Plate #1: Thanksgiving Games I am Ready to Feast On

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dear Thanksgiving,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is there any more of an American holiday than you? One day a year, we are joined by family and friends that are overlayed on top of a backdrop of egregious amounts of hearty food and football. All the while, you synergize all those elements like the ingredients to Grandmama's gravy recipe, creating fun moments that last a lifetime. Only you, my beloved Thanksgiving, unites four of my favorite, fundamental F-words: family, friends, food, fun, and football. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Celebrating you in the state of New Jersey, you, my sweet Thanksgiving, represents something akin to an appetizer round - a precursor of sorts - to the main dish of NJSIAA State Championship games played in the immediate days after we celebrate you. However, in many cases people enjoy appetizers more than entrée. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps what makes you so special in some households are what you represent on the gridiron, my dearest Thanksgiving. Bitter rivalries are renewed. Bragging rights are either transferred or maintained. Seniors have their last opportunity to leave their inalienable mark on their high school football programs; whereas similarly, underclassman have an opportunity to announce their arrival for years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To you, wholesome Thanksgiving, I present some of my favorite Thanksgiving Day games that find absolutely delectable this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With all my love and in all sincerity,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brendan Mankarious</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wednesday, November 27</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Roselle Park (3-6) at Roselle (3-7)<br><br>The two bitter Union County rivals will face off for an appetizer round on Wednesday night as the Panthers make the short trip over to face the Rams. For the loser, they have to buy the winning team desserts from my favorite local bakery, <a href="https://www.pinhosbakery.net/">Pinho's</a>. <br><br>For Head Coach Greg Dunkerton's visiting squad, he looks to extend Park's Thanksgiving rivalry winning stream to two games. In order to do so, Dunkerton will look lean on a run-heavy approach. Although he is second on the team in carries and yardage, expect senior [player_tooltip player_id='1566393' first='Alfris' last='Garcia'] to, perhaps, get a few extra totes in what will be his final high school game. Garcia has rushed 82 times for 641 yards, and 5 scores on the ground. Their leading rusher, however, is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1566395' first='Anthony' last='Cianfrocca']. Cianfrocca has matched Garcia's 5 scores, but done so on 148 carries fro 814 yards. Although Cianfrocca out-touches Garcia, Garcia leads the team in all receiving categories, going 8/205/3 on the season. In the event of a lopsided game, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1566397' first='Nick' last='Salas'], a sophomore, to announce himself to this rivalry, as he has gone 48/318/3 on the ground. Defensively, Cianfrocca is their leading tackler as he plays the run very we. Look to [player_tooltip player_id='1566400' first='Anthony' last='Damiano'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1566401' first='Matthew' last='Drada'] to bring the heat and patrol the line of scrimmage as well.<br><br>After a tough start to the season with 6-straight losses, first year Head Coach Tyrone Turner's team has picked up steam as of late. Turner, who was hired very late in the offseason, has had his team get back on track, winning 3 of their last 4 games. There only loss? A forfeiture. The Rams offense flows through senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1566403' first='Brandon' last='Puryear']. In his senior year, Puryear has gone 51-108 for 902 yards with 8 TD and 7 Int. Furthermore, Puryear is Roselle's leading rusher with 502 yards and 8 scores on 72 carries. His two favorite targets are both juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='1566406' first='Damari' last='Julius'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1557622' first='Shymir' last='Burgess']. Puryear does favor Julius a bit more, as Julius has outproduced Burgess 45/748/6 to 24/260/4 through the air this season. Julius also has 32 tackles on the season, with a pick six. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1566412' first='Jullian' last='Colon'] patrols the trenches. Credited with 33 tackles on the season, Colon leads his team with 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 scoop &amp; score. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1566413' first='Jaeden' last='Shorey'] might be their most active defender, with 72 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, and 2 Int. Shorey looks to use this game to propel himself for his junior season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Camden Catholic (9-1) at Paul VI (7-3)<br><br>Two of the more successful Non-public schools in South Jersey battle as the Fighting Irish travel to take on the Eagles. The future looks bright for Catholic, as they their two most productive skill players are just sophomores. [player_tooltip player_id='1552713' first='Nymir' last='Daily'] leads the team, by a wide margin, in both carries (138) and yards (762), while adding 11 scores on the ground. Also a threat in the passing game, Daily is good for third on the team in receptions with 15, converting 152 yards and 3 scores. The Fighting Irish' leading receiver is [player_tooltip player_id='1524452' first='Bryce' last='Clark']. Clark has made 28 receptions, converting them to 324 yards and 2 scores. Additionally, Clark is a threat in the defensive backfield, making 22 tackles (1 for a loss), with 5 picks. Of those 5 picks, 4 he has taken to the house for a score. It is a senior quarterback, however, who blends everything together. [player_tooltip player_id='1566414' first='Micahel' last='Moritz'] has gone 86-123 for 1131 yards with 14 TD and 4 Int. Moritz has also been effective on the ground, scoring 10 times. Their most productive defender appears to be fellow Irishman [player_tooltip player_id='1566415' first='Sean' last='O'Reilly']. O'Reilly has made 62 stops (45 solo) on the season, with 1 TFL, 2 sacks, and 2 picks of his own. Lastly, lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1566416' first='Sean' last='Welde'] looks to call it a scholastic career, adding to his 22 tackle (15 solo), 6 TFL, 8 sack, 1 FF, 2 FR senior season totals. <br><br>Paul VI is a team with lots of talent that spans different grade levels, so this game will likely feel more of a coming out party than a celebration of a senior classes last rites. [player_tooltip player_id='1267592' first='Daulton' last='Phalines'], their quarterback prioritizes taking care of the ball more than anything else. Throwing 11 TDs to just 2 Int, he has accumulated 1448 yards on 94-165 passing, while punching in the ball twice on the ground. His favorite target is a fellow 2026 graduate that he has great rapport with, [player_tooltip player_id='208399' first='Tyree' last='Roane']. Roane leads the team in receptions by over 20, having made 41 grabs for 630 yards for 6 TD. Perhaps their best athlete, Roane has gotten the ball on the ground too with 4 scores. Furthermore, Roane makes his impact on defense with 26 tackles and 2 pick-sixes. Their offense is topped off by young sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1160587' first='Nate' last='Klecko']. Klecko has scored 7 times for 729 yards on 122 carries. By no means a one-way offensive threat, Klecko has hauled in 13 receptions for 200 yards and a score. Klecko also makes an impact as a defender, making 45 tackles, while finding a home in the backfield with 10 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. As impressive as Klecko's 8 sacks might be, he is outdone by 2027 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1160592' first='Anthony' last='Jackson']. Jackson leads the team in sacks with 9. Jackson has also made 13 tackles for loss, forced 3 fumbles, and recovered 1 to go along with his 65 tackles. I mentioned last rites before. That is what this game is for [player_tooltip player_id='1552710' first='Mourin' last='Keshen'], as the senior leader on defense looks to put a bow on his high school career. Keshen has gobbled up defenders, making 119 tackles on the season while living in the backfield - making a team-high 21 tackles for loss. Disruptive play-wise, he looks to add to his 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday, November 28</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Clayton (5-3-1) at Pitman (7-2)<br><br>The host Panthers better buckle up, as the visiting Clippers look to clip them with an unrelenting rushing attack. Senior rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1029743' first='Demetris' last='Williams'] looks to be the bad guy in this story, as he boasts a 1620-yard, 21-score season on 132 carries and is not looking to stop. Supporting his efforts is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1538191' first='Quaddy' last='Walls']. Walls has added 6 scores of his own for 426 yards on 93 carries. Lastly, the Figueroa boys figure to have a part in this rushing onslaught too, as senior [player_tooltip player_id='1538192' first='Josiel' last='Figueroa'] looks to lay the groundwork for sophomore brother [player_tooltip player_id='1566417' first='Enoch' last='Figeruoa'] in years to come. Josiel has scored 4 times on 64 carries for 508 yards; where Enoch has done so 3 times on 49 carries for 425 yards. Defensively it seems as though the Clippers are led by sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1538195' first='Nico' last='Thongchanh']. Thongchanh has been credited with 73.5 tackles with 4 for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, and 0.5 sacks. Additionally, [player_tooltip player_id='1566419' first='Yaseer' last='Saud-Dumas'] looks to his younger teammates to allow him to ride off into the sunset, capping off a 70-tackle, 3 sack senior campaign. <br><br>For the Panthers, it might [player_tooltip player_id='675610' first='Trey' last='Tinges'] might take the ground game as a battle of "anything you can do, I can do better" between himself and his counterpart on Clayton. Tinges has rushed for 15 scores on 141 carries, producing 832 yards in the process. Additionally, Tinges has made a house call on a kickoff for 80 yards. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1566420' first='Tyler' last='Merrone'] appears to be one of their leaders. Credited with, undoubtedly under reported stats, Merrone has 11.5 tackles to his name - 5.5 of which have been for a loss, and 2.5 have been sacks. Additionally, he has forced a fumble and recovered 1 for a score. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->