Plate #3: Thanksgiving Games I am Ready to Feast On

Dear Thanksgiving,   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.   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.   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.   To you, wholesome Thanksgiving, I present some of my favorite Thanksgiving Day games that find absolutely delectable this year.   With all my love and in all sincerity,   Brendan Mankarious   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Hackensack (4-5) at Teaneck (5-4) When I think North Jersey, there are few other municipalities I think of than Hackensack and Teaneck. Moreover, this matchup will go a long way in determining Strength Indexes next year. The host Highwaymen were the first-team out of the playoff picture at #17; where the visiting Comets finished at #20 in their first season in Group IV. With that bump down from Group V, Hackensack seems to have adopted a pass-first mentality - which differs from years past. [player_tooltip player_id='1567353' first='Brian' last='Brancato'] led the way this season, going 75-127 for 926 yards with 5 TD and 5 Int. Brancato also leads the team in rushing scores on the year with 6 on 56 carries for 330 yards. However, Brancato has not appeared in a game since October 18 and the Comets have been rolling with senior [player_tooltip player_id='1191255' first='Jordan' last='McCoy']. On the year, McCoy has been highly efficient since getting plugged in, going 12-18 for 240 yards with 3 TD and 1 Int. Expect McCoy to give it his all in his last game. McCoy might have a meaningful story to write as he and [player_tooltip player_id='1191252' first='Dylan' last='Thornton'] look to ride out together. Thornton leads the Comets in carries and yards, slashing 63/491/4 on the year. A big contributor on defense, Thornton has made 56 stops with 7 coming for a loss and 2 sacks. Additionally, he has produced 1 FF, 2 FR, and 1 Int. [player_tooltip player_id='1191254' first='Jo'Vanny' last='Mora'] has also had a great campaign for Hackensack, leading them with 10 tackles for loss. Mora has also contributed with 0.5 sacks, 1 Int, and 64 tackles. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1567354' first='Justin' last='Coleman'], a junior, might be the prospect most likely to propel himself to a big senior season next fall for Hackensack. Coleman leads the Comets in tackles with 68 and is amongst the team leaders in tackles for loss with 7. Coleman has also recorded a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. Teaneck, a team I have not previously covered, appears to rely on a dual-headed rushing attack that feature two seniors. First up is leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1567355' first='Brenden' last='Hamilton']. Hamilton has produced more yardage than his counterpart on fewer carries, slashing 60/516/5 on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1567356' first='Isaac' last='Combs'], on the other hand, has been trusted with the rock 84 times, milling out 469 yards and 5 scores of his own. Perhaps the Highwaymen's most critical defender, [player_tooltip player_id='1567359' first='Jeremiah' last='Harmitt'], looks to make his impact felt in what will be his final high school game. Harmitt leads Teaneck in both tackles (60) and tackles for loss (7).</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Atlantic City (8-3) at Holy Spirit (9-1) In another world where we would have a combine Public/Non-Public playoff, this would have surely been a good one. As the Vikings travel to face Spartans expect both teams to have chips on their shoulders, as they both certainly feel as though they were bounced from the playoffs prematurely. This will be the last opportunity for fans to watch [player_tooltip player_id='675553' first='Sahnye' last='Degraffenreidt'] at the high school level. After this game, the high-potential prospect will be heading to Rutgers as he embarks on his collegiate career. Degraffenreidt has produced an impressive 42/792/12 as a target season this fall, with another 25/166/2 as a rusher. On the same token, [player_tooltip player_id='1515041' first='Khajuan' last='Roseborough'] has a personal chip on his shoulder. After being forced to exit Atlantic City's sectional semifinal game against Cherokee due to injury, Roseborough returned the next week to compete against Washington Township. His last performance was not his best game, so expect Roseborough to build upon his 114-193, 2092 yard, 24 TD, 7 Int season - while also maintaining his status as a dual-threat quarterback (87/748/7). Defensively I am looking for [player_tooltip player_id='1552382' first='Omar' last='Kelly'] to use this game as a springboard for his upcoming junior season. The current sophomore has made 36 tackles on the year to go with 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 interceptions. For Holy Spirit, they have a handful of seniors that are pushing to ensure that they achieve 10 wins in their last season. I will first start with [player_tooltip player_id='819146' first='Jahcere' last='Ward']. The best I can tell it appears that he missed time at various points this fall, but yet he has managed to produce 645 yards and 12 scores - both good for team-highs - on 11 less carries than the team's leading rusher (128 for Ward). Having seen him live in action during last spring's camp circuit, I am rooting for the big-bodied power back who has a unique ability to be nimble and quick. When the Spartans go to the air, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1567360' first='Ryan' last='Mallen'] to get a few extra looks this week. In what will be his last high school contest, Mallen looks to add to his 19/370/2 stat line thus far. Expect [player_tooltip player_id='1281466' first='Nicholas' last='Medina'] to be a chink in the armor for the Vikings. Medina not only leads Holy Spirit with 57 tackles, but also sacks with an impressive 10. Furthermore, Medina has registered 4.5 tackles for loss and 1 interception. [player_tooltip player_id='1567364' first='Jackson' last='Broschard'] will look to do much of the same, albeit with his hand in the dirt. Holy Spirit's team leader in tackles for loss (10.5), will look to amass a few more. Broschard has also made 22 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and sacked the quarterback 3.5 times.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Millville (9-2) at Vineland (5-4) This specific game between Millville and Vineland could play out to be a case of two teams that could be changing the trajectory of their respective programs. Both programs have some serious outgoing talent, yet several exciting, young pieces in play. The visiting Thunderbolts have been one of South Jersey's premier teams for about 6 years now. This run coincides with the conclusion Alabama-bound [player_tooltip player_id='218554' first='Lotzeir' last='Brooks']' prep career. Depending on the source, Brooks is the state's career leader in receiving yards. In his last dance, Brooks has slashed 53/1188/15 on the year and looks to go out with a bang. The biggest benefactor of Brooks this year is his quarterback, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='489023' first='Robbie' last='O'Connor']. O'Connor has produced 2211 yards with 25 TD and 7 Int on 120-212 passing. Millville will look to O'Connor for the next two seasons to keep their reign of continued success going. O'Connor will be flanked by two receivers in his same graduating class that have, nearly, matched each other step-for-step this year. [player_tooltip player_id='1562026' first='Jaden' last='Days'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1476891' first='Reggie' last='Holley'] have, respectively, slashed 25/436/4 and 25/394/3 as they figure to continue to develop and progress with O'Connor for the next few years. [player_tooltip player_id='819147' first='Jamal' last='Wallace, Jr.'] certainly has his eyes set on cracking 1000 yards rushing to cap his career. Wallace currently has 873 yards on the year on 133 carries with 13 scores. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='829409' first='Darian' last='Blachewicz'] looks to dominate and patrol the trenches on both sides of the ball, adding to his 63-tackle, 5-sack, 9-tackle for loss senior campaign. Similar to Millville, Vineland has rode a young quarterback all season long. The only difference? The Fighting Clan's quarterback is a year younger. [player_tooltip player_id='1515045' first='Elyjah' last='Calderone'] has, unquestionably, played through some growing pains; however, this is all for a bright future. In his true freshman season, Calderone has gone 72-140 for 840 yards with 8 TD and 14 TD. Doing enough to keep you honest, Calderone has punched it in 3 times on the ground. Calderone will be forever grateful to a solid senior class that surrounds him. [player_tooltip player_id='1567367' first='Charles' last='Clark'] (85/407/5) leads the way on the ground where [player_tooltip player_id='1567368' first='Zha'Vian' last='Diaz'] (13/256/2) leads the way as a target. Meanwhile on defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1567371' first='Noah' last='Cruz'] is active in each and every game. Cruz leads the team in tackles (81), tackles for loss (12), and sacks (4) and [player_tooltip player_id='1567366' first='Mark' last='Mutcherson'] supports Diaz from the secondary with a 72 tackle, 3 sack, and 7 tackle for loss career finale.</li> </ul>

Dear Thanksgiving,