Four GMC Teams Playing For Championships On The Gridiron This Weekend
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–The final week of the high school football season is here as Championship Weekend is set to take place starting on Friday night with a number of finals played in several different venues around the state, and continuing on Saturday. Four teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference will be playing in contests this weekend. Below are capsules and predictions on those four contests.
North Jersey Section 2 Group V Championship
Where: Kean University.
When: Friday night at 7:00 PM.
Piscataway (8-2-1) vs. Elizabeth (10-0-1)–Since the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Championship played between these two schools at Rutgers last year, many have been pointing to this showdown. Elizabeth has been rolling over their opponents including Franklin (24-7) last week in the sectional semifinals. The Minutemen have allowed an average of just over 10 points per contest. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have only yielded only a little over eight points per game including three shutouts. One of those shutouts came in the 49-0 win over Bridgewater-Raritan last week in the semis. Despite dealing with injuries, P-Way has been steadily improving on the defensive front, and may be playing its best football of the season at the right time. Both teams can make big plays. The Chiefs had four scores in the second half against Bridgewater that were over 35 yards. Elizabeth, which is seeking its first sectional title back in 2006, and is coached by former NBHS head coach, John Quinn, had plenty of firepower back this year including QB Phillip Walker, halfbacks Kason Campbell and Jahad Thomas, and receiver Kyle Ward. P-Way lost Tevin Shaw and a few others to graduation last year, but still have Nadir Barnwell at QB, and a plethora of running backs including Cameron Nash, Tyrell Judson, and Kevin Butler. Losing linemen Evan Rosenberg (has to sit out because he was ejected in the BR game last week), could hurt P-Way a bit, but they have plenty of depth so the Chiefs should be able to handle it. Prediciton: Piscataway wins, 24-17.
Central Jersey Group IV Championship
Where: Rutgers University
When: Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM.
Middletown South (8-3) vs. Sayreville (11-0)–The Bombers are not only looking for their third straight sectional title, but also their first undefeated season since 1949. Meanwhile, the Eagles last played in a sectional final back in 2010 when it lost to Freehold Boro. The year before that, Middletown South fell to Monroe in a sectional title game. The Eagles have made 23 playoff appearances all time including 18 finals berths with 9 championships. Sayreville has made 18 playoff appearances including six finals berths with three titles. The Bombers have recorded three shutouts this year, and have given up less than six points per game. Meanwhile, the Eagles have given up just under 13 points per game and have one shutout. Sayreville has not skipped a beat at all this year despite the loss of Delon Stephenson in the backfield. Three different runners for the Bombers have stepped up to keep their Wing-T offense in high gear including Deon Miller, Zeke Perkinson, and Myles Hartsfield. In addition, Isaiah Cureton has done a great job throwing and running and Jon Bracero is a fine possession receiver. On defense, Malik Pressley makes big plays in the backfield like the interception in the second half of the 31-6 victory over Woodbridge. So far in the playoffs, Sayreville has outscored its opponents by a combined total of 73-6. The Bombers aren’t flashy, but they got the job done on both sides of the ball, their disciplined offensively, but still capable of breaking a big play. Sayreville has also played well against Shore Conference teams in recent years including victories over Brick Memorial and Manalapan in their last two sectional finals appearances. Prediction: Sayreville wins, 24-7.
Central Jersey Group V Championship
Where: Rutgers University
When: 7:00 PM
South Brunswick (9-2) vs. Manalapan (11-0)–The Vikings are making their first sectional finals appearance ever while Manalapan is in a sectional title game for the second year in a row (lost to Sayreville in last year’s CJ Group IV final). The Vikings and Braves both had to grind it out in their semifinal wins as the usually high powered offense of Manalapan defeated Hunterdon Central by a score of only 17-7 while South Brunswick had to ride the back of fullback Dahrae Ford in the fourth quarter to defeat Old Bridge by a final score of 14-7. Both of these teams played and handily defeated East Brunswick earlier this year as South Brunswick rolled past the Bears by a score of 34-0 while Manalapan cruised past EB, 55-12. Each squad also played and defeated Middletown North with the Vikings winning 40-17 while the Braves downed the Lions, 35-6. SBHS has given up an average of 14 points per game on defense while Manalapan has only yielded less than 10 points per game. The Shore Conference school has scored an average of close to 36 points per game while the Vikings have averaged 29 per contest. The Braves have been on this stage before with two finals appearances, but the winner of this game will have its first sectional crown. Manalapan has made 12 playoff appearances while South Brunswick has made four. Prediction: Manalapan wins, 24-14.
Central Jersey Group II Championship
Where: Met Life Stadium at the Meadowlands
When: Saturday morning at 10:00 AM.
Weequahic (9-2) vs. Carteret (11-0)–The Ramblers are in their first sectional final since winning it all in CJ Group II back in 2007. Carteret is also looking for its first undefeated season since 1992. Weequahic, the sixth seed in the bracket, upset Rumson (13-10) and Delran (25-7) en route to the championship game while CHS defeated Johnson Regional in round one (24-21) and Shabazz (20-14) in the semifinals. The Indians also played Shabazz on Thanksgiving, and won by the score of 33-0. Weequahic has only yielded a little more than 10 points per game, and was a safety away from posting four shutouts this season. Meanwhile, Carteret has only given up a bit more than 12 per contest. The Ramblers have a more potent offense with an average of 35.5 points per contest. Weequahic is only averaging 31.5 points per game. Tyler Rodriguez leads the high powered Carteret offense at QB while the tandem of Jerod Johnson and Naji Johnson rack up a lot of yards and touchdowns from the backfield. Eric Fruscella, Leo Llanos, and Brandon Gilder are a solid receiver core for CHS. Weequahic is led on defense by linebackers Nate Jackson and Sidney Gopre while Akrum Wadley anchors the secondary. This will be the key matchup of the game. If Carteret is not able to move the ball effectively against the Indians defense, it could be a tough contest. Prediction: Carteret wins, 23-22.
GMC Gridiron will be at Kean University on Friday night to see Piscataway take on Elizabeth in the North Jersey Section 2 Group V Championship, and then at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon and evening to see Sayreville play Middletown South in the Central Jersey Group IV final, and then South Brunswick take on Manalapan in the CJ Group V final.