North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Games of the Week, Week 6

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.   Because NJIC teams play their own conference tournament, it is a bit too early to comment how their member-teams are currently shaking out for the state tournament.   Prep Redzone's Winter Showcase is back for 2025 with more locations than ever. Looking to attend? Register <a href="https://prepredzone.com/all-events/?type=Showcase">here</a>. Save a few dollars off the cost of registration by using my special promo code, MankariousWinterPRZ   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, October 10</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Bogota (4-2) at Wood-Ridge (6-0) Bogota can win games in a multitude of ways: close thrillers, shutouts in dominating fashion, and shootouts inclusive. They will get the opportunity to test their mettle against a Wood-Ridge team who looks to finish their regular season without a blemish. Two underclassmen that are maximizing their opportunities for Wood-Ridge are running back [player_tooltip player_id='1939189' first='Miles' last='Simmonds'] and receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1893480' first='Chance' last='Iacovino']. Starting with the elder Iacovino, a junior, he leads his squad in receptions (25) and yardage (455), while currently sitting second in touchdowns with 3. With the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball, he also finds himself the team leader with 3 interceptions. For Simmonds, a sophomore, he seems to have comfortably asserted himself as the lead back out of the backfield. His 50 carries for 489 yards, despite being good for second on the team, are high-marks for running backs on the roster; meanwhile, he leads all ball carriers with 8 touchdowns on the ground and pitched-in with a touchdown score. Defensively, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1548616' first='Michael' last='Prato'] has been a Devil all season long, making things extremely difficult for opposing offenses. Prato has 54 tackles (40 solo), which paces the team. Moreover, he sets high marks in sacks (7), tackles for loss (13), and forced fumbles (2). When you look at the heart of Bogota's roster, it really is the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1891835' first='Jayden' last='Gonzalez'] that makes them tick on both sides of the ball. A quarterback, Gonzalez ialso finds himself the team leader in rushing yards, attempts, and touchdowns, as he has gone 66/480/6. When he drops back to pass, Gonzalez finds himself 55-105 for 1173 yards with 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Out of his 55 completions, he spreads the ball around really well, hitting four different targets with 11 or more receptions, with no one receiver having more than 14 total. As if that was not enough, Gonzalez is also amongst the team leaders in tackles - currently second with 62 (27 solo), with 5 coming for a loss - while having the most picks on the team with 3. Tying Gonzalez in tackles is [player_tooltip player_id='1939190' first='Matt' last='Heras']. A junior linebacker, Heras has 62 stops - a team-leading 34 of which have been solo stops - to go with 6.5 tackles for loss (also a team high) and 1 forced fumble. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Becton (4-2) at Garfield (4-2) After a slow start to begin the season offensively, Becton has been putting up points in bunches as of late. They look to one-up Garfield this Friday in what is the NJIC - Colonial Division Title game. The winner of this matchup will outright win that claim for the 2025 season. Garfield puts a great deal of faith in young [player_tooltip player_id='1172850' first='Jorheny' last='Rodriguez']. Still a sophomore, Rodriguez is being counted on to lead the way offensively - and his results have been fruitful. Rodriguez leads the team in ever offensive category, amassing 86 total touches, 692 total yards, and 9 total touchdowns. As if that was not asking enough, he also is a major contributor on defense having made 14 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. But wait, there is more! As a returner he has scored on a 92-yard kickoff return and a 52-yard punt return. Rodriguez relies on teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1939191' first='Filip' last='Sadowski'] to hold things down on defense. Sadowski leads the way with 3.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss, while also forcing a fumble and making 14 tackles. A contributor in the passing game, his 5 receptions have netted 65 yards and a score, while also nailing his only field goal attempt from 40-yards this season, and going 7-12 on PATs. For Becton, they have a bit more bandwidth on their roster. Starting at quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1939192' first='Elijah' last='Davis'] has been solid with the ball, throwing for 886 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on 72-181 passing. A big part of his success is the fact that he has senior [player_tooltip player_id='1939193' first='Lucas' last='Frank'] running routes. Frank has turned 28 catches into 447 yards and 7 scores so far. [player_tooltip player_id='1939194' first='Patrick' last='Lynch'] is a big-tine defender, setting the high water mark for the team with 54 tackles (17 solo) - 10 of which have come behind the line - as well as 1 sack and 1 forced fumble. Meanwhile, Lynch's dominance has allowed for young [player_tooltip player_id='1939195' first='Mal'Akai' last='Johnson'] to emerge as a defensive force. Good for 27 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble himself, Johnson leads the team in solo stops (24) and sacks (8) during this, his sophomore season.</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 North Jersey Interscholastic Conference this weekend.