EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–Week ten brings our coverage the state tournament. This weekend there is a slew of first round playoff games along with a number of consolation games. The site will be over at East Brunswick to see the fourth seeded Bears take on the fifth seeded Pirates of West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament. It is the third time that we’ll be seeing a GMC team facing a non-conference opponent, but the first time we’ll be looking at a team from the Colonial Valley Conference.
The winner of this game will move on to the semifinals to face the winner of the game between eighth seeded Middletown North and top seeded Sayreville. West Windsor-Plainsboro South comes in with a record of 5-4, and has won three of its last five while East Brunswick enters tonight’s contest at 5-3, and losers of two of its last three. Here are the particulars for this game:
Current Weather Conditions–South Plainfield, New Jersey
- Sky Conditions: Cloudy and Windy
- Temperature: 49 degrees
- Humidity: 79 percent
- Dew Point: 42 degrees
- Barometer: Steady at 29.88 inches of Hg (Mercury)
- Winds: NNE at 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph
Weather Forecast–East Brunswick at 7:00 PM EDT
According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, we have some rough weather to deal with tonight. The remnants of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall along the Gulf Coast earlier this week, has become extratropical (lost its tropical characteristics), and became a coastal low. This low has been responsible for heavy rainfall and near hurricane force winds from the Carolinas into the Mid-Atlantic.
For instance, yesterday, there were reports of 70 mile per hour winds in Cape Henry, Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula. Rainfall amounts have ranged between 8 to 11 inches from North Carolina to Southeastern Virginia. Winds have been increasing here in the Garden State since yesterday, but there hasn’t been a great deal of rain. The storm here has been rather dry to this point. Looking at the latest infared satellite imagery, a lot of dry air (denoted by the orange or copper color) has become entrenched on the western side of the system, and that has diminished the rain threat for now. The latest radar imagery from the NWS shows the rainfall coming up from the South and East.
The next couple days look bleak at best with rain and wind dominating the weather picture throughout the Garden State. Much of the worst weather will be along the Jersey Shore, where there is a Coastal Flood Warning out. However, hazardous weather conditions will also be affecting inland areas such as the site for our game tonight. Today’s forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of precipitation along with winds between 15 to 25 miles per hour. Temperatures will remain steady throughout the day and tonight staying in the low 50s. Rainfall amounts could range from a half an inch to an inch. So, bring your rain gear.
Directions to East Brunswick High School
Address: –380 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816
FROM THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE:
EXIT #9.
- Follow signs for Route 18 South (South
River and East Brunswick).
- Sign for Cranbury and Cranbury Road (approximately
2-1/2 miles) make turn off of Route 18 immediately after the Race Way Gas
Station – will be immediately before an overpass).
- Follow Cranbury Road, bearing to the right, to the first
traffic light and turn left into the high school.
- East Brunswick High School is at the top of the hill (bear left for visitor parking which
is located in the first row in the second section past the flagpole).
FROM U.S. #1 NORTH AND U.S. #1 SOUTH:
- Exit onto Route #18 South and then
follow above directions.
FROM ROUTE 18 SOUTH:
- Turn off at the Cranbury Road exit (after
you pass the “Colonial Diner”) this will make the overpass to
the other side of Route 18.
- Follow Cranbury Road, bearing to the right, to the first
traffic light and turn left into the high school.
- East Brunswick High School is at the top of the hill (bear left for visitor parking which
is located in the first row in the second section past the flagpole).
FROM ROUTE 287
- Exit for Highland Park (BEAR RIGHT) and you will be on
River Road.
- Go 3 miles – make right turn at 5TH light – Route
18 South.
- Go approximately 6 miles and make turn at Cranbury and
Cranbury Road (approximately 2-1/2 miles after NJ Turnpike).
- Turn off of Route 18 immediately after the Race Way Gas
Station- will be immediately before an overpass).
- Follow Cranbury Road, bearing to the right, to the first
traffic light and turn left into the high school.
- East Brunswick High School is at the top of the hill (bear left for visitor parking which
is located in the first row in the second section past the flagpole).
Game Outlook
Expect this to be a tough contest for the Bears. West Windsor-Plainsboro comes in with a record of 5-4, but the Pirates are no stranger to the state tournament, and facing GMC teams. The past two seasons, WWPS has faced Sayreville in the semifinal round of the Central Jersey Group IV Tournament with the Pirates winning two years ago, and the Bombers winning last year (40-7). A win tonight could set up a third straight semifinal matchup with this year’s GMC Red Division winners. The Pirates entered this season with a 20-3 record over the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, the Bears entered this season with a 16-24 mark since their CJ Group IV Championship (10-2 record) in 2004, and no playoff appearances. The Bears are 2-1 against teams from outside the GMC with its only loss coming last week to Brick Memorial. In those three games, EB has outscored its opponents by a margin of 87-56, or an average of 29-19 per game. East Brunswick also defeated Monroe earlier this season at EB. Why is this significant? The Falcons take on seventh seeded Princeton in the Central Jersey Group III State Tournament, and the Little Tigers recently defeated the Pirates by a score of 31-17.
East Brunswick enters this contest averaging 24 points per game while giving up 17. However, in the last three games, the Bears have averaged only 22 points per game while giving up 28. Among the two losses in that stretch was a 37-34 defeat to sixth seeded Brick Memorial last week. The Green Dragons are playing third seeded Hunterdon Central tonight. Meanwhile, the Pirates have averaged just 19 points per game while giving up 16. West Windsor-Plainsboro South has played a schedule with a combined record of 39-32, but lost to the likes of Hamilton (4-4) and only beat Trenton (2-7) by a score of 9-0. The Pirates were only 1-3 in the Colonial Division of the CVC. Against teams with a record of .500 or better, the Pirates are 3-4.
On the other side of the coin, EBHS is 2-3 against teams that are .500 or better. The Bears also had a close win over Jackson Township recently where they trailed in the fourth quarter before prevailing in overtime. East Brunswick enters this contest averaging nearly 200 yards rushing per game while throwing for another 89 yards per contest. Mauro Tucci has spearheaded the option attack with tremendous playmaking ability. Tucci averages about 160 total yards per game including 84 in the air, and about 76 on the ground. He has plenty of help in the form of Mike Weber, Jared Lynch, Julian Quintan, and Kevin Lantz on offense. Pete Sorrento anchors the defense, where he leads the team in tackles and sacks.
Expect the weather to play a huge factor. Especially, the wind. The team that is able to run the ball effectively on offense, stop the run on defense, and take advantage of the wind will have a good chance of winning this game. The contest will be played on field turf, but if you saw how Piscataway had a tough time handling the ball in the rain against Woodbridge three weeks ago, you would know that any precipitation could cause problems as well for both teams.
See our pick in the GMC Football Week Ten Capsules for Friday night.