SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–We have a big week on tap for the eighth week of the 2010 GMC Gridiron season. Action begins tonight around the GMC. There are 13 games on tap this week, and 10 of them are GMC divisional games while three are crossovers matchup with the Shore Conference. Nine games are on Friday night, and four games are on Saturday afternoon. So, let’s take a look at the matchups on Friday night.
Here is a brief breakdown of the Friday night matchups:
Bishop Ahr (5-2) at Perth Amboy (4-2)–This is the featured game of the week for GMC Gridiron as it travels over to Perth Amboy High School to see the Panthers take on the Trojans of BGA in a battle of two top ten teams in our poll. Amboy is coming off a bye week while Ahr is coming off a shutout loss at home to North Brunswick. The only two losses of the season suffered by the Trojans have been shutouts. Bishop Ahr is still in the driver’s seat to get at least a share of the GMC White crown while Amboy has to win here and defeat Carteret on Thanksgiving. Ahr is 2-1 on the road, but 2-0 against GMC foes away from North Edison. Perth Amboy is 3-0 at home, and 2-0 against GMC foes. Both teams are 1-1 against GMC White teams that were in the division last year while Ahr is 4-0 against GMC White teams that were in the Blue last year while Amboy is 2-1. Amboy ranks 2nd in the division in point differential, and has given up 13 points per game on defense. Ahr’s stats can be a bit misleading because if you take out its two shutout losses, you’ll find that the Trojans have outscored their foes by a margin of 25-9 per game. Ahr has defeated JFK (39-15) and Colonia (20-7) while Amboy lost to the Mustangs (17-14) and had to hang on to beat the Pats (27-20). Amboy lost to North Brunswick on the road (29-14) while beating South Plainfield handily (34-6) on the road. Ahr only beat the Tigers by two scores (21-7) at home. Ahr rebounded after being shutout by Neptune (62-0) on opening night with five straight wins. The Trojans will bounce back here. Prediction: Bishop Ahr wins, 23-20.
Old Bridge (2-4) at Sayreville (7-0)–This is the only obstacle remaining in front of the Sayreville Bombers prior to its scheduled showdown against P-Way at Ciardi Field next Friday night. The Bombers are at home, and are coming off a convincing 41-6 victory over fifth ranked East Brunswick at Jay Doyle Field last week. Meanwhile, the Knights have lost three straight by a combined margin of 137-43 after winning to of their first three. The four losses Old Bridge has suffered this year has been by a combined mark of 178-57. Sayreville is an experienced team with a huge defensive line led by Syd Holt and Daryl Stephenson. The Bombers have given up just a little more than a touchdown per game while outscoring their foes by over 31 per contest. Joe Geiger was injured recently in a game against Woodbridge, but that has had no effect on Sayreville’s scoring led by the rushing attack of Delon Stephenson, Davon Jackson, and Zeke Perkinson. The Bombers are also at home, and they should cruise here. Prediction: Sayreville wins, 42-13.
East Brunswick (4-2) at Piscataway (6-0)–This is the third of four tough teams that East Brunswick is playing prior to the state playoff cutoff. The Bears have split the first two with a victory over Howell (21-13) and a loss to Sayreville (41-6). Piscataway presents a similar problem for the Bears like Woodbridge, Howell, and Sayreville have done before. The Chiefs have a very explosive offense that can put a lot of points on the board. EB is going to try and contain that by keeping the ball on the ground and use up clock on offense. However, P-Way’s defense has been almost as stingy this season as Sayreville’s. Mike Cia and Jared Lynch will have their work cut out for them. Joe Quaglieri, John Farkas, and the rest of the Bears defense will have to find a way to stop Tevin Shaw, Nadir Barnwell, Kyle LaPorte, and Tajae Sharpe. The Chiefs have a tougher end of the bargin to handle in order to set up the showdown with fellow unbeaten Sayreville next week, but they’re at home, and should get the win. Prediction: Piscataway wins, 35-14.
J.P. Stevens (0-6) at South Brunswick (4-2)–Last week was the first time all season that GMC Gridiron saw third ranked South Brunswick in action, and the Vikings didn’t disappoint. Though they gave up a lot of points on defense for their standards, the Vikes put together their highest scoring output of the season in a 48-21 victory over Old Bridge. Since losing their first two games of the season by a combined total of 56-21, SBHS has won four straight by a combined margin of 124-35. The Vikings have plenty of weapons with Craig Cleffi and Jevon Tyree on the ground while Tyrin Fairman can return kicks for scores. Even junior backup quarterback, Tre Tisdale got into the act with a 60 yard run for a touchdown last week. Steve Mychalczuk and Bryan Stonkus help anchor the defense. The Hawks have not been able to mount much of an offense this season, and are traveling on the road. SB wins easily here. Prediction: South Brunswick wins 38-0.
Edison (0-6) at Woodbridge (2-5)–Last week’s heartbreaking loss on the road at Monroe (23-21) knocked the Barrons out of the playoff hunt in Central Jersey Group III, but the Barrons still have a chance to finish .500 with a win here, a victory in the state consolation round of games two weeks from now, and a victory at Colonia in the annual bragging rights game. In addition, WHS is playing at home in what could be their final home game of the season. Edison is looking to get on the board this season with a win. The Eagles had a bye last week after losing a tough one at home to Jackson Memorial. Despite a 2-5 record, Woodbridge still has outscored its opponents by a little over a point per game while Edison has been outscored by a margin of 16 per contest. The Barrons have given up 19 per game while Edison has yielded 27 per contest. Quarterback Kyle Anderson leads a talented Woodbridge team, which can be better than its record indicates. Anthony Nyers, Duquan Bailey, and Praise Martin are also players to watch out for. Ken McGotty leads the Eagle attack at QB while Steven Gaines and Jared Jenkins pace the rushing game for EHS. We haven’t given up on the Barrons despite their struggles. Hopefully, we’ll get rewarded here. Prediction: Woodbridge wins 24-14.
Carteret (4-3) at South Plainfield (1-5)–The Ramblers gave GMC Gridiron a lot to smile about last week with an upset special win over Keyport/Henry Hudson in a crossover against the Shore Conference (31-28). Meanwhile, the Tigers had their best offensive output of the season in a 28-18 loss at Colonia. SPHS is 0-3 at home though, and the last two losses at Frank R. Jost Memorial Field have been by a combined score of 71-6. CHS is looking to qualify for the Central Jersey Group II State Tournament. It would be the 19th time that the Ramblers made it to the states. Last year was the first year since 1991 that Carteret hadn’t been in the states. Both teams have given up just about as much points on defense, but the Ramblers have scored more on offense this season. Tyler Rodriguez, Lamont Crews, Naji Johnson, and Jared Johnson lead the Rambler attack while Brendan Wilson, Troy McNair, Jeff Praul, and Anthony Torchia lead the Tiger attack. Carteret gets our nod here. Prediction: Carteret wins 29-14.
Cardinal McCarrick (3-4) at Highland Park (3-4)–This is a matchup with state playoff implications riding on it. A win for either team here will probably put them in while a loss will likely send the loser home. The Owls and Eagles have done some things to turn heads recently. Highland Park has gone 3-2 since an 0-2 start with an upset of Blue Division leader, Dunellen (38-24) two weeks ago. McCarrick meanwhile has put itself in position for a state tourney berth for the first time since 2003 when it last made the states. The Eagles knocked off Metuchen in overtime, scored 33 points on South River, and 18 points in a loss to Spotswood. Both have talented quarterbacks with David Whitfield (McCarrick) and Quatay Niesmith (Highland Park). Each has good running backs with Quawi Batchelor (Highland Park) and Jose Ruiz (McCarrick). Both teams have given up just about as many points with the Eagles giving up slightly less, but the Owls have scored more on offense. Highland Park has played a stronger schedule with Shore crossovers against Asbury Park and Shore Regional while McCarrick has played Mater Dei, Point Beach, and Keansburg, and was routed by Dunellen earlier this year (56-0). Highland Park is at home, and has a better offense, but this game could be interesting. Prediction: Highland Park wins 24-21.
Metuchen (1-6) at Middlesex (3-3)–This one is a tough one to call since Middlesex is at home and Metuchen upset South River on the road last week. With the victory, Metuchen has a win in GMC Blue play while Middlesex is still searching for one at 0-3. Middlesex also gave South River a tough time on the road with a 35-27 loss, but the Rams had a big lead early. Both teams run the ball very well with Errol Lindo and Bryan Peragallo leading the Bulldogs while Al-Tarik Rushing and Sean Gilbert lead the Jays. Anthony Feltre gives Metuchen the edge with his ability to hook up with Anthony Cimilluca in the air. The Blue Jays have won two in a row after losing three of their first four, but have played a weaker overall schedule wth Mater Dei, Keansburg, and Point Pleasant Beach with a combined record of 3-16 accounting for their three wins while Metuchen has played the likes of Keyport and Manasquan with a combined record of 10-3. Middlesex has scored about as much as they have given up this season while Metuchen has been outscored by a margin of over two touchdowns per game. This could actually be a fun one to watch. We pick the Bulldogs in a slight upset here. Prediction: Metuchen wins 21-20.
Dunellen (5-1) at Point Pleasant Beach (2-4)–The Garnet Gulls are reeling after losing to previously winless Mater Dei on the road last week (7-6). Meanwhile, Dunellen recovered nicely after its loss to Highland Park two weeks ago (38-24) with a sound drubbing of Keansburg (49-0). Both teams have shut out the Titans and the Eagles of Cardinal McCarrick, but the Destroyers have done so in more impressive fashion with an average of 52.5 points per game in the two victories while Point Beach has averaged only 17.5 points per game. DHS is averaging nearly 41 points per game while giving up less than 13. D.J. Ditter is also providing them with a now decent kicking game. Point Beach is averaging 11.5 points per game on offense while giving up 18.5 on defense. The Gulls are 1-1 against the GMC this season while the Destroyers are 1-0 against the Shore. Dunellen is in the driver’s seat for the GMC Blue crown, and may get the top seed in CJ Group I with wins here and against Mater Dei next week. DHS should breeze here. Prediction: Dunellen wins 38-7.
Last week’s record 8-3
This season’s record 71-20
Last year’s record 102-32
All time record 188-63