SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–The semifinal round of the state playoffs and the eleventh week of the 2013 Greater Middlesex Conference football will take place on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Five teams from the GMC are still alive in the playoffs including South Brunswick, which will be hosting Hunterdon Central in the CJ Group V semifinals in Monmouth Junction on Friday night. Below are capsules on the five playoff games:
Hunterdon Central (6-4) @ South Brunswick (6-3)–This Central Jersey Group V semifinal game will feature two powerful running backs in South Brunswick’s Dahrae Ford and Hunterdon Central’s Jason Cabinda. The Red Devils are coming off a 24-0 victory over SBHS’ Red Division rival, Old Bridge last Friday night. The Vikings pulled off an upset themselves by defeating third seeded Trenton on the road last Saturday afternoon. Cabinda and the Devils front line dominated Old Bridge, and HCHS’ QB Michael Knight also took to the air with a TD pass on the Devils opening drive. SB will have to win the battle in the trenches to give it a chance to defend its title in two weeks. Prediction: Â Hunterdon Central wins, 24-14.
Sayreville (8-2) @ Manalapan (9-0)–Four the third time in the past four years, Sayreville is taking on Manalapan. The previous two times, the Bombers defeated Sayreville including the 2011 Central Jersey Group IV Championship. Manalapan, the CJ Group V top seed, is the only remaining top four seed in the bracket. The Braves have never won a sectional title, and have lost in the sectional final each of the past two years. Sayreville, on the other hand, is the three time defending CJ Group IV champion, and moved up to CJ Group V this year. Since starting the season at 1-2, the Bombers have won six straight. Like the year that it defeated Manalapan for the CJ Group IV title, the Bombers have since made adjustments that have put them in the position to reach yet another sectional final. Manalapan looked tentative in its opening round win against Brick Memorial. Sayreville is primed for an upset here. Prediction: Â Sayreville wins, 27-23.
Piscataway (6-3) @ Union (7-2)–Like Sayreville, Piscataway had a difficult start to the season, which actually lasted a bit longer with a 2-3 mark in its first five games. Since then though, the Chiefs have won four in a row including a revenge win over Edison, which defeated the Chiefs on opening weekend. P-Way has a lot of momentum going into this North Jersey Section 2 Group V game, and is looking to make the sectional final for the fourth straight year. Meanwhile, Union, the second seed in this bracket, has played a tough schedule that included the likes of Phillipsburg and Hunterdon Central. Prediction: Â Piscataway wins, 28-24.
J.F. Kennedy (5-5) @ Phillipsburg (8-1)–The Mustangs have a tough task ahead of itself as it travels to Warren County and the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border to face off against one of the premier programs in the Garden State in the North Jersey Section 2 Group V semifinals. The Phillipsburg Stateliners have only lost to Immaculata in a close contest, and have defeated the likes of playoff semifinalists Union and Hunterdon Central. The Mustangs will have to get a lot from its star running back Anthony Roberts while brother Andrew Roberts will need to tap into the vertical passing game that yielded big catches from Stepp Oziegbe against Carteret two weeks ago. Prediction: Â Phillipsburg wins, 38-17.
Carteret (7-2) @ Lawrence (9-0)–Can the Ramblers pull off the upset on the road at Lawrence on Saturday afternoon in the Central Jersey Group III playoffs? It is possible. Carteret came up with a solid win at home last week over Long Branch squad that plays in one of the toughest divisions of the Shore Conference. Since starting the season at 1-2, the Ramblers have won seven straight including wins over playoff teams such as Bishop Ahr, Colonia, J.F. Kennedy, and Long Branch. Lawrence enters the contest at an unbeaten 9-0, but only beat eighth seeded and .500 Allentown by a touchdown in the opening round last week, and has played a schedule with a combined record of 36-49.Prediction: Â Carteret wins, 21-20.
GMC Gridiron plans to be in South Brunswick on Friday night to see the Vikings host Hunterdon Central in a Central Jersey Group V Semifinal contest. Next week, the site plans to be at The Pit in Carteret to see the Ramblers in action against Perth Amboy in one of the longest running Thanksgiving Day rivalries in New Jersey.