Big Central Conference Games of the Week, Week 3

With as much football action as our Great Garden State has this coming weekend within the high school ranks, here are a handful of games – and as a fan what I am looking for in each one – throughout the Big Central Conference this weekend.   Be sure to follow me on <a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ">Twitter</a> for the latest New Jersey high school football prospect news and not miss a beat!   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, September 19</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Hunterdon Central (2-1) at Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0) After qualifying for the playoffs with just three wins each of the last two seasons due to one of the most difficult schedules in the state, Bridgewater-Raritan currently sits atop the North Group V playoff bracket, undefeated, with that same schedule. The Panthers are putting their perfect record on the line this Friday as they play host to Hunterdon Central, who after starting the season 2-0, fell last week to Phillipsburg. Two offensive skills seem to be the stir that mixes the drink for Hunterdon Central. Just a junior, [player_tooltip player_id='1880328' first='Reggie' last='Osae-Aye'] is their go-to back this year. Having scored all 4 of his team's rushing touchdowns this year, he leads the way on the ground with 435 yards on 49 carries. Meanwhile through the air, [player_tooltip player_id='1894623' first='James' last='Mongno'] is their go-to threat. Out of a total 36 team receptions, Mongno has 18 of them; which he has turned into 287 yards and 6 touchdown receptions. Keep in mind: his team has a total of 7 receiving touchdowns. A defender to note is [player_tooltip player_id='1894624' first='Odin' last='Potynsky']. A junior, Potynsky leads his team in tackles with 22 (17 solo) and 3 tackles for loss. Adding to his production, Potynsky also has a sack to his name. Making their second appearance for Big Central Games of the Week, I want to spend some time focusing on Bridgewater defenders. It seems as though [player_tooltip player_id='1894625' first='Nick' last='Stark'] might beat the Panther's drum from the secondary. Stark is tied for the team lead with 15 tackles (5 solo), recorded a tackle for loss, and one-half sacks. However, he seems to be a disruptor in the defending the pass too. To-date, Stark has 2 of Bridgewater-Raritan's team interceptions. Meanwhile, junior lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1205837' first='Jamelle' last='Jones'] has the trenches on block. Of his 5 total tackles, 2 have been sacks and 2 others have been for a loss.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Bernards (3-0) at Voorhees (3-0) In the only matchup of unbeatens left in the Big Central Conference, after scoring a season-high 43 points against Delaware Valley last week, Bernards heads to Voorhees, who finds themselves averaging 42 points per game on offense while allowing just 12. The high-scoring Voorhees attack has their own set of triplets: quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1891850' first='Sam' last='Meekings'], running back [player_tooltip player_id='1522214' first='Matteo' last='Tramutola'], and receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1894626' first='Rylan' last='Benitez']. Starting with Meekings, he has been outstanding. Meekings has gone 35-51 for 564 yards and an impressive 10 touchdown to 1 interception ratio. Picking his spots, the senior has also rushed 5 times for 31 yards. His favorite target, Benitez, is a total timeshare monster. As a team, Voorhees has 32 receptions for 564 yards, and 9 touchdowns; the senior pass catcher alone, Benitez has accounted for 14/275/6 of them, while taking his only carry 10 yards for a score. I would venture to say that part of the Meekings-Benitez connection's success has been the presence of a strong running game - enter Tramutola. Another focal point of their offense, Tramutola has accounted for 53/437/7 of the team's 84/569/9 ground total, while adding 2 catches for 65 yards and a score. It takes no genius to realize that for Bernards to come out victorious, as is their plan any week, they want to run the ball and control the clock. For the visitors, they have the luxury of three ball carriers in [player_tooltip player_id='1551126' first='Nolan' last='Walsh'], [player_tooltip player_id='1557287' first='Patrick' last='Carlisle'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1087578' first='Logan' last='Stevens'] who are more than capable of getting the job done. Starting with their leading rusher in Stevens, he finds himself having accumulated a team leading 37 carries, 212 yards, and 3 scores thus far Somehow, Stevens has also managed to be their leading receiver with 6 receptions on the year, rendering 81 yards and a score. He is complemented by Walsh, the quarterback, who has gone 24/139/2 on the ground, while also completing 25-49 passes for 369 yards with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Lastly, Carlisle is the third spoke in this week. Matching Walsh's total carries, Carlisle has created 124 yards on the ground and scored once. </li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, September 20</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Somerville (2-1) at Rahway (2-1) Coming into the season the Somerville-Rahway matchup was one I felt more confident in what to expect from Rahway than Somerville. With many returning starters and talent, Rahway is the type of team who has adopted the "just put the damn ball down" mentality. Somerville on the other hand, I had several questions about. Having found themselves graduating their 3-year starting quarterback and FBS running back, wide receiver, and edge rusher, I had no clue how they would respond. Turns out that for Matt Bloom's squad, nobody is bigger than the program as they are off to a 2-1 start and look to avenge last week's 7-point loss to an upstart Montgomery team. It seems as though the focal point this year for the Pioneers is to ground-and-pound. Behind two talented tailbacks in [player_tooltip player_id='1515058' first='Justin' last='Bowen'], junior, and [player_tooltip player_id='1894628' first='Aidan' last='Bush'], senior, Somerville has found early-season success. There is no beating around the bush, as Bush leads the way this thus far having racked up 333 yards and 6 scores on 54 carries thus far. Bowen is more than a spell guy, and based on the looks of it, could be a starter elsewhere. Do not take my word for it, the proof is in the pudding as Bowen has scored twice on 43 carries and produced 247 yards. On defense [player_tooltip player_id='1894631' first='James' last='Hampton'] is making things difficult when teams drop back to pass. The Sophomore, Hampton has intercepted 3 passes so far, returning one for a score. When things are all said and done, [player_tooltip player_id='1665989' first='Andrew' last='Avent']'s Rahway career will be one for the record books. Avent, who has gotten significant burn since his freshman year, is the Indian's tribal leader. The tailback already has 449 yards and 7 scores on 46 attempts this season, while adding 115 yards on 2 receptions for 1 score when targeted. Defensively, where I think Avent will find himself playing in college, he finds himself just two off the team lead in tackles (20), but leads the Indians in sacks (4), tackles for loss (6), and solo tackles (16). As if that was not enough, Avent has also punted the ball 5 times for 114 yards and dudded one inside the opponent's 20. For some reason, I think I will be mentioning the name "[player_tooltip player_id='1665989' first='Andrew' last='Avent']" again later this year. Luckily for him, he does not have to do it all, all the time. [player_tooltip player_id='1703722' first='Ja'Quan' last='Robinson'], who is Rahway's quarterback and linebacker, also has a lot to say in terms of how their season will go. Robinson has gone 24-39 on the year for 454 yards with 6 touchdowns an 1 interception, while adding 51 carries on 8 totes as a runner. Robinson has matched Avent's tackle total with 20 (11 solo), has recorded a sack, and is one off the team pace with 5 tackles for loss on the season.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Ridgewood (2-1) at Piscataway (1-1) An early-season Super Football-Big Central Conference matchup is underway with, potentially, huge ramifications for the North V playoff bracket. The Maroons head south on I-287 to face the Chiefs. When you face Ridgewood, expect a plentiful dose of getting the ran down your throat. Ridgewood has 5 players with at least 13 carries and 4 players with over 21 carries, with no player having more than 25 totes. For a quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1195971' first='Gavin' last='McCrone'] calls his own number often. McCrone leads the team in rushing scores with 4 and 182 yards, while currently sitting second on the team with 24 carries. When asked to throw, he is 8-16 for 135 yards with 2 touchdowns. Complimenting him is [player_tooltip player_id='1894634' first='Brody' last='Perrapato']. The fellow junior is right on McCrone's heels, second in scores (2) and yardage (181), while being third on the team in touches (23). Picking up where he left of last year is senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1043533' first='Quinn' last='Conneen']. Off to another fast start, Conneen is 1 tackle off the team lead with his 26, but leads the team in solo stops with 9 and tackles for loss with 3.5, while adding a sack to his totals. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='1894633' first='Hudson' last='Freeney'] patrols the back-seven on defense. Freeney and is 18 tackles has already forced a fumble and returned a pick for six. Highlighting a few key Chiefs last week, our focus this week shifts a bit to some of their defenders. How will Piscataway stop the run? [player_tooltip player_id='1894637' first='Amare' last='Bowers'], a junior linebacker, ought to be a good place to start. Bowers has stepped up in recent weeks and taken over the team lead in tackles with 23 so far. Flanking him will be [player_tooltip player_id='1894638' first='Xavian' last='Ali']. Ali, also a junior, has made 14 stops this season. Also an offensive threat, Ali has rushed 3 times for 11 yards and caught an 11 yard touchdown pass. Should the Chiefs get behind the sticks on 3rd & long situations, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1894639' first='Sean' last='Love'] to get plenty of love. Love currently tops Piscataway with 13 receptions for 231 yards and 2 scores. </li> </ul>

With as much football action as our Great Garden State has this coming weekend within the high school ranks, here are a handful of games – and as a fan what I am looking for in each one – throughout the Big Central Conference this weekend.