SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Three state sectional championship games are on tap for the thirteenth week of the 2010 GMC Gridiron season. These games will all be played on Saturday at Rutgers University. Action begins on Saturday morning with the Central Jersey Group I final, continues in the afternoon with the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV final, and concludes with the Central Jersey Group IV final in the evening. Two of the matchups are against foes from the Shore Conference while the other is against an opponent from the Skyland Conference. So, let’s take a look at the two matchups on Championship Saturday.
Here is a brief breakdown of the Championship Saturday matchups:
Sayreville (10-1) vs. Brick Memorial (9-2) at Rutgers–Central Jersey Group IV Championship. This is the featured game for GMC Gridiron on Saturday. The site will travel down to Rutgers after work to see the game. This will be the fifth time this season that we have seen the Bombers. Sayreville is 3-1 in games covered by the site with the only loss to Piscataway (14-7). This is the second time in three years that Sayreville is taking on Brick Memorial in the CJ Group IV final. The Mustangs won the previous meeting (24-0) back in 2008. In addition, these two teams met in the 2009 season opener with the Bombers winning at Brick Memorial (29-26). The GMC Red is 4-4 this season against the Shore Conference. Overall, the Shore is 27-19 against the GMC. Sayreville is 2-0 versus Shore foes while Brick Memorial is 2-0 against GMC opponents. Both teams have played Toms River East, Manalapan, and East Brunswick, and won. The Bombers are seeking their first sectional title since 1997 while Brick Memorial is looking for its second title in three years. Coming into the matchup, Sayreville is averaging just over 37 points per game on offense while giving up less than 11 points per contest on defense. Meanwhile, Brick Memorial has scored less, but has also given up less. The most points the Mustangs have given up this season was 14 points in a loss to Howell while posting four shutouts. Sayreville has had two shutouts. The scores against the three common opponents are comparable except the games against Manalapan. Brick Memorial beat the Braves 21-7 while the Bombers had some struggles against Manalapan before winning 32-20. The Bombers have to have a big performance from Delon Stephenson as well as its defense to control the running offense of Brick Memorial. Sayreville is coming in much healthier than it did when it started the state playoffs. Looking at the Born Power Index, Sayreville is favored by a field goal. Looking at the strength of the GMC Red, its average rating is 68 while Shore’s Class A South’s is 69. Sayreville’s opponents have a combined record of 59-53 while Brick Memorial’s foes are a combined 64-49. Brick Memorial is also 5-1 against GMC teams in the state playoffs over the past three years. Sayreville may be favored, but Brick Memorial has given up less, played a slightly tougher schedule, and are in a slightly stronger division. My heart is with Sayreville, but my head is with Brick Memorial. Prediction: Brick Memorial wins 17-14.
Piscataway (11-0) vs. Hunterdon Central (10-1) at Rutgers–North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Championship. These two teams are familiar foes meeting for the third time in the last four years, and for the sixth time in the last 13 years with Hunterdon Central winning three times (1998, 1999, and 2007) and Piscataway has won twice (2002 and 2008). These two schools are old rivals from the Mid-State Conference’s Delaware Division until P-Way left for the GMC in the late 1980s. Both teams have played and beaten Phillipsburg and Franklin. Hunterdon Central defeated Phillipsburg 28-25 at home while the Chiefs edged Phillipsburg in a thriller in the sectional semifinals (28-21). P-Way edged Franklin on Thanksgiving (34-27) while HCHS defeated the Warriors in week eight (37-13). Coming into the matchup, the Chiefs have averaged over 35 points per game while giving up just less than two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Hunterdon Central has scored about 29 points per game while yielding over 14 points per game. P-Way’s strength of schedule is 54-48 while the Red Devils foes also have a combined record of 54-48. Looking at the Born Index, Piscataway is favored by less than a touchdown. The GMC Red has a rating of 68 while the Mid-State 39 West A Division’s average rating is 72. Brandon Stout has been taking on more of the load for the Chiefs since Tevin Shaw was hurt in the Sayreville game, but Shaw has come back. So has Tajae Sharpe and Jonathan Kinslow. Nadir Barnwell is a threat at QB with both his arm and his legs. Kyle LaPorte is also another talented target at receiver. The Chiefs also have a solid secondary. This one is another close one with the Chiefs getting a slight edge playing in their own backyard. Prediction: Piscataway wins 24-21.
Dunellen (10-1) vs. Shore Regional (10-1) at Rutgers–Central Jersey Group I Championship. Rontik Sadler (234 points) only needs 10 points to break the all time scoring record in Middlesex County held by former Highland Park and Rutgers standout, Bruce Presley (243 points). Dunellen is going for the most wins in school history. The Destroyers are coming off a 34-6 victory over Middlesex on Thanksgiving, which gave them the GMC Blue Division title. Meanwhile, Shore Regional is also coming off a 34-6 win on Thanksgiving against Point Beach. Both teams have played, and easily defeated Metuchen, South River, Mater Dei, Keansburg, and Point Beach. The only difference here is that Shore has defeated Highland Park twice (42-25 and 35-6) including the opening round of the playoffs while Dunellen lost to the Owls at Columbia Park (38-24). The only loss suffered by DHS all season. The lone loss suffered by Shore was a 7-6 defeat to a 9-2 Manasquan team. Coming into this game, DHS has averaged almost 42 points per game while yielding only 10 per contest. On the other side of the ledger, the Blue Devils have averaged 40 points per game while yielding only 9. Dunellen’s opponents have a combined record of 31-59 while Shore’s foes have a combined mark of 38-54. Shore is also 4-0 against the GMC while Dunellen is 3-0 versus the Shore. Looking at the Born Index, Shore is favored by over a touchdown. The average rating or strength of the GMC Blue is 42 while the Shore’s Class B Central is 43. Dunellen will need a big game both rushing and receiving from Sadler. Vinnie Grausso and Andy Taylor must also contribute. Whichever team does better putting the ball in the air will win since both run the ball well. Shore gets the edge here since they’ve played a stronger schedule, and are in a slightly stronger division. Prediction: Shore Regional wins 25-24.
Last week’s record 8-0
This season’s record 125-31
Last year’s record 102-32
All time record 242-74