SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–After a super start to the season with my 10-2 record on Week Three picks, I’m looking to build off of the momentum with another solid week. There are some big games in Week Four including two key early season matchups in the GMC Red. Let’s get to it.
Here is a brief breakdown of the Friday Night matchups:
Carteret (0-2) at Bishop Ahr (2-1)–On Friday night, the site will be in North Edison to see a key showdown between Carteret and Bishop Ahr. After losing its opening week game to Raritan of the Shore Conference (41-6), BGA has won its last two by a combined total of 77-34. The Trojans went on the road to defeat Monmouth Regional (37-14) and then over to nearby Iselin to defeat J.F. Kennedy (40-20). Ahr is now in first place in the GMC Blue while Carteret will be playing their first divisional game this week after being held scoreless in its first two games. The Ramblers were defeated by New Brunswick (14-0) at The Pit last week in a crossover contest between two long time rivals after losing to Holmdel in week one (14-0). This will be another defensive struggle with Ahr taking advantage of the home field to gain victory. Prediction: Bishop Ahr wins 21-7.
Sayreville (3-0) at Old Bridge (3-0)–This is a pivotal matchup for Old Bridge. So far this season, the Knights have knocked around two teams from the GMC White in Edison (19-7) and J.P. Stevens (29-0). Sandwiched between those crossover wins was a victory at home over South Brunswick (36-22). Joe Geiger continues to do well at QB for the Bombers while Shakir Goodrich, Basim Fain, Delon Stephenson, Dave Milewski, and Alex Yanuzzelli are key contributors on the offense. So far this season, Old Bridge has outscored its opponents by a little more than 18 points per game while Sayreville has outscored their foes by a bit more than 8 points per game, but the Bombers have had a much tougher schedule with Brick Memorial (won 29-26) on the road in their opener, and Piscataway (won 14-7) at home in their GMC Red opener. Those tough early season games should give the Bombers the edge although Old Bridge has the home field. Let’s also not forget that this is a neighborhood rivalry. So, anything can happen. Prediction: Sayreville wins 21-14.
Piscataway (1-2) at East Brunswick (3-0)–The Chiefs responded last week with a 28-15 win over North Brunswick at home, but face a tough opponent on the road in unbeaten East Brunswick. The Bears also responded to a gut check as they overcame an early 14-0 first quarter deficit to defeat Monroe of the GMC White on a 44 yard field goal with 1:30 to play (23-21). So far this season, EB has outscored its opponents by an average of 22.7 points per game. Mauro Tucci anchors the option offense at QB while Mike Weber and Kevin Lantz are two basketball standouts that contribute also to the Bears success. Malcolm Griggs will look to hook up with targets Taj Watkins, Javaun Wynn, and Kyle Polk while Anthony Tillman will look to run up big yards from the tailback position. Another must win for Piscataway in order to avoid a third loss so early in the season. Prediction: Piscataway wins 24-21.
Woodbridge (0-3) at South Brunswick (1-1)–The Vikings are coming off a bye week after losing at Old Bridge (36-22). Meanwhile, the Barrons have lost their first three to start the season by a combined total of 15-98, or by an average margin of nearly 28 points per game. In all fairness to Woodbridge, they’ve played a Howell team (loss 37-7) that beat Piscataway, an undefeated East Brunswick (loss (38-0) team, and Sayreville (23-8). South Brunswick opened the season with a 20-7 victory over Manalapan. The Barrons will be more competitive in this one, but the Vikes have the home field edge, and will be looking to rebound after their loss to the Knights two weeks ago. Prediction: South Brunswick wins 21-10.
New Brunswick (1-2) at J.P. Stevens (1-2)–Both of these teams are playing in their first divisional game after starting the season 1-2 against either non-conference, or crossover competition. The Zebras began their season with a difficult stretch by losing to Freehold Borough (34-10), Middletown South (27-6), and then going into The Pit in Carteret and defeating the Ramblers (14-0). On the other hand, Stevens lost to Middletown North in its opener (12-7), then defeated Marlboro (31-6) before losing last week to Old Bridge at home (29-0). Simuel Williams, a basketball standout as well, will join forces with the huge Dante Weaver (6’3″ and 330 lbs) to lead the Zebra offense while Charles Conley will try to spark the Hawks offense. Although JPS has the home field, the Zebras have played the more difficult schedule with Freehold Boro and Middletown South both reaching the Central Jersey Group III Championship Game last season. Prediction: New Brunswick wins 24-10.
Edison (1-2) at Monroe (1-1)–The Falcons will be looking to rebound in its first White Division game while the Eagles will be looking to build off the momentum of its 27-21 victory at Colonia last Saturday. Turnovers killed Monroe in its 23-21 loss to East Brunswick while Edison was able to overcome four miscues in its come from behind win over Colonia. Steven Gaines had a 96 yard touchdown run for the Eagles while teammate Travis Woods came up with a huge sack late in the contest. Meanwhile, junior quarterback Alex Vizcaino leads the Monroe attack along with senior tailback Blake Bascom. Last week, Vizcaino completed 10 of 13 passes for 160 yards, threw for a touchdown and ran for another while Bascom ran for 120 yards on 22 carries. Chris Gregor also caught a touchdown pass set up by a Bascom 57 yard screen pass reception. Bryan Patrone anchors the Eagle offense at quarterback, and has Javon Campbell as a target. The Falcons get the edge here though with home field and a stingy defense. Prediction: Monroe wins 24-7.
Last week’s record (10-2)