Big Central Conference Games of the Week, Week 4

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">Thursday, September 25</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Highland Park (2-1) at Spotswood (4-0) After a hot, 2-0 start, Highland Park's momentum might have been stalled a bit with a 27-26 setback last week at the hands of Brearley - at least temporarily. The Owls get another bite at the apple this week as prepare to take on a Spotswood team that routinely cruises through their regular season schedule. Although they primarily get their work done on the ground, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1906644' first='Marcus' last='Smith'] has shown that he is more than capable of creating for himself and for others. The team's leading rusher in terms of attempts, Smith has slashed 19/66/2 on the campaign thus far. When asked to drop back, he is a highly efficient 15-23 for 363 yards with 4 scores and 1 pick. An emerging threat out of the backfield is fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='1906645' first='Jacob' last='Quiros']. In what looks like a timeshare, Quiros has rushed 14 times for 103 yards and 2 scores, whil also contributing with 7 tackles (2 solo) and 2 tackles for loss. Last year Spotswood was the beneficiary of [player_tooltip player_id='1476946' first='Se'mir' last='Tolbert-Brimage']'s transfer to the Chargers, and this year they are continuing to reap the benefits. Quarterbacking their offense, Tolbert-Brimage has gone 30-47 for 374 yards with 4 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions. Moreover, Tolbert-Brimage is the Chargers leading rusher on the season with a team-high 409 yards and 6 scores on 46 carries. When he drops back to pass, it seems as though he is looking for young sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1618899' first='Ryan' last='Foster']. Foster has accounted for 15/216/3 of the team's 32/402/5 total passing attack. Also a contributor on defense, he has made 7 tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle for loss, and recovered a fumble to the house. Additionally, he has returned a kickoff to the house for 6. Joining Foster on defense is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1906649' first='Dan' last='Keelan']. Keelan, a stalwart in the trenches, has 23 tackles (4 solo), placing him third on the team; however, he has been a disruptive force with a team-leading 3 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries, while also forcing a fumble and making 2 tackles for loss. </li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, September 26</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Watchung Hills (2-2) at Montgomery (3-1) Win one, lose one. Win one, lose one. This has been the pattern thus far for Watchung Hills who has seen nothing but close games this season - winning a 2-point and a 5-point game; while dropping a 3-point game and a 7-point game. On the other hand, after a year of growing pains last year with a 1-year season in Coach Zoran Milich's final year, Montgomery may be ahead of schedule in Sean Carty's first season at the helm, boasting a 3-1 record. A senior-heavy roster appears to be leading the way for the Cougars. [player_tooltip player_id='855775' first='Jack' last='Kristjanson'] quarterbacks the squad and has been a steady hand in doing so. Kristjanson is 51-95 for 570 yards with 6 touchdown passes and 3 picks, while also finding himself second on the team in rushing, going 53/185/2 so far. Complementing Kristjanson's legs are those of [player_tooltip player_id='1906650' first='Caiden' last='Miller']. Miller leads the team on the ground with a 55/357/5 slash line. Lastly, Kristjanson's main target is no other than [player_tooltip player_id='918994' first='Trey' last='McFadden']. Of the 51/570/6 passing totals as a team the Cougars have, McFadden has accounted for 29/356/5 of them. Lastly, senior lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1294564' first='Mike' last='Bellamy'] is Montgomery's leading tackler, making made 37 stops (25 solo), 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks so far. Although they have had some talented passers over the last half-decade or so, the Warriors always have wanted to run the football. It seems as though in 2025 they are getting back to basics in doing so. A junior, [player_tooltip player_id='1906656' first='Evan' last='Williams'] leads the way. Williams has ran the ball 69 times for 376 yards with 2 scores, adding 6 catches for 64 yards in the process. Also a contributor on defense, Williams has 13 tackles (10 solo) and intercepted 2 passes. Another back that Watchung Hills features is [player_tooltip player_id='1906657' first='Christian' last='Warnicke']. In a complimentary role, Warnicke has ran 23 times for 138 yards with 1 score of his own, adding 14 tackles (9 solo) and 1 tackle for loss as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1206813' first='Dillon' last='Nunes'] is the final skill that the Warriors feature heavily. Nunes, a receiver, has 12 receptions for 212 yards and all 3 of the Warriors' touchdown catches; he is also the only receiver with more than 65 yards receiving. Nunes also handles their kicking duties, going 4-5 on PATs and 2-2 on field goals (39-yard long), with 8 punts totallying 233 yards on the season.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>South Plainfield (2-2) at Governor Livingston (2-2) After dropping their first two games of the season, Governor Livingston has had two "get right" games in a row, winning both of them, including most recently a 26-0 game at North Plainfield. For South Plainfield, they seem to have a rotating pattern of wins and losses - which they endured most recently to the hands of Cranford. That said, if the pattern holds true, they ought to end up in the win column. With neither team having a receiver surpass 100 yards yet, expect this game to go by fast how many times they plan to run the ball. South Plainfield deploys to running backs on the ground: [player_tooltip player_id='1017495' first='Dominic' last='Massaro'], senior, and [player_tooltip player_id='1906659' first='Christian' last='Brown'], junior. Massaro leads Brown in terms of carries with 4 more and touchdowns with 3 to 0; however, Brown has been slightly better in terms of yards per carry with his 30 carries and 254 yards so far. Defensively, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1906660' first='Aiden' last='Noblecilla'] is having a strong campaign, leading the team in sacks, 5, tackles for loss, 11, solo tackles, 21, and forced fumbles, 2, while sitting second on the team with his 56 total tackles. For as much as South Plainfield runs the ball, Governor Livingston just might run it more. [player_tooltip player_id='1891853' first='Dominic' last='Labisi'] leads the way in all categories with his 74 carries, 382 yards, and 5 touchdown senior campaign, while [player_tooltip player_id='1906661' first='Elijah' last='Garcia'], a sophomore, serves in an honorable supporting role, slashing 35/205/3 on the ground. [player_tooltip player_id='1906662' first='Max' last='DiDonato'] ought to be a big part of the solution for Governor Livingston. DiDonato leads the team with 34 tackles (16 solo), while making 7 tackles behind the line with 1 sack. Expect him to be key to stopping the run.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Belvidere (2-2) at Bound Brook (3-1) A matchup for Freedom Silver supremacy is afoot as Belvidere travels into Bound Brook in what should be a contentious contest. For Belvidere, they dropped two games in the middle of their two wins. Meanwhile, after dropping a 5-point game in their opener against North Warren, Bound Brook has rattled off 3-straight wins, including their last two by a combine score of 62-2. Belvidere looks to get things going via their ground game. Deploying a two-headed Medusa, look for [player_tooltip player_id='1906664' first='Nathan' last='Sussko'] to get the majority of the carries. His team-leading 39 totes have yielded 210 yards and 2 scores. Sussko also leads the team. Playing Robin to Sussko's Batman is [player_tooltip player_id='1538544' first='Geoffrey' last='Young']. Young has a 26/183/2 slash line on the ground this season. Young also happens to lead the team in tackles with 42, while Sussko is second with 35. [player_tooltip player_id='1277803' first='Brayden' last='Duckworth'] is also a name to be aware of, having registered 30 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and a pick-six during his senior campaign. Bound Brook's offense has been pretty impressive thus far, already surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground. Leading the way is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1906677' first='Jake' last='Markey']. Markey has 458 yards and 6 scores on 56 carries, while also managing to lead the team in tackles with 27 (15 solo) and 1 forced fumble and fumble recovery. Finding himself second fiddle - but equally as important - is [player_tooltip player_id='1906679' first='John' last='Archer']. Archer, a fellow 2026 graduate, has racked up 349 yards and 4 scores on 38 tackles. Additionally, Archer has 10 tackles (6 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1906681' first='Zahmir' last='Moore'] might be Bound Brook's best athlete. Moore is their leading receiver with 13 receptions and 2 touchdowns - representing half the team total in each category - and 159 yards. He has also scored once on the ground on 3 carries for 35 yards, but perhaps makes his biggest impact on defense with his team leading 3 interceptions and 3 tackles for loss with 18 total stops (12 solo)</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.