South Jersey football Games of the Week

There are many key divisional games, highlighting this week’s South Jersey football action. Some teams, like Holy Spirit, which plays one of the toughest schedules in South Jersey, could be listed on an almost weekly basis. Here are some of the top games.

FRIDAY

Camden (1-1) at Holy Spirit (1-1), 6. Both teams will be playing their third straight challenging game in this West Jersey Football League Memorial Division matchup. Camden lost to Salem, 22-20 in its opener before earning a 14-12 win last week over Timber Creek as Luis Ward threw for one TD pass and scored on a TD run. After an opening 28-7 loss to a talented DeMatha team from Maryland, Holy Spirit beat St. Joseph Academy, 35-24 as Gavin Roman rushed for 104 yards and a 62-yard TD and caught a 35-yard scoring pass from Trevor Cohen. A senior, Cohen threw for 219 yards and two scores.

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Audubon (1-0) at Cinnaminson (0-1), 6. Audubon opened with a 41-14 win over Burlington City. Sophomore running back Derrick Bryant rushed for 116 yards and four touchdowns and junior Scott Lynch completed 10 of 16 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns, 37 yards to Luke Hoke and 23 yards to Billy Lindemuth. Lynch, who played at Audubon as a freshman before moving to Florida, was making his first start at quarterback. Cinnaminson is coming off a 40-0 loss to an extremely talented Salem team. That was a non divisional game, but this one is a WJFL Constitution matchup and the Pirates figure to be much more competitive.

Clearview (2-0) at Delsea (1-0), 7. This is a WJFL Royal Division game featuring two teams that have strong rushing attacks. Clearview, which went 1-2 last season, has enjoyed two close wins, beating Cherry Hill West, 12-7 and Vineland, 19-13. In the win over Vineland, Aiden McCollough rushed for 144 yards and one touchdown. Delsea opened with an impressive 42-14 victory over Delran as the Crusaders rushed for more than 300 yards. Jaedyn Stewart led the balanced attack with 77 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Millville (2-0) at Shawnee (1-0), 7. These are two teams that could also meet in the SJ Group 4 playoffs. Millville opened with an impressive 31-28 win over Union during the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City. Then last week, the Thunderbolts routed Mainland, 62-0. Shawnee, coming off a 1-6 season, is expected to be vastly improved and the Renegades made a statement with an opening 38-0 win over Kingsway. QB Matt Welsey accounted for nearly 250 yards in total offense and rushed for three touchdowns.

West Deptford (0-2) at Haddonfield (1-0), 7. This WJFL Colonial Division game features one of the better recent rivalries in South Jersey. Last season in the opener for both teams, Haddonfield won, 17-16. West Deptford has played a tough opening schedule, losing to Paulsboro, 18-3 and Woodrow Wilson, 28-7. The Eagles have a strong defense, but the key will be if the offense comes around. Haddonfield is coming off a workmanlike 23-14 opening win over Pleasantville.

SATURDAY

Paulsboro (1-1) at Penns Grove (2-0), noon. Penns Grove had an impressive 40-20 opening win over Bernards and then defeated rival Pennsville, 48-6. Paulsboro opened with an impressive 18-3 win over West Deptford, but the Red Raiders then suffered a 6-0 defeat to one of their main rivals, Woodbury. This is the first WJFL Diamond Division game for Paulsboro and Penns Grove as both are expected to battle for the title along with Salem.

Author: Marc Narducci