Group IV Title Game Preview: Winslow vs. Phillipsburg

<!-- 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">Wednesday, December 4, 7:00pm - Winslow vs. Phillipsburg at SHI Stadium</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In perhaps one of the most interesting games of the championship slate, the Winslow Eagles link up with the Phillipsburg Stateliners to rumble on the Raritan. Both teams, who have been quite good the last two seasons, have gotten over the hump this season and do not want to take long bus rides back home empty handed. For Winslow, they suffered a defeat to eventual champion Mainland last year; whereas the Stateliners were aided by a senior class that have provided major contributions for three years and getting moved down from Group V to Group IV this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Phillipsburg wins if...</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>... they return to establishing the run to open up the passing game. Perhaps it is their pedigree, but P-burg has managed to win games despite their offense being difficult to forecast the last several weeks. Since the playoffs have started, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='855768' first='Jett' last='Genovese'] has passed for -84, -82, -92, -74, and -43 yards. To put this into perspective, only once during the regular season was Genovese held below 100 yards. In exchange, he has scored 8 of his 11 rushing touchdowns since the playoffs have started. It remains to be seen which evolution of Genovese we get: the 97-154, 1763 yard, 16 touchdown, 3 interception drop-back passer or the 102 carry, 683 yard, 11 touchdown rushing threat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When cooking, the Stateliners target [player_tooltip player_id='1189138' first='Matthew' last='Scerbo'] the most, as he has gone for 48 receptions, 1069 yards, and 11 scores. Aside from Genovese's contributions on the ground, [player_tooltip player_id='1189148' first='Sam' last='Dech'] is a steady force, having slashed 86/784/9 on the ground. However, the most dynamic threat in their offensive attack is a jack-of-all-trades player in [player_tooltip player_id='1189137' first='Felix' last='Matos']. Matos has 573 yards and 15 scores on 81 rushing attempts, while being second on the team with a 37/658/5 slash line when targeted.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although Scerbo and Matos are major contributors on defense, I love the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1189144' first='Jayden' last='Lucas']. The senior linebacker is exceptional at reading his keys, evidenced in him yielding 116 tackles (77 solo) with 10 tackles for loss and a sack on the season. A disruptive force in front of Lucas is [player_tooltip player_id='1557919' first='Aedan' last='Hywel'], a junior defensive lineman. Hywell has made 6 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, and 62 tackles (37 solo).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Winslow wins if...</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>... they find a matchup they like and exploit it like a bad habit. Coach Belton does an exceptional job using his quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='910875' first='Jalen' last='Parker'] (155-241, 2678 yards, 41 TD, 10 Int) to spread the ball around. for the Eagles, there are a total of 5 different players with at 400-yards-or-better of offense, including one player who has more than 400 yards both rushing and receiving. Starting with the ground game, a three-headed effort is led by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='909525' first='Roman' last='Duckett']. Duckett has slashed 98/571/15 on the ground, while [player_tooltip player_id='211802' first='KaRon' last='Ali'] has complimented him nicely to the tune of 70/432/3. When Parker drops back to pass, [player_tooltip player_id='402235' first='Nyqir' last='Helton'] leads the way with his 44 reception, 809 yard, and 13 touchdown year. [player_tooltip player_id='389746' first='Cameron' last='Miller'], an FBS-offered recruit follows him closely with a 38/655/12 season. [player_tooltip player_id='1570684' first='Marcus' last='Upton'], now a senior, has also scored 6 times on 22 receptions for 432 yards. Even a freshman has gotten into the mix, [player_tooltip player_id='972304' first='TJ' last='Maddox'], with his 12/230/2 slash line as a target. However, there is one athlete that gets it done on the ground both rushing and receiving: [player_tooltip player_id='606231' first='Nakeem' last='Powell']. Powell has carried the ball 80 times for 431 yard, scoring 6 times, while managing to make 31 grabs for 454 yards for 7 scores when targeted.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although yes, many of the aforementioned skill players above are contributors on defense, three players in the middle of Winslow's defensive front cause many problems for opposing teams. The two defensive tackles that eat up space in front of their mike backer and follow pulling guards exceeding well are [player_tooltip player_id='284073' first='Rob' last='Carstarphen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1515040' first='Ben' last='Carter']. Both are neck-and-neck in terms of statistical production. Carstarphen has made 105 tackles (79 solo) with 21 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 scoop &amp; score, and 1 safety; where Carter has produced 101 tackles (82 solo), 19 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Perhaps the slight edge in productivity is due to an additional year of experience. With these two war daddies clogging up the middle, it has enabled [player_tooltip player_id='212382' first='Ausar' last='Heard'] to get through unblocked 89 times to make a solo tackle. With his 110 total tackles, Heard has also sacked the quarterback 3 times, made 9 tackles for loss, forced a fumble, and intercepted a pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->