NORTH EDISON, NJ–Week four brings about one of the key showdowns in the GMC Blue Division. The Carteret Ramblers, searching for their first win of the season, travels to Bishop Ahr High School to take on the Trojans, which have won two in a row after losing their opener. Here are the particulars for this game:
Current Weather Conditions–South Plainfield, New Jersey
- Sky Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
- Temperature: 62 degrees
- Humidity: 69 percent
- Dew Point: 52 degrees
- Barometer: Steady at 29.82 inches of Hg (Mercury)
- Winds: Sustained out of the SE at 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph
Weather Forecast–North Edison at 7:00 PM EDT
According to the forecast issued by the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, there is a slight chance of showers late this afternoon with that possibility increasing as we head into the evening. Clouds are over the area right now, but the bulk of the precipitation picked up on radar is well to the west in Central and Western Pennsylvania heading northeastward into Central New York. The bulk of the rain is not expected until after 2:00 AM. May be a good idea to bring weather gear just in case. Temperatures will not drop much due to the cloud cover, and the low is expected to be around 59.
Directions to Bishop Ahr High School
Address: –1 Tingley Lane, Edison, NJ 08820
From Carteret High School:
- Start at 199 WASHINGTON AVE, CARTERET going toward HERMANN AVE
- Continue on ROOSEVELT AVE (CR-602)
- Turn Right on INDUSTRIAL RD toward New Jersey Turnpike
- Continue on Industrial Highway
- Turn Left to take ramp onto New Jersey Turnpike South
- Take Exit #11 on NJ Turnpike for Woodbridge and Garden State Parkway
- Continue on Garden State Parkway North
- Take Exit #131 For Route 27–Rahway, Iselin, and Metuchen
- Bear Right on Willow Avenue
- Turn Right on Wood Avenue
- Turn Left on Oak Tree Road
- Follow Oak Tree Road to New Dover Road
- Turn Right on New Dover Road
- Turn First Left onto Tingley Lane
- Arrive at 1 TINGLEY LN, EDISON, on the Left
Game Outlook
At the beginning of the year, some experts were calling this the key matchup of the season in the GMC Blue. However, neither one of these teams have played a lot within the division yet. Bishop Ahr has only played one game, and that was a 40-20 victory over J.F. Kennedy while Carteret is yet to play against anyone from the Blue Division.
The Trojans got off on the wrong foot with an opening weekend loss to Raritan from the Shore Conference (41-6). However, they have since rebounded in the past two weeks with a 37-14 win at Monmouth Regional, and their win on the road at rival JFK. BGA won the Blue outright last year with an 8-2 record over that included a 28-20 win over the Ramblers, and a crossover win at home over Sayreville before losing to Camden Catholic in the state playoffs.
Meanwhile, Carteret, which didn’t qualify for the state tournament last year, has a young team, and it has showed in its first two games although the defense has played very well. The Ramblers have yet to score in its first eight quarters of action while they’ve given up an average of only 14 per game against Holmdel (14-0 loss) and New Brunswick (14-0 loss). Last year, the Ramblers were 6-4 overall and 3-1 in divisional play after winning the Central Jersey Group II Championship in 2007.
The Ramblers are led by Bill Merz on defense, who looks to be one of the top, if not the best player on defense in the division. He is only 5’9″ and 175 pounds, but don’t let that fool you. He’s a very tough competitor. On offense, Carteret is led by Lamont Webb-Crews, who has completed 39.6 percent of his passes for only 174 yards. Naji Johnson, a freshman is the go to back, but expect Merz to also do a lot of damage on offense. In the two games played by the Ramblers, their offense has committed six turnovers while the defense has forced two for a giveaway/takeaway ratio of -2 per game. The defense has been on the field a lot, and with Ahr’s strong offensive line leading the way for Quarterback Robbie Meade and running back Stephen Dumchus, it could be a long night for the Ramblers.
Speaking of Meade and Dumchus, they anchor a very potent offense that has averaged nearly 28 points per game this season, and that’s taking into account that they only scored six in their opener. Last year, Meade threw for almost 1,300 yards while running for nearly 850. Between his passing and running, the senior scored 25 touchdowns. So far this season, Meade has accounted for 429 all purpose yards in three games. Dumchus scored four touchdowns in the victory over Kennedy while rushing for 130 yards and two scores against Monmouth Regional.
See our pick in the GMC Football Week Four Capsules for Friday night.