Brief Look At Week Three Contests Around The GMC On Friday
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–The weather will be playing another big role in Friday night’s games. Instead of cold temperatures, it will be the rain that will dominate the weather. Heavy rain could move into the region on after the games get underway at 7:00 PM. There are nine contests on the schedule around the GMC on Friday. Below are the match-ups for Friday, and our picks:
South Plainfield (1-1) at #6 Perth Amboy (2-0)–This will be an interesting game on Friday night when the Tigers pay a visit to Amboy. The last two years, Perth Amboy has rolled past South Plainfield. However, the Panthers had some problems against winless J.F. Kennedy while the Tigers surprised then fifth ranked Bishop Ahr. Fonzie Saucedo will lead the Panthers attack with targets such as Rashad Adams at wideout and Ray Arce at running back. Brendan Wilson will spearhead the Wing T offense for SPHS. This might be a bit of a risk, but with some of the surprises early on, I’ll live with it. Prediction: South Plainfield wins 18-17.
#4 Woodbridge (2-0) at #2 Piscataway (1-1)–The Chiefs will be looking to rebound at home on Friday night against Woodbridge, and it won’t be easy. The Barrons have a talented squad led by Kyle Anderson, Anthony Nyers, and Cody Zalasar. Both teams can put up a lot of points on the board, and Woodbridge could pull off the upset. However, P-Way led by Nadir Barnwell, Tajae Sharpe, Tevin Shaw, and Kyle LaPorte will have other ideas. Prediction: Piscataway wins 28-21.
#3 Sayreville (1-1) at Monroe (1-1)–The Bombers got back on the right track with a 34-13 victory on the road at Toms River East while Monroe fell to Old Bridge for the second year in a row after winning its opener over East Brunswick. Sayreville lost its opener to South Brunswick. The Falcons are playing at home, and looking to be much more competitive than last year’s meeting against the Bombers. Alex Rivera will lead the Falcons while Delon Stephenson will lead the Bombers. Prediction: Sayreville wins 28-13.
Edison (1-1) at #1 South Brunswick (2-0)–Both teams played Piscataway with Edison losing 47-0 in the opener and South Brunswick beating the Chiefs last week (28-7). Ken McGotty can put a lot of points on the board for Edison with a solid passing attack. However, the Vikings led by Jevon Tyree and T.J. Taylor in the defensive backfield know how to shut down the opposing team’s best players. Vikes are also at home with the Big Chili Cook Off on tap. That should fire the home team up. Prediction: South Brunswick wins 35-7.
J.P. Stevens (1-1) at East Brunswick (0-2)–The Hawks got a dose of reality last week when it lost to Woodbridge. Meanwhile, EB lost for the second week in a row to start the season. Mike Cia spearheads a high powered offense though that has gone to a passing game after using the triple option in recent years. Dahmil Bowles leads J.P. Stevens, which will be looking for their first GMC victory in almost two years. The Hawks may have to wait a bit longer. Prediction: East Brunswick wins 24-10.
Bishop Ahr (0-2) at New Brunswick (0-2)–The Trojans are looking to get things going again after being upset on the road at crosstown rival South Plainfield. BAG, which finished the season last year with four straight losses, have opened the season with two straight losses. New Brunswick showed some promise in its opener with a close loss to Shore Conference foe, Raritan, but then was soundly defeated at North Brunswick last week. Ahr is too talented to go 0-3 with the likes of Kenny Virden, Roger Kilgore, Billy DeMato, and Dillon Salva on offense. Predicition: Bishop Ahr wins 21-7.
Colonia (0-1) at #7 North Brunswick (2-0)–The Raiders thrusted back into the GMC Gridiron Top Ten with a solid victory over New Brunswick after starting the season with a win over Middletown North on opening night. The Patriots fell to Carteret in their season opener at home last week. Greg Jones and C.J. Cimilluca lead the Colonia offense while North Brunswick is led by QB Tim Parson and RB LaShawn Boyd. North Brunswick is at home, and gets the edge here. Prediction: North Brunswick wins 35-17.
South River (0-2) at Middlesex (2-0)–This will be a battle of running games. Middlesex has a trio of backs with Al-Tarik Rushing, Sean Gilbert, and Will Roach while South River has Taariq Phillips. The Blue Jays have been a bit of a surprise with a nice win on the road over a Spotswood team that defeated South River opening weekend. The Jays are at home, and get the edge. Prediction: Middlesex wins 27-21.
Cardinal McCarrick (1-1) at #9 Dunellen (1-0)–The Eagles got on the board last week with a victory at home over Mater Dei while Dunellen opened its season in big fashion with a lopsided win at Metuchen. The Eagles, which lost to Point Pleasant Beach on opening weekend, lost a lot to graduation, and weren’t helped by not having Will Thomas and Mohammed Alli come back to play this year. Dunellen has a great deal back including Jeff Puckett, Vinnie Grausso, and D.J. Ditter back. Prediction: Dunellen wins 42-7.
GMC Hoops will be posting the capsules for Saturday shortly.