without further adieu, I present to you my preview for the upcoming NJSIAA State Championship games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Be sure to vote on who you think will win each playoff matchup by voting on our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/11/vote-who-will-win-the-state-championship-finals/">reader's poll</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sunday, December 1, 1:00pm - Mainland vs. Old Tappan at SHI Stadium</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite being the reigning Group III Champions, the Mustangs of Mainland seems to have been slept on. First, they were awarded the #3 overall seed in the South Group III bracket. Next they had to travel to a juggernaut of a team in Somerville, taking the game to overtime to win by 1 to simply have a shot to play in the title game. Now, however, they might be the slight favorite as they take on the North Group III's #2 overall seed in the Old Tappan Golden Knights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Old Tappan wins if...</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>... they can continue to force turnovers at a high rate. As a team, the Golden Knights have intercepted 20 passes and recovered 11 fumbles for a very high 31 takeaway total. [player_tooltip player_id='1557397' first='Ronan' last='Malady'] (28 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception) and [player_tooltip player_id='1040327' first='Devyn' last='Radoian'] (42 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception) always seem to be around the ball when it is on the ground, leading the way with 2 fumble recoveries each. I n addition to his 25 tackles and 1 fumble recovery, young sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1568372' first='Christakis' last='Nicolaou'] is amongst the team leaders in picks with 4. However, this next player who serves as a perfect segue into their offensive preview leads Old Tappan with 7 interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='539076' first='Alex' last='Orecchio'], Mister Do-It-All himself, is not only a top defender for Old Tappan (7 interceptions, 54 tackles, 1 tackle for loss), but a Swiss Army Knife that can do everything well on the football field. Orecchio actually leads the Golden Knights in total offensive yardage and scoring with 66/437/11 and 42/624/6 rushing vs. receiving splits. Not lost upon him are his days at quarterback, where he is 10-24 for 166 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He has, however, ceded those responsibilities to [player_tooltip player_id='910743' first='Zach' last='Miceli']. A sophomore, Miceli's job is made easier by the likes of Orecchio and [player_tooltip player_id='345431' first='Nicholas' last='Rossi']. Combine with the mismatches Orecchio presents, Rossi lead the way on the ground with a 153/944/11 slash line. This has allowed for Miceli to enjoy a 126-187, 2060 yard, 18 touchdown, 2 interception, 42 carry, 351 yard, 7 touchdown performance in his first varsity season - setting up Old Tapan nicely for the present and the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mainland wins if...</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>... they can maintain a balanced attack, frustrating the opposing defense in the process. Formerly a Wing-T offense, the Mustangs have had quite the turnaround. Although they still run it more than they pass, this could be attributed to either being a head in many games or their Wing-T roots; however, in terms or raw yardage their passing attack has out-produced their ground game 2133 to 1495. This is astonishing, considering these numbers were reversed, 1270 passing to 3709 rushing one season ago. The genesis of this has much to do with the Mustangs' faith in now-junior signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='855776' first='John' last='Franchini']. Franchini's abilities have really opened up the offense and allowed them to have a much more balanced threat. In his second year as a starter, Franchini has gone 102-179 for 2133 yards with 20 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Part of this offensive metamorphosis likely has to do with his trust and rapport with fellow 2026 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1097477' first='Jake' last='Blum']. Blum is Mainland's leading receiver by nearly 40 catches, going 49/1236/14 through the air. Despite all this, their ability to run the ball - especially punching it in the endzone - is not lost. Mainlands rushing attack actually has outscored their areal assault, 28 touchdowns to 20. [player_tooltip player_id='1002362' first='Rocco' last='DeBiaso'] leads the way with 16 touchdowns and 1052 yards on 165 carries, where younger brother Lucas DeBiaso, has spelled him 19 times for 239 yards and 6 scores. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively look out for [player_tooltip player_id='1562011' first='Matt' last='Muits'] to pressure the quarterback with his 3 sacks and for [player_tooltip player_id='822784' first='Khaleeb' last='Foster'], a prospect I first saw my first year covering for Prep Redzone at a camp, secure the back-seven with his 3 interceptions - 2 of which he took for scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->