GMC Gridiron Game Capsules–Week Ten–State Playoffs–Opening Round–Friday Night

Nine Playoff Games Involving GMC Teams on Friday Night

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On Friday night, opening round state playoff action begins with contests involving 9 teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference.  The featured match-up of the evening will be at J.F. Kennedy where GMC Gridiron will see the Mustangs varsity for the first time this season in the friendly confines of its new turf field.  Other key match-ups include Monroe at Hillsborough, Old Bridge at Manalapan, Colonia hosting Scotch Plains, Woodbridge at Irvington, and Nottingham at Carteret.  Below are game capsules with predictions on these playoff contests:

West Morris (6-3) at J.F. Kennedy (6-3)–Last year, J.F. Kennedy pulled off a first round playoff surprise by defeating Irvington.  Then, the Mustangs were routed by Phillipsburg in the semifinals.  This year, JFK hopes that successful playoff experience will translate into a farther advance in this year’s tourney.  The Mustangs had their four game winning streak snapped last week (35-14) by arch rival, Woodbridge, another team in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV bracket.  Meanwhile, West Morris comes in with a four game winning streak, and a solid record against very tough competition from Morris County and the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference.  The Wolfpack has played six playoff teams including Delbarton, Roxbury, and Parsippany Hills, which all defeated West Morris earlier this season.  Kennedy has played five playoff teams including the section’s top seed, Colonia.  Two of those teams:  Bishop Ahr and St. Joseph’s opted out to play consolations instead.  JFK was 2-3 against those teams while West Morris was 3-3.  The Wolfpack also defeated a 5-5 Morristown team that didn’t qualify.  Kennedy has given up slightly more per game at 17.6 vs. exactly 17 for West Morris.  Offensively, West Morris has scored more per game averaging nearly 29 per contest vs. about 22 per game for Kennedy.  The Mustangs will need to get a big game from Andrew Roberts both running and throwing the football.  Terrance Young will have to help out on both sides of the ball while Stepp Ozgiebe will need to make some big catches as well.  Ari King and Andrew Allen will have to help establish the run.  West Morris gets the edge here.  Prediction:  West Morris wins, 24-20.

Woodbridge (6-3) at Irvington (7-2)–The Blue Knights of Irvington have often been the victim of upsets by GMC schools in recent years:  New Brunswick in 2006, South Plainfield in 2007, and J.F. Kennedy last year.  Expect the same thing to happen here.  Woodbridge is on a roll right now.  They soundly defeated a good Kennedy team on its home field last week (35-14), and have won 6 of 7 since losing their first two games by a combined total of 8 points.  The only loss during this very successful stretch was to undefeated Colonia (49-27), the section top seed, and GMC White Division champions.  Irvington is also hot though with 7 wins in their last 8 contests.  The Barrons have a good blend of youth and experience with the likes of talented sophomores Tracy Fudge at QB, Keshaun Henry at RB, and Quassim Glover at WR, and veteran upperclassmen such as RB Zahneer Shuler, WR Zaire Robinson, Tyler Smith, Percy Martin, and TE/DE Ryan Alcott.  The last Woodbridge team to play this well going into the opening round of the states was in 2009 when the Barrons also had a group of talented sophomores led by Kyle Anderson, Anthony Nyers, and Keith Hughes Jr. (yes, he did play football for one season!)  That year, Woodbridge reached the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV semifinals before losing to Nick Cefalo led Ridge.  Both defenses are similar in the sense they give up around the same amount of points per game with Irvington yielding just over 14 per contest while Woodbridge has given up just over 15.  Same thing offensively with Woodbridge scoring slightly more (27 ppg vs. 26 ppg for Irvington).  Woodbridge and Irvington both lost two teams below .500 as well although Bishop Ahr technically made the playoffs (opted out).  The Barrons have played a slightly stronger schedule.  Woodbridge gets the edge here.  Prediction:  Woodbridge wins, 22-21.

Scotch Plains (3-6) at Colonia (9-0)–The eighth seeded Raiders of Scotch Plains have only beaten Plainfield, Warren Hills, and Ridge, which all didn’t qualify for the state playoffs, but also faced playoff opponents in Westfield, Linden, Montgomery, Immaculata, and Phillipsburg, the section’s second seed.  Meanwhile, Colonia has rolled through the competition in the GMC White by beating nearly every team by at least three scores.  The only real competitive game the Patriots have had this year was on the road at Matawan back on October 11th, and the Pats still came away with a 10-7 victory.  CHS has played the likes of playoff opponents Bishop Ahr, Carteret, Kennedy, Matawan, St. Joseph’s, and Woodbridge.  The Raiders began the year at 2-1, but then lost five of their last six.  Scotch Plains is averaging 21 points per game on offense, but has yielded just under 34 per game on defense.  On the other hand, Colonia has scored an average of 33 per contest while yielding just under 14 per game.  The Patriots are led by QB Tenny Adewusi, who ran for a score in the 20-0 win over South Plainfield last week.  RB Sam Pero rushed for a score as well.  WR Pharoah Napoleon teams up with Chase and Bryce Barneys in the passing game while Raul Cardona and Solomon Manning combined to intercept 3 passes while making several tackles for losses and getting sacks last week against SPHS.  Colonia should win easily here.  Prediction:  Colonia wins, 34-17.

Monroe (6-3) at Hillsborough (8-1)–In another GMC vs. Mid-State 38 opening round playoff clash, the seventh seeded Falcons of Monroe Township travel over to Hillsborough to face the second seeded Raiders.  Hillsborough, coached by former Somerville standout QB and Bound Brook head coach, Kevin Carty, Jr., have only lost one game this season, and it was to neighborhood rival, and another Central Jersey Group V playoff team, Montgomery (31-28) on Halloween.  Meanwhile, Monroe has lost three games by a combined total of 20 points to powerhouse Red Division programs:  Piscataway (24-14), South Brunswick (20-17), and Old Bridge (28-21).  Those three teams have a combined record of 20-4.  The Falcons also defeated another playoff team in East Brunswick (34-3).  Hillsborough has beaten the likes of playoff foes such as Bridgewater-Raritan, Phillipsburg, and Elizabeth.   The Raiders are 3-1 against playoff opponents and those foes have a combined record of 28-7.  Monroe has yielded a touchdown less per game (14 vs. 21 ppg) than Hillsborough while the Raiders have scored more on offense (35 vs. 24 ppg).  Keep in mind though that the Falcons got one of their wins via forfeit from Sayreville.  Monroe is led by QB Stephen Karoly along with RB Akeer Franklin.  Chase Santiago, David Matel-Okoh, and TE Cameron Coleman are solid targets in the passing game, and Adam Darwish leads a stout defense.  Monroe could get the upset here.  Prediction:  Monroe wins, 24-23.

Old Bridge (5-3) at Manalapan (8-1)–The Braves of Manalapan, who have been knocking on the door in Central Jersey Group IV or V for the past three years, is looking to start a run that will break them through in 2014.  The only loss suffered by Manalapan this year was to Non-Public Group III powerhouse Red Bank Catholic (35-7), and the Caseys defeated St. Joe’s earlier this year (41-10).  Old Bridge is coming off a 42-0 shellacking at the hands of Piscataway last week.  The Knights also lost to the section’s top seed in South Brunswick (34-14) in week three at SBHS.  GMC Gridiron has seen the Knights play twice this season including a 35-23 loss to a Brick Memorial team that was knocked off a few weeks ago by Middletown South (24-21), which lost to Manalapan (21-3) last month.   The Braves also rolled past Sayreville (64-28) before scandal wiped out the Bombers season.  The Knights have played admirably without top running back Myles Williams in the lineup.  Williams injured his leg in the loss at South Brunswick, and is out for the year.  QB Mike Gargano is capable of making big plays on the ground and in the air.  Jake Esposito has made big plays running, passing, and receiving while Dante Whipple has made nice catches on offense, and tackles for loss on defense.  Nick Sodano has carried the workload in the running game while Ed Mish has done a solid job placekicking and punting as well as at linebacker and Mike Abarno has also made big plays on defense for the Knights.  The big task for OBHS will be to stop Manalapan RB Imamu Mayfield.  Prediction:  Manalapan wins 38-17.

East Brunswick (4-4) at South Brunswick (8-0)–This is a rematch of a game played between these two schools back on October 10th, which South Brunswick won easily (40-9).  Since that time though, EB has won 3 of 4 to qualify, which is a pretty nice accomplishment after the Bears went only 1-9 last season.  The future is also bright at EBHS.  Not only do the Bears have a talented freshmen class, but they also have a Middle School squad that just completed an 11-0 season with a 42-20 victory over Union on Thursday night.  The time is now though, and even though EB has some good weapons in QB Kevin Hemmings, WR Sean O’Sullivan, and RB Sam Walker, they are unable to compete with the likes of Syracuse bound Dontae Strickland, Phil Campbell, Matt Golden, Marcus Jackson, and Mohammed Jabbie on both sides of the ball.  Back-up QB Josh Liao has done a good job filling in for Amir Johnson, who injured his ankle at the end of the first quarter in the victory at Monroe on October 17th.  This game may be a bit more respectable, but South Brunswick should advance to the semifinals to face either Trenton or Montgomery next Friday night at SBHS.  Prediction:  South Brunswick wins, 35-13.

Nottingham (4-5) at Carteret (5-3)–The Ramblers are coming off a bye last week, which could be a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at things.  Nottingham lost to Notre Dame last week by a touchdown (21-14).  Carteret’s only game outside of play in the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division was against Long Branch in Week Two, and the Ramblers, which defeated the Green Wave in the opening round of the playoffs last season, lost badly (31-6).  If the Ramblers win here, they could face Long Branch, the section’s second seed in the semifinals next week in Monmouth County.  Carteret’s other two losses were to Woodbridge Township schools:  Colonia (28-15) and J.F. Kennedy (22-13).  The recent loss to the Mustangs snapped a three game winning streak.  The Northstars have been up and down all season.  Win one week, lose the next.  Defense has had good moments with three shutouts and only six points allowed in the four wins.  Nottingham is only averaging a little over 13 points per game on offense while yielding just over 15 per contest.  Carteret, on the other hand, has averaged just under 19 points per game this season while allowing just over 15 per contest.  The Ramblers have a good QB tandem of Nelson Baez, who has been injury, and Angel Golino.  It also helps to have a plethora of weapons in the backfield and at the wideouts with RB Ra’Keem Bennett, and WRs Brandon Gilder, Hassan Williams, and Justin Taylor.  Sam Kamara anchors a stout defense.  This game may be a bit more difficult than expected.  Prediction:  Carteret wins, 17-14.

Bound Brook (4-4-1) at Dunellen (7-1)–Dunellen is coming into this match-up as one of the hottest teams in the region.  Since losing to Spotswood on the road opening day (28-14), the Destroyers have lay waste to any opponent that has crossed their path with seven straight wins by a average margin of about 42-14.  DHS is also 4-0 in the friendly confines of Columbia Park, where they have outscored opponents by a combined total of 
143-60.  Bound Brook has been up and down this year, and is only 1-2-1 on the road.  The Crusaders still managed to make the playoffs for the first time since losing the Metuchen back in the semifinals of the CJ Group I playoffs in 2008.  The winner of this match-up will likely face Hoboken, which has dominated this section over the years.  The Red Wings soundly defeated Dunellen in the sectional semifinals two years ago.  Dunellen operates in the single wing formation, which is directed by QB David Johnson, who not only can make big plays on offense, but he can do the same on defense and special teams.  RBs Rob Young and Nassan Anderson have been churning up big numbers on the ground week after week while FB Paul Appleton has been getting tough yards up the middle.  Ryan McCann, Rob Puckett, and Conrad Paddyfoot anchor a tough defense.  Destroyers cruise to the semis.  Prediction:  Dunellen wins, 40-17.

Metuchen (5-3) at South Hunterdon (6-2)–This is the fourth of five playoff contests this weekend pitting a school from the Greater Middlesex Conference against a team from the Mid-State 38 Conference.  The Bulldogs have put in a solid year this season.  Getting back to the playoffs for the first time since reaching the semifinals of the 2009 state playoffs.  The Bulldogs could have had more, but lost a heartbreaker at home last Saturday to GMC Blue Division Champion, Spotswood.  The Bulldogs also lost by at least three scores to Dunellen and Mater Dei.  Metuchen can place a lot of its success on the defensive side of the ball, where they have given up just about two scores per game, and recorded three shutouts.  Meanwhile, South Hunterdon has won 6 of its last 7 including five straight.  The Eagles have also posted back to back shutouts with wins over Pingry and Manville by a combined margin of 75-0.  South Hunterdon also has two wins where they yielded only a single score.  The Eagles have given up only 14.5 per contest including an average of 5.5 per game during the five game winning streak.  Metuchen has played four playoff teams, going 1-3 while South Hunterdon has played five playoff teams, and has a 3-2 record.  Metuchen is led by the likes of QB Trevor Firgau, RB Danny Briggs, WR Evan Collier, and TE/DE Devin Miller.  Metuchen could pull off the upset here.  Prediction:  Metuchen wins, 19-14.

GMC Gridiron plans to cover the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV playoff game between J.F. Kennedy and West Morris in Iselin on Friday night after taking in the second Week 10 Freshmen Game of the Week between J.P. Stevens and Edison at McGowan Field in North Edison during the afternoon.