North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Games of the Week, Week 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 North Jersey Interscholastic Conference this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Be sure to follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for the latest New Jersey high school football prospect news and not miss a beat!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday, September 18</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Secaucus (2-0) at New Milford (1-2)<br><br>Secaucus looks to keep their train rolling through the junction, looking to start their season 3-0, as they go on the road to take on New Milford. After an opening day victory against Bergenfield, New Milford has struggled a bit, losing 24-7 and 26-7 in consecutive games. A victory at home could be a statement win for the host Knights.<br><br>For New Milford, they seem to get the job done on the ground with senior rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1550963' first='Jake' last='Johnson']. Johnson leads the Knights attack in offensive output, slashing 44/251/1 on the ground while also being third on the team in receptions and yardage - 4 and 36 respectively - while scoring once. Defensively he has also been a strong performer. Along with his 20 tackles, Johnson has made 2 tackles for loss, forced a fumble, and recovered one too. Their top tackler appears to be [player_tooltip player_id='1893477' first='Kyle' last='Dunne']. Still just a sophomore, Dunne leads the team with 27 tackles and has forced a fumble, sacked the quarterback, and made a tackle for loss.<br><br>Offensively, Secaucus seems to be a two-man show featuring a pair of seniors. [player_tooltip player_id='1893478' first='Joseph' last='Pinto'] is their leading rusher in all categories, having slashed 31/179/3 so far on the though campaign. Pinto has also pitched in with 5 catches for 68 yards and a score, while also serving as their main returner. Complimenting Pinto is fellow 2026 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1688962' first='Brandon' last='Vega']. Vega has proven a bit more explosive nearly matching Pinto's yardage on the ground with 176 yards of his own and 2 scores - on just 17 carries. Vega has proven to be a reliable target as he leads the team with 8 catches and 158 yards along with a score. Vega also leads the team in tackles (12 total/11 solo), tackles for loss (4) and sacks (1.5). </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, September 19</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Wood-Ridge (3-0) at Weehawken (1-1)<br><br>In a game hosted at one of the cooler facilities in the state, Wood-Ridge takes the trip up Route 495 to play Weehawken, atop the Lincoln Tunnel. Wood-Ridge might be the NJIC's team to beat this year, as they are 3-0 so far with two shutouts. Weehawken has split their two games in scores that were a bit lopsided in both. Perhaps they can bring some balance and rely on their home field commuter-traffic advantage.<br><br>As traffic leading into NYC is at a standstill, [player_tooltip player_id='1021055' first='Emmanuel' last='De La Hoz'] is going 55mph in a 25mph zone. After a breakout campaign as a sophomore (150/1211/9), De La Hoz's junior campaign was hindered a bit (74/462/5); however, at his current rate (25/223/3), De La Hoz is certainly on track to shatter his production from his previous two seasons combined. On defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1548600' first='Caleb' last='Araoz'] leads the way with 10 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.<br><br>For Wood-Ridge, their one-man show seems to revolve around [player_tooltip player_id='1548615' first='Chris' last='Rios']. Rios, a senior, has been a highly efficient 41-52 for 647 yards with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Rios is also their leading rusher with 25 carries, 230 yards, and 4 scores. Rios' favorite target has been [player_tooltip player_id='1893480' first='Chance' last='Iacovino']. Iacovino has gone for 343 yards and 3 scores on 19 carries. Two juniors who are making a big impact on defense have been [player_tooltip player_id='1548616' first='Michael' last='Prato'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1326342' first='Melvin' last='Zabaleta']. Both juniors have recorded 5 sacks so far this season and are first and second on the team in tackles for loss.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->