Way to Early Favorites: Washington Township

An end of the year tradition of mine, it's time to make way to early predictions for next year's state champions. Starting off the series for Group 5 is Washington Township. Ending 2024 with a 10-3 record, Washington Twp. made a deep playoff push and lost to the eventual state champs, Toms River North, in the state semifinals. What's most impressive about this unit is how much of their success stemmed from the play of juniors and sophomores on their roster. They are returning their starting QB, RB, and top receiving target as well. On top of that, a defense that held 7 opponents to under 10 points is also returning a lot of their key players at every level. There is a lot of firepower on this team, and it's the reason I favor them as taking home the title in 2025.    Washington Twp. has an absolute playmaker as their signal caller. Cole devastated defenses in 2024, especially when he chucked it deep and let his guy run underneath it. He has that hair trigger release that you're looking for, and can quickly identify a breakdown in coverage and take advantage of it. Ball placement is another key to Cole's success. On shorter routes, he can get the ball out quickly and into his receiver's hands. When throwing deeper, he can make the throw to the outside or overtop to avoid putting the ball into dangerous territory.   For me, it doesn't really matter that he's slightly undersized for the position. He was able to lead his team down the field consistently throughout the season, throwing 11 touchdowns and 1620 yards. As long as Cole continues to grow and perform as he has, there's a strong chance Washington Twp. will find similar success in 2025.      The leading rusher for the team this past season, [player_tooltip player_id='1466305' first='Colin' last='Beeler'] will look to continue his workhorse effort into the new year. Rushing for over 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, Colin became the every down back Washington Township needed to continuously drive the ball down opponent's throats. Electric from the moment the ball is snapped, Colin would burst out of the backfield with an intense running style, picking up steam as he made his way through the first line of defense. Colin has a way of carving up the defense right between the tackles and picking up big gains before first contact. I am very impressed with how quickly he can get to the second level, running through wide open holes and following downfield blockers.   A twitchy ball carrier as well, Colin showed off his agility quite often as he'd juke defenders out of their shoes and leave them flopping on the field as he ran on by. I expect a big increase in utilization for Colin next season.      The top receiving target for [player_tooltip player_id='1027688' first='Cole' last='Aquino'] this past fall, [player_tooltip player_id='402236' first='Paris' last='Pratt'] is that reliable downfield threat that every defense needs to worry about. A tall and lean receiver, Paris was a nightmare to opposing secondary's last season as he caught 40 passes for 626 yards and 5 touchdowns. Paris is one of those quick off of the line receivers that can burn a DB right out of the gate, making it an easy throw downfield for him to run under. Paris made a ton of big plays last season by simply outrunning the defender and not allowing them to catch him from behind. Don't think Paris is strictly a speed weapon, however. He showed and proved he is much more than that, making catches in traffic and showing off crisp route running skills to create separation from the DBs. Paris is one of those receiver's in the state I expect their stats to jump considerably in 2025.      A dominate presence in Washington Township's secondary, [player_tooltip player_id='1561460' first='Parker' last='Reese'] is a name worth getting familiar with. A ball hawk of a safety, Parker swooped in multiple times last season and picked the ball off without the QB ever seeing him in coverage. He was able to disguise himself in coverage and break in the direction of the throw with speed to cut off the route and reel the ball in himself. With 5 interceptions on the season and one of those returned for 6, QBs had to think twice any time they threw Parker's direction.   Even if Parker didn't come down with the ball., he found a way to make a big impact on the outcome of the game. Whether it was putting himself in position to break the pass up by staying hip to hip with the receiver, or him coming back up field to help with run support (57 tackles), Parker's name was constantly called out on the loud speaker. There is a lot of promise in this soon to be senior safety.      The 2nd ranked defensive lineman in the NJ 2027 class, [player_tooltip player_id='910872' first='Gabe' last='Palaganas'] has already built a reputation for himself as a dominant figure upfront. Racking up an impressive 9.5 sacks in 2024, opposing QBs became very familiar with Gabe as he consistently found his way into the backfield to apply pressure to the pocket. Coming off of the edge with speed, Gabe utilized a wide array of hand techniques, quick feet, and straight up bull rushing to shake off the blocker and zero in on the QB. Gabe's longer arms allows him to keep the blocker a distance away, preventing them from getting in close to hold him, while it also allows him to move them at will and make a move on a runner as they try to run through the gaps. Gabe swallowed up runners heading his direction, as he was able to make 63 tackles on the season. As he is only entering his junior season in 2025, there is plenty of time for Gabe to draw considerable attention from programs across the country. This is a name I think we will hear more and more about as he progresses through his high school career.

An end of the year tradition of mine, it's time to make way to early predictions for next year's state champions. Starting off the series for Group 5 is Washington Township. Ending 2024 with a 10-3 record, Washington Twp. made a deep playoff push and lost to the eventual state champs, Toms River North, in the state semifinals. What's most impressive about this unit is how much of their success stemmed from the play of juniors and sophomores on their roster. They are returning their starting QB, RB, and top receiving target as well. On top of that, a defense that held 7 opponents to under 10 points is also returning a lot of their key players at every level. There is a lot of firepower on this team, and it's the reason I favor them as taking home the title in 2025.