State Semifinal Recap: Which Players Balled Out?- Part II

In the second biggest weekend of the season, multiple players elevated themselves to stardom level after the performances they put on. With the second round of players to cover, we now have a clear picture of which teams and players will be playing for a state title next weekend. There is still much to look forward to, but first, lets reflect on the best performances of the semifinal weekend.    [player_tooltip player_id='1022237' first='Ja'zaire' last='Aurelus'] put up one of the most impressive rushing performance of the entire weekend. In their 42-0 rout of East Orange, Union City ran wild with 282 yards on the ground. More than half of those rushing yards came from senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1022237' first='Ja'zaire' last='Aurelus']. Ja'zaire made quite a statement in the semifinals. Leading his team in rushing, Ja'zaire impressed with his downhill, hard nosed running. style, earning145 yards and a staggering 4 of his team's 6 touchdowns. Ja'zaire has been doing it all year, as he now has 18 rushing touchdowns and just surpassed 1000 yards rushing for the season. If Union City is able to continue dominating on the ground with multiple backs, they will give Toms River North some trouble.      When a defensive unit shut outs their opponent, you have to show some love to the players that made it happen. [player_tooltip player_id='829410' first='Omar' last='Tillman'] was the lead playmaker in the semifinal game against East Orange as he applied pressure to the pocket for a full 4 quarters. Omar is an elite edge rusher to say the least, and he proved it in this matchup. Coming quick off of the line, Omar was able to set the tone with an aggressive pass rush that forced East Orange to make mistakes throughout the game and crumble under pressure. Getting into the backfield with speed, Omar was able to use his commanding size and quickness to sack the quarterback four times, rack up 9 total tackles, and force a fumble in their playoff win. Omar currently holds offers from West Virginia State, Akron, and Kent State, but if they can pull off a win in the state title game, I think we will see more offers flood his direction.      Rumson-Fair Haven lit it up through the air this weekend against Point Pleasant Boro. We could have highlighted [player_tooltip player_id='545577' first='Owen' last='O'Toole'] or [player_tooltip player_id='1476850' first='Jordan' last='Angstreich'], but I wanted to turn our attention to the player that hasn't gotten as much attention on Prep Redzone. [player_tooltip player_id='1476852' first='Nick' last='Thomas'] played at an elite level in the 44-10 victory. Leading the team in receptions and yards in the semifinals, Nick was near impossible to cover as he caught 11 passes for 128 yards. While he wasn't able to find the end zone, Nick's consistency as a downfield threat led to Rumson-Fair Haven's continued progress downfield. Nick now has 821 yards and 9 touchdowns on the year, and has one more game left before he takes his talents to Trinity College.      Once again, [player_tooltip player_id='1525016' first='Jackson' last='Morrice'] put up one of the most impressive performances of the playoff weekend. In the 52-21 win over previously undefeated Butler, Jackson was unstoppable on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Jackson ran for 30 yards but made an even greater impact on the outcome of the game through his down field presence. Being [player_tooltip player_id='933995' first='Stephen' last='Paradiso']'s favorite target, Jackson took 9 catches for a team high 148 yards and scored touchdowns of 32 and 43 yards. To go with those impressive offensive stats, Jackson even found the end zone on the defensive side of the ball as he returned a interception 42 yards for a touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id='1525016' first='Jackson' last='Morrice'] is the player to watch next weekend in Cedar Grove's state title battle against Glassboro.      I've been saying it for years now; [player_tooltip player_id='344220' first='Tylik' last='Hill'] is arguably the best running back in the entire state. A player that doesn't get enough recognition for his efforts, Tylik's most recent outing will hopefully help draw attention from prominent programs. In the 48-14 win over St. John Vianney, Tylik was the main ingredient for a dominant offensive performance. With only 13 carries, Tylik ran loose for 234 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. What's most impressive is the distance he went for each touchdown. Finding the end zone from 36, 54, and 55 yards out, Tylik's speed was on full display as he dashed past defenders on his way to pay dirt. Tylik has impressed all season long, as he now has 2150 yards on the ground for the year and has found the end zone 24 times. Next week we are in for something special, as the two best backs in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='344220' first='Tylik' last='Hill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='396564' first='Nolan' last='James'] Jr., battle it out for a state title.

In the second biggest weekend of the season, multiple players elevated themselves to stardom level after the performances they put on. With the second round of players to cover, we now have a clear picture of which teams and players will be playing for a state title next weekend. There is still much to look forward to, but first, lets reflect on the best performances of the semifinal weekend.