Six Consolation Games Featuring GMC Teams Kicks Off Busy Weekend of Playoff/Consolation Action
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On Thursday night, post-season play begins around the Greater Middlesex Conference with six consolation game contests involving GMC teams. Some of the more interesting match-ups are against Shore Conference foes. Below are game capsules with predictions on these contests.
Freehold Township (3-6) at North Brunswick (2-6)–The Raiders have a chance to notch a third win before the season ends. NBTHS has a Thanksgiving Game coming up against top ranked South Brunswick so, this will be the Raiders best chance at getting the third win. Both teams have played Middletown North and Edison and have gone 0-2 against those two schools. Both teams were competitive against Edison with FTHS losing only 22-20 on the road while NBHTS lost 37-27 at home. Freehold Township also lost to New Brunswick of the GMC White at home in overtime, 27-21. Meanwhile, the Raiders soundly defeated a playoff team in East Brunswick at home (40-13). The Raiders also edged a J.P. Stevens team that is much better than their 1-7 record indicates. The Patriots have been outscored by an average of 27-17 per game while North Brunswick has been outscored 26-12 per game. North Brunswick is coming off a bye and playing at home. Raiders get our edge. Prediction: North Brunswick wins, 27-22.
Holmdel (2-6) at South Plainfield (2-6)–The Tigers have lost three straight since defeating Bishop Ahr at Jost Field nearly a month ago. The most hurtful of the three losses was to Perth Amboy at home two weeks ago (12-10). SPHS is 2-2 at home, and have outscored opponents by a margin of 86-58 in those four games at Jost. Meanwhile, Holmdel has won two of its last five games after starting the season at 0-3. The Hornets first win of the season came at the hands of GMC Blue Champion, Spotswood (33-14). The Hornets are 1-2 on the road this season. Holmdel comes in averaging 19 per game, but has given up a whopping 37 per contest. Meanwhile, South Plainfield is averaging just under 18 per game, but has only given up 22 per contest. SPHS has played the likes of playoff opponents such as Carteret, Colonia, J.F. Kennedy, and Woodbridge while Holmdel has played playoff teams such as Manasquan, Matawan, Rumson Fair-Haven, Spotswood, and St. John Vianney. South Plainfield is led by the likes of QB Patrick Waldrop, RBs Jason Lee and Zaire Cone, WRs Kyle Dickerson and John Chillemi. Tigers have a chance to finish 4-6, and should win this one. Prediction: South Plainfield wins, 28-21.
New Brunswick (3-6) at Warren Hills (5-4)–Since starting the season at 1-3, the Blue Streaks of Warren Hills have won 4 of their last 5. Warren Hills also comes into this game with a 3-0 record at home. Meanwhile, New Brunswick, while much improved, has had some ups and downs this year. The most recent downer was a 45-13 loss at home to St. Joseph’s last week. The Zebras are 1-3 on the road, and have lost their last two games by a combined total of 95-41. Warren Hills has lost to the likes of playoff teams such as Cranford, Summit, Voorhees, and Scotch Plains-Fanwood while soundly defeating another playoff team in North Plainfield. New Brunswick has not beaten any playoff teams this year, but has played the likes of foes such as Carteret, Colonia, J.F. Kennedy, and Woodbridge. The Zebras are led by QB Trevon Blakey, RB Maurice Ffrench, WRs Carlos Hernandez and Emmanuel Osei, and hoop standouts Samad Davila and Nadir Whitten. Warren Hills should win here. Prediction: Warren Hills wins, 35-12.
J.P. Stevens (1-7) at Dickinson (2-7)–While Stevens is coming off its first win of the season last week, the Rams of Dickinson from Jersey City have lost five straight. In addition, the Rams have been outscored by a margin of 46-18 this season! On the other hand, the Hawks have been outscored only by a margin of 30-16. JPS has been competitive in games covered this season by GMC Gridiron. In the first game against Old Bridge, the Hawks only lost 17-6. Then, in the second game, Stevens only lost to North Brunswick, 13-7. The Hawks also had a respectable loss to Monroe at home in week #3 (28-27. Last week against Marlboro, Stevens trailed 18-6 at the half before roaring back with a 32-7 showing in the second half for a 38-25 victory. The Hawks have athletes and can move the football really well. RB Chris Chukwuneke leads the Hawk attack while DeAndre Perkins and Francois Ballou are also playmakers. If the Hawks can take care of the football and make the most of red zone chances, they will be fine. Hawks should win this one. Prediction: J.P. Stevens wins, 31-24.
Millburn (2-6) at Perth Amboy (2-6)–While Perth Amboy enters this game on a two game winning streak, Millburn has lost 4 of its last 5. The Millers are also 0-4 on the road this season, but Amboy is yet to win at home. The Panthers also played competitively against J.F. Kennedy and New Brunswick before winning its last two games against South Plainfield (12-10) and Bishop Ahr (21-19). Both teams come into this contest giving up an average of just over 26 points per game on defense, but Amboy has scored fewer points this season. The Panthers have yielded just 15 points per game during their two game winning streak. Meanwhile, Millburn has been outscored by a margin of 145-52 of its last five games. Perth Amboy has played the likes of playoff teams such as Colonia, J.F. Kennedy, Middletown North, and Woodbridge. Millburn’s schedule has included playoff foes such as Caldwell, Livingston, Orange, Shabazz, and Verona. By the initial looks of things, you would think this would be a tough game for Amboy, but the Panthers may have a shot for their third straight. Prediction: Perth Amboy wins, 20-17.
Eastern (1-8) at Bishop Ahr (3-5)–Things had been off to a promising start for first year BGA head coach, Joe Vigilante and his Trojans. After losing the season opener at home to Colonia (35-14), Ahr won three straight games including two nailbiters at home to Woodbridge and Point Pleasant Boro. Since then, the Trojans have lost four straight including a 21-19 loss at home to an improving Perth Amboy squad. Bishop Ahr had qualified for the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III playoffs, and were scheduled to face off against second seeded Red Bank Catholic, but opted out of the game and were slotted to play this consolation game against Eastern at home. The Vikings of Eastern enter this consolation contest with a 1-8 record with all eight losses coming after an opening day win over Cherry Hill East. Eastern is a Group V school from the South Jersey region. The closest that Eastern has come since winning on opening day was two weeks ago at Trenton where the Vikings lost 13-6. Bishop Ahr is 2-3 at home while Eastern is 1-6 on the road. Eastern has been outscored 288-99 while Bishop Ahr has been outscored 189-118. The Trojans are led by David Holder, Tim Thomas, Marcus Trotman, and Tommy Galante. Ahr is playing at home, has a better record, given up fewer points, and scored more points. BGA should win. Prediction: Bishop Ahr wins, 24-20.