Circle Your Calendars: Week 6’s Top (Friday) Matchups, Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="font-size: 15px">With the playoffs right around the corner, team's are coming up on their 6th or 7th game of the season. The NJSIAA only takes a team's first 8 games and counts them toward playoff standings. As we come down the wire, here are some top matchups that will inevitably impact the playoff landscape.</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: South Hunterdon (5-1) at Dunellen (4-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tightly contested Freedom Silver Division features three teams within just one loss of each other for the division title. Two of those teams will be going head-to-head this weekend as the Eagles visit the Destroyers. Dunellen's offensive attack is anchored by lead back [player_tooltip player_id='723583' first='Chiekezie' last='Ogbuewu']. The senior is a violent runner with the ball in his hands and electric in the open field. Ogbuewu has 757 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground in 67 attempts. This rate have him projected to shatter last year's breakthrough rushing total of 129/1090/13. Ogbuewu has also converted 3, two-point conversions to go along with 25 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 1 fumble recovery on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hoping to slow down Ogbuewu will be two talented South Hunterdon products. [player_tooltip player_id='990344' first='Edward' last='Cooper'], a junior linebacker, is having an extremely productive campaign thus far. Projecting to be a four-year lettermen and outpace his output from last year, Cooper already has 69 stops and 1 sack. Cooper also spells at running back on offense with 3 scores and nearly 250 yards. [player_tooltip player_id='1027641' first='Anthony' last='Venettone'] will do his best from the secondary to support Cooper in slowing down Ogbuewu. Venettone has 12 tackles on the season; however, Venettone's best defense might be his offense as he looks to limit the Destroyer's time of possession. At quarterback Venettone is 43 of 90 for 766 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He is on a bit of a hot streak, having thrown for a score without a turnover in his last three games. Venettone has also rushed 84 times for 557 yards while scoring 9 times. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Jersey Interscholastic Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Weehawken (4-0) at Elmwood Park (3-3)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After scoring a school-record 60 points last week, Weehawken has Elmwood Park and the rest of the Union Division looking up at the Indians in the division standings. Although I spoke about Weehawken and the talent they have last week, after the game he had [player_tooltip player_id='1021055' first='Emmanuel' last='De La Hoz'] deserves to be highlighted again. De La Hoz simply exploded for a 4 touchdown performance (1 passing, 3 rushing). He completed a pass for 30 yards while rushing 17 times for 252 yards as he did more than his part in the historic win for Weehawken.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the host Crusaders there are two defenders who will look to slow down De La Hoz. First up is junior lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1027670' first='Lucas' last='Thomas']. Also the team's center, at defensive end Thomas has made 36 tackles, including 7 tackles for loss, and 1 sack while he has also forced a fumble and recovered it for a score. Having a breakthrough campaign in all phases of the game is sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1027687' first='Jesse' last='Schratz']. Schratz has made 44 tackles on the season thus far. This total includes 3 tackles for loss. On offense Schratz is a true threat on the ground with 533 yards and four touchdowns on 71 carries. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Vernon (5-1) at West Milford (3-3)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With only one divisional loss, West Milford still has an opportunity at a division crown should they find a way to upset the Vikings. In order to do so, the Highlanders need key plays from a sophomore on offense and a senior on defense. The future is now as [player_tooltip player_id='1027689' first='Aydin' last='Deane'] takes snaps from behind center for the Highlanders. This season has been a big improvement from his freshman year at the helm as Deane has thrown for 781 yards on 64 of 133 passing with 4 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. Dean is a two-way threat too, as he has slashed 44/202/1 on the ground. Defensively West Milford looks to [player_tooltip player_id='993116' first='Tyler' last='Genardi'] to lead them through tough situations. Genardi has made 67 stops (35 solos), with 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Led by a duo of juniors who lead a tough Vikings defense (47 points allowed in 6 games), [player_tooltip player_id='1027664' first='Syrus' last='Castanaga'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1027665' first='Matthew' last='Baumann'] will look to stifle Dean and West Milford's offense all game long. Castanaga is amongst the team leaders in tackles as he has made 42 stops thus far on the season. Of those 42 tackles, 25 of them have been solos to go along with 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Baumann, Castanaga's class of 2025 teammate, will be flanking and supporting him throughout the game. Baumann is right behind his teammate in terms of tackles (41 on the season) and has also made 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pick-six so far. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Parsippany Hills (4-2) at Warren Hills (5-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a game that very likely may determine the Liberty Blue Division title, the Vikings will travel over to Warren Hills to face the Blue Streaks. As much as I have highlighted a few passing-receiving performances from Par-Hills, [player_tooltip player_id='1027638' first='Julio' last='Tatis'] has been a machine on the ground so far this season. He has already surpassed last year's rushing total (798 this year vs. 648 last year) on about 20 fewer carries (113 this year vs. 139 last year). To boot, he has scored 10 times on the ground. Tatis is also a factor in the passing game to the tune of 23/197/2, while also impacting the defense with 21 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception. In summary, yes, Tatis is a highly active contributor. Speaking of defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1007785' first='Giovanni' last='Collins'] sets the tone and controls the trenches for the Vikings. Beyond just leading the team with 5 sacks, he has 42 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, as well as forcing and recovering 2 fumbles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Streaks roster a set of brothers who impact both the run game and the defensive side of the ball too. [player_tooltip player_id='1027668' first='Dylan' last='Duerring'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1027666' first='Brock' last='Duerring'], both juniors, are also both running backs. Dylan has the edge in production as he has slashed 83/478/4 vs. Brock's 20/153/2 on the ground. However, both are about more leveled on defense as they look to level the opposing offense. Dylan has made 41 tackles on the season, including 9 tackles for loss and a forced fumble; whereas Brock has made 30.5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, intercepted a pass, and had a scoop-and-score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shore Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Ocean Township (3-2) at Holmdel (5-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As Ocean looks to build on their 8-1 season last year, they first must face Constitution Divisional rival Holmdel. With little available to report on Ocean Township, Holmdel currently sits as the #2 seed in the South 3 playoff bracket, only 0.6 UPR behind Timber Creek for the top spot. Offensively the Hornets sting with the strike of sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='760086' first='Jack' last='Cannon']. A very appropriate name for a quarterback, Cannon is 26 of 35 for 565 yards and 4 touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception this year. Cannon also has been effective on the ground as he has 275 yards and 4 touchdowns thus far on 34 carries. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leading a formidable defense that has three straight shutouts and allowed only 20 points in 5 games played, a Hornet that seems to sting the most is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1027640' first='Connor' last='Fields']. So far on the season Fields has 32 tackles; however, his production has been all over the field as he has 0.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 interception on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Winslow (5-1) at Washington Township (4-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A cross-divisional matchup features playoff-bound teams as Group 4 Winslow travels to take on Group 5 Washington Township. Although freshman phenom [player_tooltip player_id='910875' first='Jalen' last='Parker'] has played at an exceedingly high level for a quarterback his age, last week it was [player_tooltip player_id='271030' first='Deante' last='Ruffin'], a junior, who took snaps from behind center for the Eagles. Building off last week's game - his first action of the season - Ruffin had a breakthrough game going 9 of 28 for 295 yards and 4 touchdowns. Additionally, he ran 18 times for 93 yards and 2 more scores. Despite his completion numbers looking pedestrian, it is important to remember how horrendous the weather conditions across the state were last Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As high powered an offense that Winslow has, and we rightfully so celebrate, they also have a young defense that is playing early and often. The first of two defenders is two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='329064' first='Rob' last='Carstarphen']. Carstarphen, just a sophomore, is having a more measurable impact on defense to the tune of 36 tackles (20 solo), 6 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. Lining up behind him is freshman linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='212382' first='Ausar' last='Heard']. Heard has totaled 38 tackles on the season (20 solo) to go along with 2 tackles for loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opposing the Eagles will be the Minutemen and their sophomore leaders on both sides of the ball. Defensively one of their highest performers on defense is [player_tooltip player_id='1027686' first='Jaylen' last='Robinson']. Also a wrestler, Robinson is the team leader in tackles with 42. He has also made 7 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and returned a fumble for a touchdown. On offense quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1027688' first='Cole' last='Aquino'] leads the way for Washington Township as he has gone 40 of 68 for the season with 7 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. Aquino has thrown at least one scoring strike in each of his last three games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Friday: Hammonton (4-2) at Timber Creek (5-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An exciting matchup of perennial South Jersey contenders and divisional foes is taking place in Sicklerville as the Blue Devils travel to take on the Chargers. For Hammonton, it is the [player_tooltip player_id='967081' first='Kenny' last='Smith'] show. One of the first backs I scouted when I signed on with Prep Redzone, Smith is working to surpass his sophomore year numbers of 224/1670/21 on the ground. As a junior Smith has rushed 141/1041/11 to date, while also adding 79 yards and 1 receiving touchdown to his ledger.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opposing Smith for the Chargers will be two defenders that I am keen on. First is junior [player_tooltip player_id='218547' first='Amir' last='Reason-Dallas']. Also a wrestler and volleyball player, Reason-Dallas' play is one of the reasons that Timber Creek's defense is feared. Thus far he has 47 tackles on the season - with the majority of which being solo tackles (41). Reason-Dallas has a pick-six to his name as well. Reason-Dallas has support behind him in the secondary from [player_tooltip player_id='1029409' first='Lamel' last='Young']. As just a freshman starting in the secondary of a 5-0 team, Young has been solid in coverage, solid in the alley, and solid as the last line of defense. In his rookie campaign he has made 27 tackles (24 solo). These two defenders will look to stymie Smith's game this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->