GMC Gridiron–Game Capsules–Week Six–Friday Night

Nine Games On Tap To Start Sixth Week Of Season

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–After this weekend, two-thirds of the GMC football season will be complete.  Friday night will kick off the week six action with nine games involving GMC teams on the schedule.  The GMC Gridiron featured game of the week will be between Monroe and South Brunswick at Hugh P. Walsh field in Monroe.  It will be the first visit to MTHS since the 2010 season.  This neighborhood rivalry has taken on more significance in recent years with Monroe moving up to the GMC Red.  The Falcons defeated the Vikings last season.  South Brunswick is undefeated, and looking to run the table to a Red Division title.  Below are game capsules with predictions on the 9 contests:

South Brunswick (5-0) at Monroe (4-1)–A lot is riding on this contest when the Vikings head on down County Road 522 to nearby Monroe to take on the Falcons.  South Brunswick and Piscataway are tied for first in the GMC Red at 4-0.  Monroe is only a half game back at 4-1.  Led by Syracuse bound running back, Dontae Strickland and QB Amir Johnson, the Vikes have bolted out of the gate to a 5-0 start.  Since being tested on opening weekend on the road at Middletown South (won 36-24), the Vikings have won their games easily.  The only team to get within three scores of South Brunswick was Old Bridge, which lost 34-14, and the Knights are 4-2.  Meanwhile, Monroe has only lost to Piscataway this season (24-14), and the Falcons gave the top ranked Chiefs all they could handle before P-Way got a late score to come away with the win.  QB Stephen Karoly and RB Akeer Franklin lead the charge for the Falcon offense.  The wideouts could play a big role in this game though.  Marcus Jackson and Mohammed Jabbie are among the targets for SB’s Johnson while Cameron Coleman and David Matel-Okoh are targets for Monroe’s Karoly.  SBHS has outscored its opponents by a margin of 158-67 this season while MTHS has outscored its foes by a 113-71 margin.  Both teams have J.P. Stevens on the road as a common opponent. South Brunswick defeated Stevens in Week #2 by a score of 46-20 while Monroe won at JPS in Week #3 by a score of 28-27.  The Vikings run the triple option while the Falcons counter with the spread.  Key will be, which team gets ahead, and can establish itself offensively.  Prediction:  South Brunswick wins, 24-23.

St. Joseph’s (2-2) at Carteret (3-2)–Since starting the season at 0-2, the Falcons of St. Joe’s have rebounded after the bye with two straight wins over J.F. Kennedy (14-0) and Perth Amboy (42-14).  Meanwhile, Carteret rebounded from a loss two weeks ago at Colonia (28-15) with a win at home over South Plainfield (33-14).  The Tigers also played St. Joseph’s on opening weekend, and won 35-14.  Is this the same St. Joe’s team that played South Plainfield on opening weekend?  No.  The Falcons shut out Kennedy, which edged the Tigers several weeks ago (23-16).  Carteret has had its share of ups and downs this season.  The Ramblers have won a game, then lost a game twice this year.  Last week was a win.  Breein Tyree runs the Falcon offense at QB while Javon Hicks is a target at wideout.  Nick Krimin anchors the offensive and defensive lines.  Nelson Baez directs the Ramblers offense at QB while Brandon Gilder, Hassan Williams, and Justin Taylor are targets at wideout.  RB Ra’Keem Bennett has filled the void left behind by Terrell Merricks.  Sam Kamara is a key player for the Ramblers on defense. St. Joe’s has been outscored in its four games by a margin of 91-80 while Carteret has outscored its foes by a margin of 94-82.  The Falcons may be turning things around.  Prediction:  St. Joe’s wins 21-20.

Woodbridge (3-2) at Colonia (5-0)–The Barrons have won three straight including GMC White wins over New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.  Colonia is coming off a tough road victory at Matawan (10-7).  Woodbridge is much improved with the likes of sophomores Quassim Glover and Keshaun Henry and veterans such as Zahneer Shuler and Ryan Alcott.  Basketball standout, Zaire Robinson is also on the roster.  Colonia counters with QB Tenny Adewusi and RB Sam Pero while the Pats have basketball standouts such as Chase Barneys, Jodrell Thompson, J.J. Corbett, and Brandon Haines on the roster.  Colonia has not been threatened by anyone in the GMC White so far this season.  Only Carteret was able to stay within two touchdowns of the Patriots.  The Pats have outscored their foes by a margin of 134-57 while the Barrons have outscored their opponents by a margin of 102-59.  Common opponents have been Bishop Ahr, Carteret, and Perth Amboy with CHS going 3-0 and winning those contests by a combined margin of 98-43 while Woodbridge was 1-2 and outscored those foes by a combined margin of 53-40.  Woodbridge is much improved, but Colonia is at home, and too tough to beat.  Prediction:  Colonia wins, 30-13.

North Brunswick (1-4) at Piscataway (4-0)–Piscataway rolled in the second half of its game against Stevens.  The Chiefs broke away from a 7-0 halftime lead with 28 points over the final two periods for the easy win.  Kamaal Stewart came on to replace injured quarterback Danny Haus.  P-Way looks dominant again on defense, and has outscored their opponents by a margin of 138-20.  So, in four games, the Chiefs have given up less than a touchdown per game with two shutouts.  North Brunswick has had moments where they have been able to move the ball and score in the past several weeks.  The Raiders got their only win of the season with a 40-13 victory over East Brunswick at Libro Field while coming up short in a loss to Edison last week.  Piscataway has defeated both the Bears and Eagles by a combined margin 79-6.  The Chiefs also defeated a Monroe team that soundly defeated the Raiders two weeks ago (36-6).  Piscataway is led by Stewart, Haus, sophomore running back Elijah Barnwell, and seniors Elijah Pierson and Tyrell Bush.  Elorm Lumor leads the Chiefs on defense.  North Brunswick is led by QB Kevin Poindexter, and have talented players in Joe Castellanos, Max Emmanuel, Francis Omowole, and Rex Thomas.   Piscataway should win comfortably here.  Prediction:  Piscataway wins, 39-6.

East Brunswick (1-3) at J.P. Stevens (0-5)–The Hawks gave Piscataway a good run for about a half, trailing only 7-0 at the break, but then gave way to the top ranked Chiefs in the second half for a 35-0 loss.  Stevens has played much better in recent weeks with a 28-27 loss to Monroe at home, and a 17-6 loss to Old Bridge on the road.  JPS also scored a bit in a 46-20 loss at home to South Brunswick.  East Brunswick lost to SBHS on the road by the score of 40-9.  EB did register a 14-13 victory over Edison a couple weeks ago, but the Bears have been outscored by a margin of 128-22 in its three losses.  QB Kevin Hemmings and WR Sean O’Sullivan lead the Bears while RBs Chris Chukwuneke and DeAndre Perkins along with QB Jay’von Blacknall and WR Francois Ballou lead the Hawks.  The Hawks should get on the board with a win here.  Prediction:  J.P. Stevens wins, 20-14.

Bishop Ahr (3-2) at South Plainfield (1-3)–Both teams lost their games last week with the Trojans falling to J.F. Kennedy (28-14) while the Tigers lost on the road at Carteret (33-14).  South Plainfield has been outscored by a margin of 77-43 in its last three games since defeating St. Joseph’s on opening night.  The Tigers have also lost all three of those games on the road.  Ahr has lost both of its games by at least two scores while winning its three contests by a total of 19 points.  South Plainfield, which defeated Ahr in a thriller last season, will be at home.  Bishop Ahr is led by QB David Holder, RB Tim Thomas, and WR Marcus Trotman.  Tommy Galante will also spell Holder at QB for the BGA.  South Plainfield counters with QB Kyle Dickerson, RB Zaire Cone, WR John Chillemi, and TE Jason Lee.  Both of these teams have been hard to predict this season.  The trend will continue for one of these teams.  Tigers are at home, and home cooking may help SP get on the right track.  Prediction:  South Plainfield wins, 17-16.

Perth Amboy (0-4) at New Brunswick (1-4)–After getting off to a promising start, New Brunswick has lost three in a row by a combined margin of 78-16.  Meanwhile, Perth Amboy have lost its four games by a combined margin of 145-35.  The Zebras still have been more competitive, and already have a win on the board with a 21-13 decision over South Plainfield at home in week two.  The Tigers defeated  St. Joseph’s on opening night (35-14) and the Falcons trounced the Panthers last week (42-14).  Maurice Ffrench leads the New Brunswick ground attack while Trevon Blakey directs the Zebra offense.  Carlos Hernandez, Samad Davila, and Emmanuel Osei are players to look out for on offense for NBHS.  Larry Johnson and Tristan Rock lead the Panthers.  New Brunswick is at home and should get the win here.  Prediction:  New Brunswick wins, 28-13.

Monmouth Regional (2-3) at J.F. Kennedy (3-2)–The Mustangs are looking to keep the momentum going against the Falcons of Monmouth Regional of Tinton Falls after defeating Bishop Ahr last week (28-14).  Monmouth Regional is also coming off a win over Pinelands of Ocean County (14-10).  The last time Monmouth Regional traveled up to Middlesex County was back in the 2009 season when the Falcons edged Nate Smith led Highland Park on a last minute field goal (23-20).  The GMC White is 3-2 versus the Shore coming in after Colonia defeated Matawan last Saturday (10-7).  The Patriots defeated Kennedy (26-7) in week two while the Huskies rolled past Monmouth Regional (28-7) two weeks ago.  So, these two teams could be a close match-up.  Kennedy is led by QB Andrew Roberts, RB Ari King, and WRs Stepp Ozgiebe and Terrance Young.  The Mustangs are at home, and gets a slight edge from us here.  Prediction:  J.F. Kennedy wins, 13-10.

Dunellen (4-1) at Highland Park (0-4)–The Dunellen Destroyers continued to roll with a 32-8 victory over Point Pleasant Beach.  Meanwhile, Highland Park fell just short of getting its first victory of the season with a 14-12 loss at home to Keyport.  The Owls have lost both their games against Shore Conference foes by two points.  Dunellen is 3-0 against three of the best teams (Mater Dei, Shore Regional, and Point Beach) in the Shore Conference’s Class B North Division, and outscored them by a combined margin of 98-53.  Mater Dei recently shut out Keyport (36-0) and handily defeated Keansburg on opening weekend.  Since losing to Spotswood on opening weekend (28-14), Dunellen has averaged 36 points per game while giving up an average of just under 19 per contest.  The Destroyers are led by QB and DB Dave Johnson.  RB Nassan Anderson earned Player of the Week honors last week for his efforts in the win over Point Beach.  RB Rob Young is difficult to take down while FB Paul Appleton gets tough inside yardage.  Rob Puckett can make plays for DHS on defense.  Highland Park is led by QB Ryan O’Shea, Dylan Boynton, and Nasir Boykins.  Dunellen should win easily here.  Prediction:  Dunellen wins, 35-6.

GMC Gridiron will be taking in the Freshmen Game between Colonia and Woodbridge, and then head out to Monroe for the Falcons contest against South Brunswick in the varsity nightcap.