Brief Look At Week Nine Contests Around The GMC On Friday Night
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Gridiron returns to make his picks after going 11-3 in week nine. We’re hoping to continue our recent success (23-3 over the past two weeks) this week, but the schedule is more difficult. The site will be heading out to Sayreville War Memorial High School to see the second ranked Bombers in action against the fourth ranked Piscataway. It will be the second time that the site will be seeing both P-Way and Sayreville in action this season. There are 15 games on tap for this week. Eight are on Friday night, seven are on Saturday afternoon. Let’s take a look at this week’s outlook for Friday night’s games:
#4 Piscataway (5-2) at #2 Sayreville (6-1)–This contest will be the marquee game of the week. Both teams have surged in recent weeks after suffering some early season setbacks. P-Way needs this win in order to qualify for the very tough North Jersey Section 2 Group IV bracket, which is loaded this season. Sayreville has pretty much qualified for the playoffs, but will be looking to avenge last year’s loss as well as get some momentum heading into their Central Jersey Group IV state playoff game next week.Prediction: Piscataway wins 21-17.
East Brunswick (0-7) at #1 South Brunswick (7-0)–This contest is a classic case of haves versus have nots. The Bears are still looking for their first victory of the season. Led by Mike Cia, EB has an aerial attack as supposed to the triple option it has been running over the past several years. South Brunswick, the GMC Red Division Champ, and top ranked team in the latest GMC Gridiron Poll, runs the option to perfection with a tandem of quarterbacks including T.J. Perkowski. Jevon Tyree, T.J. Taylor, Darrell Harper, and Dion Hooper also contribute on offense. Prediction: South Brunswick wins 45-7.
#8 North Brunswick (4-3) at South Plainfield (2-5)–Since starting the season at 2-2, the Tigers have lost three straight including Carteret a week ago. Despite its recent struggles, SPHS has been able to score some points. The problem is that the Tigers have had to compete against a lot of good White Division teams this year. North Brunswick, a team looking to qualify for the Central Jersey Group IV state playoffs, is the latest high quality squad that the Tigers will face. Tim Parson, LaShawn Boyd, and Devin Clark lead the Raiders while Brendan and Colin Wilson lead South Plainfield along with Jamil Canes and Anthony Torchia. Prediction: North Brunswick wins 34-17.
Marlboro (0-7) at #9 Perth Amboy (4-3)–Marlboro is still looking for its first win, and lost to J.P. Stevens in its opener. Meanwhile, Amboy is coming off a difficult defeat on the road at Bishop Ahr, and has also lost to North Brunswick and Colonia. Despite that, the Panthers have a shot to clinch back to back winning seasons for the first time since the mid-1960s. Faustino Saucedo, Ray Arce, and Rashad Adams should get the job done here. Prediction: Perth Amboy wins 35-7.
Edison (2-5) at Old Bridge (2-5)–Both of these teams beat Monroe, but Edison’s defense pitched a shutout. The Eagles also surprised East Brunswick earlier in the season with a 40-32 victory. Old Bridge defeated an improved J.P. Stevens team by a point. Ken McGotty, Amir Brown, and Shane Turner lead the Eagles while Vinny Gargano and Aaron Ford lead Old Bridge, which gave second ranked Sayreville all it could handle in a loss at home last week. Edison will be looking to rebound after losing handily to third ranked Woodbridge at home a week ago. This could be a wild one. Prediction: Edison wins 33-27.
J.P. Stevens (2-5) at Monroe (1-6)–This is a tough game to pick, but Monroe is playing at home, and lost to Old Bridge on the road while Stevens lost to the Knights at home. Both the Hawks and Falcons have wins on the road at East Brunswick while J.P. Stevens registered a surprising victory on the road at Marlboro. John Albecker leads the Falcons while Dahmil Bowles leads the Hawks. Like the Edison and Old Bridge game, this contest should be entertaining. Predicition: Monroe wins 21-19.
Matawan (5-2) at New Brunswick (0-8)–The Huskies are one of the top teams in Monmouth County year in and year out. Meanwhile, New Brunswick is looking for its first win in two seasons. Larry Alston and Chris Walton lead Matawan, which are looking to bolster their playoff position in the Central Jersey Group II tourney starting next week. The Zebras are playing for pride. Prediction: Matawan wins 41-0.
Spotswood (3-5) at Point Pleasant Beach (5-2)–Spotswood started the season with some promise thanks to wins over South River and Mater Dei, but has only won one game since. Point Pleasant Beach has only lost to CJ Group I contenders Asbury Park and Dunellen by just a few points. A touchdown in each game could have put the Garnet Gulls into the ranks of the unbeaten heading into today. Both these teams played Dunellen earlier in the season with the Gulls being more competitive on the road at Columbia Park. Point Beach should win this one at home against the Chargers. Prediction: Point Pleasant Beach wins 35-17.
GMC Hoops will be posting the preview of Friday night’s game later on.