Brief Look At Week Three Contests Around The GMC On Saturday
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–There are four games scheduled around the Greater Middlesex Conference gridiron on Saturday afternoon. The featured matchup is between Metuchen and Highland Park, which are renewing a rivalry that has been around for decades. Below are the match-ups for Saturday, and our picks:
Metuchen (1-1) at #10 Highland Park (1-1)–The Owls rebounded last week with a solid victory over Blue Division rival, South River. Metuchen fell to Dunellen in another GMC Blue clash. The Bulldogs are much improved while the Owls were pre-season favorite to win the division. These two teams have a rivalry that goes back seven decades. Highland Park has dominated this series. With Quawi Batchelor leading the way, the Owls should continue their dominance. Prediction: Highland Park wins 41-28.
#5 Carteret (2-0) at J.F. Kennedy (0-2)–The Ramblers are off to a solid start with victories over Monmouth Regional and Colonia while Kennedy fell to both Jackson Liberty and Perth Amboy. The Mustangs had a 12-0 lead last week at Perth Amboy before giving way to a 20 point explosion by the Panthers in the third period as Amboy won its second straight. The Mustangs are at home, but Carteret has Jerod and Naji Johnson as well as Tyler Rodriguez on offense and Dan Valles and Kevin Van Dyke on defense. Prediction: Carteret wins 24-12.
Mater Dei (0-2) at Spotswood (1-1)–The Chargers stumbled by a slim margin to Middlesex at home last week, but have been very competitive despite losing a lot to graduation, and not having a lot of experience returning. Mater Dei fell to Cardinal McCarrick last week. Spotswood defeated South River in its opener, and is again playing at home for the third straight week. Dean Vitale leads Spotswoods offense. Chargers should win this one. Prediction: Spotswood wins 24-8.
Cushing Academy (MA) at St. Joseph’s (2-0)–The Falcons will be playing their first home game in school history. St. Joe’s has gotten off to a solid start with two victories in its first two contests. Basketball standout Al Myers has been making big plays on special teams while Jordan Jimerson has been breaking off big runs. Expect more of the same as the Falcons continue the solid start to their inaugural season. Prediction: St. Joseph’s wins 28-17.
GMC Hoops will be posting the preview for the GMC Gridiron Game of the Week shortly.