SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–After sitting out the first two weeks, I’ve gotten myself around to putting together some capsules with picks for the Friday night portion of the Week Three Schedule. As you will see by my record below from last year, I still have a long way to go before becoming somewhat of an expert in football like I am in basketball. Let’s get to it.
Here is a brief breakdown of the Friday Night matchups:
Monroe (1-0) at East Brunswick (2-0)–This is a big test for EB, which is off to a solid start thanks to blowout wins on the road at Woodbridge and at Freehold Township. Monroe is expected to be one of the top teams in the GMC White this season. So far this season, the Bears have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 72-6. Meanwhile, Monroe is coming off a bye week after defeating Red Bank Catholic in its opener (14-3). So far, only one crossover game has been played between the GMC Red and White, and it was one by the Red Division as Old Bridge downed Edison (19-7). East Brunswick needs this game before it goes into the meat of its tough GMC Red schedule while Monroe is yet to play anyone in the GMC White. Prediction: EB wins 20-17.
Highland Park (1-1) at Middlesex (0-1)–The two projected top teams in the GMC Gold will be playing a key game in September as the Owls travel down to Route 28, and Middlesex High School to take on the Blue Jays, which are smarting a bit after losing on the road at Metuchen. If the Jays have any aspirations of winning the GMC Gold, they must win this game on Friday night. This is not an impossible task for them either. They have played the Owls in a big time game before. Last year’s state tournament, Highland Park came into town for the first round of the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament after defeating Middlesex at J.P. Stevens on Halloween night (45-36). The Owls are coming off a tough loss at home against Keyport/Henry Hudson (20-12), and don’t like the prospect of going 1-2 to start the season. The Blue Jays are going to have to minimize turnovers, and contain Nate Smith. If they commit miscues like they did against Metuchen, we could see a repeat of what happened at J.P. Stevens last season. Can’t see the Jays going 0-2 overall and in the GMC Gold to start the season. Prediction: Middlesex wins 21-20.
North Brunswick (1-0) at Piscataway (0-2)–Believe it or not, P-Way began the year with a number four ranking in the Star-Ledger, and was projected to finish first in the GMC Red. However, two games into the season, the Chiefs are still winless after losses to Howell (26-14) at Rutgers, and Sayreville (14-7) on the road. Piscataway did dominate a good portion of its game versus Sayreville. The Chiefs had numerous opportunities to score, and constantly put pressure on the Bombers defense with fine field position. However, turnovers, and a running game that was non-existent, did them in. P-Way needs to find a way to get Anthony Tillman going early, and put the ball in the hands of wide receiver Javaun Wynn. North Brunswick is coming off a solid opening day win over Edison (34-0), but they lost a lot of talent from last year’s team. Ross Kurtz ran for 142 yards on 22 carries in the Raiders victory over Edison. Prediction: Piscataway wins 24-10.
Old Bridge (2-0) at J.P. Stevens (1-1)–The Knights will be looking to get a clean sweep of both Edison schools with a victory on the road at the Hawks. Old Bridge is second behind East Brunswick in point differential in the GMC Red, and have a solid win over South Brunswick (36-22) last week to further its confidence after opening the season with a 19-7 victory over Edison. This will be the Hawks first game in conference play after losing to Middletown North in its opener (12-7) and hammering Marlboro (31-6). Charles Conley, quarterback of J.P. Stevens, is one of the top athletes on the team, and took his lumps last season. The Hawks were projected to finish fifth out of the six team GMC White, but after is solid start against Shore Conference competition, some might be rethinking those thoughts. Prediction: Old Bridge wins 20-13.
Sayreville (2-0) at Woodbridge (0-2)–Coming into the season, Sayreville wasn’t expected to be 2-0 at this point, but after edging defending Central Jersey Group IV champion, Brick Memorial on the road (29-26), and downing Red Division rival Piscataway at home (14-7), the Bombers are coming in with a world of confidence. Meanwhile, Woodbridge appears headed in the exact opposite direction. The Barrons, which were picked to finish fifth in the GMC Red this year by the Star-Ledger, have been outscored 75-7 in their first two games, which were both played at home. Joe Geiger has gone 18 of 29 overall so far this season for 426 yards, and five touchdowns. Prediction: Sayreville wins 38-6.
New Brunswick (0-2) at Carteret (0-1)–What a way to start the conference schedule. Both of these squads are searching for their first wins of the season after combining for an 0-3 mark against Shore Conference competition as they were outscored by a total of 75-16. The Ramblers, which missed out on making the playoffs for the first time in a few years after winning the Central Jersey Group II title in 2007, are a contender to win the GMC Blue while New Brunswick is a contender to win the GMC White. The Zebras qualified for the Central Jersey Group III Tournament, where it lost to Middletown South in the first round. These two teams are quite familiar with each other, and have dueled it out in the past for the GMC White crown. This contest will be at The Pit in Carteret. Prediction: New Brunswick wins 17-16.
Wall Township (1-0) at South Plainfield (0-1)–So far this season, the Shore Conference has gone 13-9 against Greater Middlesex competition after going 11-3 in the state playoff and consolation games last year. Wall Township opened up its schedule with a 21-0 victory over Central Regional. The Crimson Knights are not expected to win the Federal Division of the Shore. As a matter of fact, the top three teams projected by the Star-Ledger are Freehold Boro, Middletown South, and Neptune. Meanwhile, South Plainfield was picked by the Star-Ledger to finish fourth in the five team GMC Blue ahead of J.F. Kennedy, which routed the Tigers, 39-14 on opening weekend. GMC Blue is also 1-3 against the Shore so far this year. A bit of trivia for all of you: This is the first time that these schools have met each other since the 1982 Central Jersey Group III Championship Game. Wall, which was much more of a football powerhouse back then, won 21-0. Prediction: Wall Township wins 21-7.
Last year’s record (15-11)