Circle Your Calendars: Week 3’s Top (Thursday) Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With school in full-swing there is a full slate of games on the docket across the state. In observance of Rosh Hashanah on Friday, September 15, many school districts opted to play games the day before on Thursday. Here are a handful of headlining games and key players in each matchup I am looking forward watching go against one another.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Central Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Hillsborough (3-0) @ Ridge (1-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the BCC's perennial contenders face off on Thursday, as the Raiders will travel to face the Red Devils. In this matchup I am excited to see how Hillsborough's senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='220153' first='Jonathan' last='Lobelo'] produces against Ridge's notorious Wing-T offense. Building off of last year's 82 tackle campaign, Lobelo has already amassed 25 tackles on the season while forcing and recovering a fumble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is it a case of thunder &amp; lightning this year for Ridge? They return two senior ball carriers in [player_tooltip player_id='994288' first='Aiden' last='Stieglitz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='994302' first='Will' last='Deady']. Respectively, they have slashed 8/87/2 and 20/92/1 across two games each thus far. Last year Deady exploded for 189/1265/15. Ridge is at their best when their fullback gets plenty of totes. Expect that in this matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Jersey Interscholastic Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Pompton Lakes (2-0) at Hawthorne (2-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leading the offensive charge for the Cardinals is [player_tooltip player_id='994298' first='Justin' last='Bolt']. Having worked through the offseason and been a 3-year lettermen, Bolt now appears to be the lead back in Pompton Lakes' backfield. Across two games this season he has rushed 36 times for 305 yards and 2 scores. He has ran for 100+ yards and scored in each game of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lining up opposite Bolt are Hawthorne's two senior standout linebackers [player_tooltip player_id='994300' first='Cormac' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='994299' first='Jake' last='Brudzynski']. Brudzynski has recorded upwards of 10 tackles on the season and 1 sack, where Smith has totaled a few more tackles, but also came up with 1 interception and 3 tackles for loss on the campaign. It will be a battle of wills out in Hawthorne on Thursday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Super Football Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: West Orange (1-1) at Passaic Tech (3-0)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a matchup amongst two of the SFC's habitual North Group V top-8 seeded teams there are actually two matchups I am looking forward to seeing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anytime you get a chance to see [player_tooltip player_id='220060' first='Trashon' last='Dye'] on the field, you realize how special a talent he is. In three games, two against South Jersey power Lenape and arch rival Union City, he has slashed 48/409/3 on the ground. This represents his trend to outpace his totals from the two prior years (192/1196/9 and 247/1276/11). A two-way player, Dye is also a linebacker who has made 28 stops and forced 2 fumbles this year. This said, PCTI may be wise to run away from the Mountaineers defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='994289' first='Eahjay' last='McAdams']. The new-to-the-lineup junior has already made 17 tackles (2 TFL) and 1 sack on the season. It will be interesting to see if he can replicate for a third time his disruptive nature against, arguably, North Group 5's top team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stepping under the varsity lights, seemingly as "the guy" for the first time, is West Orange's [player_tooltip player_id='796165' first='Terrell' last='Wilfong']. He fits the mold of tall, rangy wide receivers to recently come out the mountain tops (see: Jayson Raines, Jarvis Jones, Saboor Karriem) and looks to surpass their recent success. Across two games Wilfong has caught 8 balls for 123 yards. He will have his work cutout for him though, as [player_tooltip player_id='994290' first='Joel' last='Perez'] is having a breakthrough campaign thus far. A junior, Perez has a nose for the ball. A cornerback-by-trade, Perez has made 11 stops on the season (1 for a loss) and intercepted two passes - one of which was returned for a score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shore Conference</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Freehold Borough (1-1) at Freehold Township (2-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the Battle for Freehold, Borough is traveling Township for the 2023 season's rendition. This matchup features Borough's [player_tooltip player_id='994304' first='Spencer' last='Rushton'], a junior, who will be mostly toting the rock but contributes in a number of ways. As Borough's leading rusher on the season, Rushton has accumulated 97 carries on just 9 carries. Additionally, he has dropped back as a passer, completing 3 of 10 passes for 60 yards while tossing 1 TD. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opposite him will be Township's [player_tooltip player_id='994305' first='Iziah' last='Young'], a senior linebacker, who seems to gobble up everything in front of him. Apt at trusting and reading his keys, Young has made a total of 23 stops, 17 of which have been solo, along with one tackle for loss. No matter where Rushton finds himself lining up, Young will be sure to match him step-for-step all game long. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jersey Football League</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Thursday: Holy Spirit (3-0) at Washington Township (2-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although not necessarily a head-to-head positional "matchup" like in the other games listed, there are two players in this game that have piqued my interest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first is a sophomore from Holy Spirit, [player_tooltip player_id='994277' first='Emir' last='Hicks']. I am unsure if it is due to injury or seizing an opportunity, but Hicks burst on to the scene last week in week 2. After mustering only 13 carries for 60 yards in Holy Spirit's first two games, Hicks absolutely broke loose for 187 yards on 19 carries while scoring twice against St. Joseph's in Hammonton. It will be interesting to see if Hicks is the lead dog against Washington Township. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington Township's [player_tooltip player_id='220089' first='Logan' last='Perez'] is a player I would like watch play. Listed as a defensive back and wide receiver, Perez seems to be a big-play athlete who impacts a game on both sides of the ball. On the season, he has ran the ball 6 times for 80 yards and 1 score - showing his dynamic ability on the ground - while hauling in 8 balls for 120 yards and 1 score - showing he is a threat whenever the ball is in his hands. On defense, he has been good for 6 tackles thus far; however, his most impressive stat line is that he has picked off 2 passes on the season. Both those passes were housework, defensive scores. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->