West Jersey Football League 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 Big Central Conference this weekend.   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">Thursday, October 9</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Lower Cape May (5-1) at Cedar Creek (5-1) Each with one early-season loss against their ledger, Lower Cape May travels up the Parkway just a bit to take on Cedar Creek. This is a big one for Lower Cape May. Aside from seeing how they hang with one of the conference's best teams, Cedar Creek has a juicy Strength Index of 83.46. A win would certainly catapult the Tigers from South II's #13 seed to hosting a home game. In order to do so, look for Lower Cape May to lean on their rushing attack. [player_tooltip player_id='1938993' first='Ryan' last='Mallon'] has formed an outstanding dual-attack with fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='1938997' first='David' last='Douglas']. Mallon is their primary ball carrier and leads the way with 82 carries for 465 yards and 9 scores, adding a kickoff return score to his name as well with 2 interceptions on defense. Douglas serves as a nice complement, scoring 6 times on the ground with 272 yards on 52 attempts and a pick. Douglas also quarterbacks the team to the tune of 28-60 for 441 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. For as productive as those two are, it seems as though [player_tooltip player_id='1938998' first='Jonathan' last='Fernandez'] may be their most versatile chess piece. Fernandez is their primary receiver, accounting for 11/302/1 of the team's total 27/441/3 output through the air. Additionally, Fernandez has rushed 22 times, gaining 204 yards and scoring 3 times. with 1 pick-six on defense. The top Tiger on defense appears to be [player_tooltip player_id='1938999' first='Jonathan' last='Dupree']. Dupree leads the way in tackles with 20.5, tackles for loss at 4, and sacks with 5.5. He has also recovered a fumble. It has been a minute since I have covered Cedar Creek; however, not much has changed as the Pirates continue to set sail forward. [player_tooltip player_id='1271284' first='Frenchmon' last='Bethea'] has found himself back as their full-time quarterback and is as athletic as ever. Bethea is the team's second leading rusher, going for 37/275/1 on the ground, while also finding time to pick off 2 passes - one of which he housed - and making 10 tackles. As a quarterback, he finds himself 43-83 for 778 yards with 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The figurative captain on the Pirates' ship is [player_tooltip player_id='402188' first='Aamir' last='Dunbar']. Dunbar his having an outstanding senior season and leads the way with 122 carries for 1008 yards and 12 scores. As if that was not enough, Dunbar leads the team in sacks (3), while adding 7 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 25 tackles to his name. A new name this year to Cedar Creek's defensive front is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1703379' first='John' last='Beck']. Beck has been a strong presence in the trenches, amassing 27 tackles (17 solo), 2.5 sacks, and a team-high 11 tackles behind the line.</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 10</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Washington Township (6-0) at Rancocas Valley (4-2) After being dubbed one of the top contenders in South V, Rancocas Valley has suffered two-consecutive step backs, losing their last two contest by a total of just 5 points. Currently sitting at #6 in the South V bracket, the Red Devils have an opportunity to set the tone and claim the top spot in a potential playoff matchup as they host Washington Township - who is undefeated and currently sits atop the South V bracket. Due to the fact that they have won so many lopsided games, Washington Township has an incredible 16 different players a carry this season. This total skews the numbers of lead back [player_tooltip player_id='1466305' first='Colin' last='Beeler'] just a bit, who has taken the majority of the totes (69). In many early nights, Beeler has totaled 447 yards and 7 scores. No other ball carrier has more than 20 carries. The same can be said for their receiving corps, who has featured 15 different players recording at least one catch. With no teammate having more than 8, [player_tooltip player_id='402236' first='Paris' last='Pratt'] leads the way in all categories going for 18/183/3 when targeted. Pratt has also made 10 tackles (8 solo) and picked off a pass - again, in many nights' early work. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1027688' first='Cole' last='Aquino'] has gotten the opportunity to cheer his younger teammates on more than not. Aquino has gone 48-69 for 682 yards with 11 touchdowns and 2 picks as their quarterback, adding 3 scores on the ground as well. With [player_tooltip player_id='1105237' first='Sayvien' last='Adams'] missing the last several games due to injury, I expect Rancocas Valley to run the ball and play defense. [player_tooltip player_id='1043531' first='Jameer' last='Bellamy'] has set the tone rushing leading the way with 604 yards and 5 scores on 115 attempts - no other teammate has more than 18 carries. Defensively there are some standout defenders who will look to ensure Aquino and company stay on the field throughout the entire game. Up front, [player_tooltip player_id='1151578' first='Michael' last='Beasley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1533565' first='David' last='Ogunsola'] have been absolute menaces. The duo of Red Devils have combined for 21.5 sacks, 41 tackles for loss, 90 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interceptions. Whatever that dynamic pair of linemen do not get to, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1556400' first='Daniel' last='Rivers-King'] to clean things up. Rivers-King has made 48 stops of his own, forced 3 fumbles, intercepted a pass, and recorded a safety.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Atlantic City (5-1) at Eastern (4-2) In what could be potentially another post-season matchup, a pair of Vikings link up as Eastern Regional plays host to Atlantic City. Atlantic City currently sits #3 in all of South V, while Eastern looks to make a push up the standings and further entrench their right to host a playoff home game and improve upon their #8 overall seed. Although it seems that Eastern prefers to run the ball with [player_tooltip player_id='1524876' first='A'Shaad' last='Carter'] (53/318/2) and [player_tooltip player_id='1939124' first='Max' last='Cutler'] (67/423/2), as a team they have only scored 6 touchdowns on the ground, compared to their 11 through the air. Anchoring the air attack is [player_tooltip player_id='1939125' first='Nick' last='Curreri']. In addition to those 11 touchdowns, Curreri has passed for 770 yards and 3 interceptions on 62-104 passing. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='857276' first='Terry' last='Cook'] is a dynamic two-way prospect who can strike like lightning at a moment's notice. When targeted, Cook has gone for 24/365/6, while also being a standout defender having made 14 stops (10 solo) with 4 picks (1 returned for a score). [player_tooltip player_id='1905681' first='Brayden' last='Dove'] absolutely hates it when Doves cry, rallying to make stop-after-stop on defense. Dove has made 64.5 tackles (31 solo) to lead the Vikings, while making 5 stops behind the line, 1 sack, forcing a fumble, and recovering 2. Atlantic City just seems to be one of those teams that constantly hits the jackpot and returns back to the table when it comes to retooling talent and athletes. Stepping into an early leadership role at quarterback is sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1938195' first='Marvin' last='Burroughs']. Burroughs has gone 77-126 for 1367 yards with 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on the season so far. when he drops back to pass, more times than not [player_tooltip player_id='1939127' first='Jaylen' last='Day'] is who he wants to work the ball to. Day leads the way for the Vikings with 30 receptions, 601 yards, and 8 scores. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='1552382' first='Omar' last='Kelly'] seems to cause the most disruption on defense for Atlantic City. Kelly leads the way with 7 sacks and sits second on the team with 5 tackles for loss, while having made 23 tackles.</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, October 11</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Burlington Township (6-0) at Hopewell Valley (5-1) After blanking cross-town rival Burlington City 6-0 last week, Township not only gets to claim bragging rights for an entire year, but also declare themselves South III's #1 seed at the present moment. They visit Hopewell Valley, who despite sitting at #7 in the playoff picture at the present moment, could seriously shake up the bracket with a victory. This is exemplified with the fact that these two teams' have such close Strength Indexes, separated by just 2.89 points. For Hopewell Valley, they must rely on the consistent, efficient, and error-free play of [player_tooltip player_id='1923154' first='Grayson' last='Vlasac'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1880324' first='Ethan' last='Valenza'] to set the tone. Vlasac has gone 55-96 for 609 yards with an impressive 11:1 touchdown-to-interception ration. Additionally, Vlasac is a threat on the ground with a 56/383/4 stat line. These numbers fall short to the Valenza's production on the ground. Valenza paces the team with 682 yards and 7 touchdowns on 86 attempts. [player_tooltip player_id='1939128' first='Ryan' last='Ottobre'] has been a defender that has stepped up in current weeks. Ottobre now finds himself second on the team with 39 stops, but leads the way with 6 tackles for loss and 2 fumble recoveries, while forcing one himself and also recording one-half sacks. There are workhorses, and then there is [player_tooltip player_id='1523178' first='Aiden' last='Binns']. Binns is, easily, the primary ball carrier for Burlington. His 116 totes, 1096 yards, 12 scores, and 4-of-the-team's-6 two point conversions, represent the overwhelming majority of production on the ground. To shed some perspective on this, the next most frequent ball carrier has 12 carries. In a similar sense, [player_tooltip player_id='1396222' first='Gerald' last='Sackie'] has hogged the targets on offense. Sackie is a big-play waiting to happen as he has 21 receptions for 376 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air. Additionally, he has returned one kickoff to the house too. The Sackie bloodline is strong, as older brother [player_tooltip player_id='1523180' first='Gemaus' last='Sackie'] has been a tough defender for Burlington. Sackie either leads, or has a share of the team lead in tackles (28), tackles for loss (4), and sacks (2). [player_tooltip player_id='1939129' first='Londyn' last='Johnson'] has also been a disruptor with his 4 tackles for loss and 27 stops.</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.