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<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 Super Football Conference this weekend.</p>
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<p>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!</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday, September 18</h2>
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<li>Livingston (2-1) @ West Orange (2-1)<br><br>After stumbling out of the gate to Group I Shabazz in a 3p-point loss, West Orange has managed to eek out two key victories in a row: a 3-point win against perennial Group V top seed PCTI and a thrilling 1-point win at Irvington. They take on a Livingston team which seems to beat up on the teams you figure them to, but also has a 27-0 loss on their ledger against East Orange. For the Lancers, this game ought to be a good barometer to see just exactly who they are and how they stack up.<br><br>Different than in years last where they opted to air it out, Livingston seems to want to ground-and-pound. With three players with 16 or more touches and over 100 yards on the ground, [player_tooltip player_id='1537296' first='Abel' last='Paul'] leads their offensive assault Paul has rushed for 7 scores and 454 yards on 32 carries so far. Defensively, it truly seems to be a team effort as Livingston has gotten production from numerous contributors. A big part of their defense appears to be junior [player_tooltip player_id='1894095' first='Kodi' last='Gbanite']. Gbanite has made 12 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 FF, and 2 sacks so far this season. Gbanite's 2 sacks are matched by senior Matt Steiner, who also leads the squad in tackles for loss with 5.<br><br>The focal point for the Mountaineers, seems to be senior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1307608' first='Farad' last='Green']. Green, who received notable recruiting traction this offseason, is off to a solid start against stiff competition. Entering this game Green has been good for 217 yards on 55 attempts with 2 scores. Additionally, he ranks third on the team with 6 receptions for 43 yards. two defenders are off to an outstanding start. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1894094' first='Xavier' last='Davis'], a new name to many, has a stranglehold on the team lead in tackles with 32.5 (10.5 solo). Additionally, he has 3 tackles for loss and a sack. Look for him to meet Paul in in the hole all night long. </li>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, September 19</h2>
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<li>Ramapo (2-0) @ Old Tappan (3-0)<br><br>This ought to be a good one of perennial contenders who have played fierce battles throughout the years. Ramapo, a team that lost to state runner-up Phillipsburg last year, comes back with a renewed focus this year as they have outscored opponents 87-7 across two games. Meanwhile, Group III State Champion Old Tappan is back on their grinding, having beaten each opponent by by at least 20 points. <br><br>Ramapo has a very balanced offensive attack to this point in the season. They have ran the ball nearly double the amount they have passed (69 team carries to 32 team passes), but the yardage is nearly identical (392 on the ground, 381 through the air). The immediate thing that pops to me is the play of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1546513' first='Casey' last='Grusser']. His numbers may not be gaudy right now (19-28, 336 yards, 3 TD; 12 carries, 74 yards, 4 TD); however, what impressed me is how he seems to spread the love. No receiver on Ramapo has more than 4 receptions on the year, while 9 different players have caught a pass. This sort of distribution stresses a defense since, literally, <em>anyone </em>is a threat and they must then defend the entire field. [player_tooltip player_id='1557909' first='Liam' last='Hayward'] appears to be one of their two most disruptive players on defense. Hayward has forced a fumble, recovered a fumble for a score, and sacked the quarterback this year. Joining him will be Jack Schneider, who leads the team in tackles (12) and tackles for loss (3).<br><br>With championship pedigree back at several positions, Old Tappan looks to [player_tooltip player_id='910743' first='Zach' last='Miceli'] to lead them into action. Remarkably, Miceli has only thrown 5 incompletions this year (35-40), while accumulating 649 yards and 8 passing touchdowns to no interceptions. As one of their best players at a Group III school, Miceli also plays a big part of Old Tappan's plans on defense. Miceli has 16 tackles (8 solo), a team-high 4 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. His favorite target seems to be [player_tooltip player_id='1894097' first='Leo' last='Etter'], a junior. Etter is a big-play threat, having slashed 9/287/3 when targeted so far. Also a cog on defense, Etter has made 18 tackles (13 solo) with 3 tackles for loss. [player_tooltip player_id='1894098' first='Nick' last='Blanchard'] is currently the team leader in tackles (23), sacks (2.5) and forced fumbles (1).</li>
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<li>Chatham (2-0) @ Mount Olive (2-0)<br><br>Another early-season matchup of elites link up as Chatham travels to Mount Olive. For Mount Olive, they have outscored opponents 78-14 in their two games, while Chatham has scored 30-or-more in both their contests, while winning via shutout in one. <br><br>Although Mount Olive is roughly a 2:1 run:pass ratio, when they look to throw they seem to target [player_tooltip player_id='1894099' first='Sonny' last='Arden']. Arden's 9/159/1 slash line represents 39% of the team's total receptions and 56% of their total receiving yardage. Conversely, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1894100' first='Michael' last='MacAniff'] to disrupt and clog passing lanes. MacAniff may only have 5 tackles, but he has both of Chatham's forced turnovers this year in his two picks. <br><br>For Mount Olive, they seem to believe that the ground game opens up the passing game. Headlined by tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1894104' first='Brayden' last='Longo'], their ground game has allowed for startering quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1894101' first='Frank' last='Gallo'] to go an efficient 16-23 for 220 yards and a score this season. Long's efforts have allowed him to slash 30/213/5 thus far. On defense, expect Justin Bullock to leave his mark on this game. Bullock is the team leader in tackles (14), solo stops (6), and interceptions (2). </li>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, September 20</h2>
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<li>Northern Highlands (3-0) at Pascack Valley (2-1)<br><br>Pascack Valley is a bit of an enigma to me at this point in the season. The Group III school opened up at reigning North Group V Champion Union City, not just upsetting them, but doing so by a large margin of 42-19. They then lose a frustrating game to 3-0 Westwood 21-7, only to bounce back against Teaneck in a close, 29-26 victory. They now get to see how they stack up against Group IV power Northern Highlands, an undefeated squad across 3 games. <br><br>Northern Highlands attack is very balanced in their approach, yielding 602 yards on the ground and 506 yards through the air. They seem to have a two-headed backfield in [player_tooltip player_id='1552346' first='Chase' last='Calarco'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1894106' first='Tucker' last='Kanning']. With nearly identical output (30/269 for Calarco vs. 33/226 for Kanning), Calarco has the nod in touchdowns, 4:0. Moreover, senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1557916' first='Jack' last='O'Callaghan'] does an awesome job of playing efficiently, completing 31-40 passes for 502 yards with 5 touchdowns to no interceptions. <br><br>This offensive attack is countered by that of Michigan State-bound [player_tooltip player_id='534373' first='Adam' last='Shaw']. Shawn is operating like a one-man show on defense, having 22 more tackles than his next closest teammate to seize the team lead. Shawn has made 34 stops (20 solo), but also leads the team in with 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 blocked kicks. He is also their leading rusher, going 30/216/4 so far, while also throwing Pascack Valley's only touchdown pass this season. [player_tooltip player_id='1530066' first='Kai' last='Smith'] serves as a nice compliment to Shaw, having rushed 15 times for 155 yards with 2 scores of his own, and adding 9 tackles and 1 interception to his name.</li>
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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 Super Football Conference this weekend.
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