Week 1 Preview: Big Time Matchups + Big Time Players, Part 2

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. This article features matchups from across the West Jersey Football League (WJFL), Super Football Conference (SFC), and independent schools not governed by the NJSIAA.   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">West Jersey Football League</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>St. Augustine (1-0) vs Atlantic City (0-1), Saturday @ 4pm, neutral-site game as part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic at Salesianum (DE) Fresh off the heels for a tough defeat at the Battle of the Beach, last year's South V #1 seed Atlantic City is back in the saddle as they face St. Augustine, who defeated out-of-state Bonner Prendergast (PA) last week, in a tight 24-20 game. This matchup is being played at a neutral site in Salesianum, DE as part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic. With as much talent as Atlantic City has, justified in our player rankings, their offense was stymied by Shabazz. This resulted in several standout defensive performances, which included 4 forced turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id='1651386' first='Marquis' last='Speed'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2373031' first='Derrick' last='Willis'] both had picks, while [player_tooltip player_id='2217968' first='Ahmad' last='Chambers'] recovered two fumbles. Expect [player_tooltip player_id='2217972' first='Dontaye' last='Thompson'] to build off of his performance last week too, (2/17 rushing, 3/9 receiving, 1 put return TD). It was a somewhat modest debut for the Hermit's head coach Bill Belton. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1647472' first='Dylan' last='Dellanoce'] had a stelar performance that can, perhaps be built upon. Dellanoce went 6-13 for 129 yards with 2 touchdowns and no picks, adding 6/18 on the ground. On defense, defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1279669' first='Akeem' last='Jones Jr.'] led the way with 8 tackles (3 solo), while [player_tooltip player_id='1476892' first='Luke' last='Tanzola'] was perfect on all 3 of his PATs and nailed his only field goal attempt from 32-yards - proving that specials were the difference when things get tight.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Millville (1-0) at Washington Township (1-0), Friday @ 6pm In, perhaps, the most prodigious matchup of the weekend, Millville looks to rebound from a 7-5 season last fall as they travel to reigning Group V state champion Washington Township. [player_tooltip player_id='2218010' first='Robbie' last='O'Connor'] came out slinging to start the season. In his fourth season as a starter, O'Connor was 10-17 for 263 yards with 3 touchdowns in his debut for his final season. O'Connor linked up with receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1562026' first='Jaden' last='Days'] 5 times for 150 yards and 2 scores. Days continued his strong performance on defense with 8 tackles (2 solo, 1 for loss), with 1 sack and 1 forced fumble. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='2044339' first='Darnell' last='Williams'] had an outstanding debut game, good for 12 tackles (1 solo, 4 for loss) and 1 of the Bolts' 5 sacks last week. It was a slugfest against Pope John last week for Washington Township, who came out on top in a 14-6 game during the Battle at the Beach. As such, the Minutemen's defense led the way. [player_tooltip player_id='910872' first='Gabe' last='Palaganas'] recorded 2 of his team's 5 sacks to go along with his 8 tackles (3 solo, 3.5 for loss). Tying Palaganas in sacks with 2 was fellow trenchman [player_tooltip player_id='910863' first='Tyler' last='Alicea'] (7 tackles, 3 solo, 3 for loss). Rounding out a formidable defensive line was fellow defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='2373039' first='Zain' last='Malik']. Last week Malik registered a team-high 10 tackles (2 solo, 1.5 for loss) and a sack. </li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Shabazz (1-0) at Passaic County Tech (1-0), Friday @ 6pm Having already mentioned Shabazz when we covered Atlantic City, they travel to Passaic County to take on PCTI, who won big 49-36 last week against Burlington Township. Shabazz, a group 2 finalist last year, levels up for the second week in a row to play with the big boys, and fellow Bulldogs, the reigning Group V runner-ups. Shabazz seemed to dominate the trenches and on defense against Atlantic City. [player_tooltip player_id='690920' first='Faheem' last='Ausbon'] had a strong debut as he went for 124 yards with 2 scores on 19 attempts. Ausbon made it a trifecta, scoring an 8-yard touchdown reception on his only haul last week, while also recovering a fumble. Bursting on to the high school scene was [player_tooltip player_id='2198651' first='Samir' last='Odom']. A freshman, Odom led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles and 6 solo stops, while also making 2 for a loss and forcing a fumble. Odom was not alone, however. Also making his debut was fellow 2030 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='2343880' first='Mushin' last='Bell']. Bell, a defensive lineman, stood out with 4 tackles (3 solo) and 1 sack, while also forcing and recovering a fumble. In one of the highest scoring games I can recall PCTI winning in a while, [player_tooltip player_id='2373049' first='Colin' last='Hietanen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1939961' first='Randy' last='Lewis'] both stood out. Both scoring twice using their feed, Lewis added 132 yards on 23 carrieds while Heitanen, the quarterback, slashed 6/42, while having an effective 19-27 237 yard, 2 TD, 1 Int day through the air. Senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='2373050' first='Jay' last='Ghazey'] had a great day, as he led the way on defense with 11 tackles (8 solo, 3 for loss), recorded a sack, and had a pick-6.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Don Bosco (1-0) at Roman Catholic (PA) (0-1), Friday @ 4pm All lubed up and ready to go, Don Bosco begins a three-game road trip as they head to take on one of the Philly region's finer teams in Roman Catholic. Last week, the Don Bosco played host, and defeated, Armwood (FL) 38-14., while Roman Catholic faces a "Bosco" on back-to-back weeks, losting on the road to St. John Bosco (CA) 45-25. For the Ironmen, [player_tooltip player_id='1013479' first='Ca'si' last='Thomas'] burst on to the scene as the full-time, cowbell back in his junior season. Thomas ran for 183 yards and 3 scores on 24 carries, adding an 88-yard touchdown reception to his name too. For as outstanding as he Thomas was, there several defensive standouts, including [player_tooltip player_id='431426' first='Mikahi' last='Allen'] (10 tackles, 6 solo, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 1 blocked kick). However, two breakthrough players were sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1637450' first='Charlie' last='Hughes'] (4 tackles with a team-high 2 for loss) and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1530475' first='Davion' last='Mims']. Mims had 2 tackles to go along with 2 picks - 1 of which he took back to the house. Although I am not a Pennsylvania football expert by any measure what so ever, Roman Catholic is the reigning PIAA 5A champions. After being down by 31 points last week, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1264836' first='Jahmil' last='Hawkins'] threw 3 second-half touchdowns to narrow the gap, showing resiliency without any quit, and built momentum heading into their second game. A little researched revealed that sophomore linebacker/safety/star [player_tooltip player_id='1720783' first='Coron' last='Russell Jr.'] is one of their top prospects. Heading into the year, Russel has offers that include Ohio State, Penn State, Syracuse, and many more.</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Independents</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Episcopal (PA) at Lawrenceville, Friday @ 4pm In the opener for both teams, Episcopal makes the trip over the Delaware River, travels through New Hope and Lambertville to take on Lawrenceville. Three prospects that pop on Lawrenceville to me are [player_tooltip player_id='284058' first='Cartier' last='Canady'], [player_tooltip player_id='1187538' first='Kamai' last='Lowery'], [player_tooltip player_id='1152455' first='Colt' last='Lumpris'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1610803' first='Sean' last='Currie']. All seniors/post-grads, I expect Lumpris and Currie, who are both tight ends, to give Episcopal a tough time both matching up when covering routes and defending the run. Both Currie and Lumpris are highly skilled and highly acclaimed; however, deploying dual-tight end sets creates extra gaps for the defense to cover and eliminates second- and third-level defenders in the process. With more defenders walked down to the line, should Lawrenceville turn the shoulders of first-level defenders it could be off to the races. Moreover, having a pair like of tight ends like Lumpris and Currie truly put defenses in a bind. [player_tooltip player_id='1187538' first='Kamai' last='Lowery'] is a post-graduate/5th-year senior who had a strong final season at Plainfield last fall in his only season as the full-time quarterback. Lowery went 69-127 for 1026 yards with 9 TD and 7 picks, adding 4 more scores on the ground. It remains to be seen where Lawrenceville plays him. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='284058' first='Cartier' last='Canady'] has bounced around a bit. The last we heard of him, Canady was a junior on DePaul in 2024, but then found himself at Huguenot (VA) last fall. Home is where the heart is for Canady, as he makes his triumphant return to Jersey. He has experience in the secondary, linebacker, and running back. Per my research, Episcopal finished the year 9-1 last year with a 4-1 record within Inter-Academic League play. As a member of this league, they are not PIAA-governed and thus did not have a playoff (think similar to Jersey's post-grad/5th-year senior schools). Furthermore, they Churchmen return their starting backfield with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='600174' first='Jackson' last='Solley'] (a Villanova commit) and tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1923827' first='A'ahzere' last='Lucas'] for their senior years. Big Bubba Lavender, along with two others return, return to anchor their offensive line (while also playing defense) and [player_tooltip player_id='302362' first='Andrew' last='Kern'], a 6'5" 260lb sophomore, has been identified as a key newcomer to their program.</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. This article features matchups from across the West Jersey Football League (WJFL), Super Football Conference (SFC), and independent schools not governed by the NJSIAA.