High School Football Games of the Week

by Marc Narducci | Sep 11, 2023
High School Football Games of the Week
With the West Jersey Football League American Division claiming this week’s marquee matchups, here are some of the top games of the week:

Thursday Sept. 14 

6 p.m. - Shawnee (3-0, 1-0 WJFL American) at Cherokee (2-1, 0-1). 

Cherokee opened with impressive wins over Winslow Township and Hammonton before last week's 3-0 loss to American Division contender, St. Augustine. Shawnee has beaten Northern Burlington, Camden Eastside and rival Lenape, 27-23 last week in their first American Division win. Trailing 23-15 entering the fourth quarter, Shawnee got a 2-yard TD run by QB Joe Papa, who also threw a 21-yard scoring strike to Liam Gilmore. Papa passed for two scores and ran for two more. This season he has passed for 289 yards, four TDs* and has run for 395 yards and seven scores. Cherokee and Shawnee usually play a competitive game and this year should be no different. Last season Cherokee won 21-14.

Friday Sept. 15

6 p.m. - Millville (2-1, 1-0 WJFL American) at St. Augustine (2-1, 1-0).

A first quarter 28-yard field goal by Antonio Freud was the only scoring St. Augustine made during last week’s 3-0 win over Cherokee. The Hermits held Cherokee 165 yards from scrimmage. Junior Julian Turney rushed for 138 yards to lead the Hermits in this defensive struggle. Millville lost opening week 14-7 to defending Group 5 state champion Toms River North in Ocean City and has rebounded with wins over Irvington, 34-0, and Williamstown, 26-12. Millville receiver Lotzeir Brook, considered among the top juniors in the country, has 14 receptions for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Millville, the defending American Division and state Group 4 champion, defeated St. Augustine, 21-14 in last year’s game. 

6 p.m. - Mainland (3-0, 1-0 WJFL United) at Atlantic City (3-0, 1-0). 

Last year Mainland beat Atlantic City, 56-26, and this season looks to be much closer. Atlantic City has won games against Williamstown, Clearview and Absegami by a combined 105-32 margin. Vikings junior receiver Sah’nye Degraffenreidt is among the best juniors in the state with 16 receptions for 375 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Joe Lyons has thrown for 808 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mainland, the defending Central Jersey Group 4 champ, has beaten Washington Township, Ocean City and Oakcrest by a combined 93-7 score. This game should be both close and lower scoring than last year’s matchup. 

7 p.m. - Paul VI (2-1, 1-0 WJFL National) at Seneca (2-0, 1-0).

Seneca is the defending National Division champ with a 5-0 mark and Paul VI was second at 3-2. These could again be the top two teams in the division. Seneca won last year’s game, 23-7 at Paul VI. Since losing 42-7 to St. Thomas Aquanis at Ocean City, Paul VI has won two in a row, beating Highland and Cherry Hill West by a combined 70-6 score. In last week’s 35-0 win over Cherry Hill West, senior Dom Santiago threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns. For the season he has thrown for 592 yards and nine scores. Seneca has beaten Sterling and Triton by a combined 87-6 score. Senior Zac Feron has rushed for 202 yards and six touchdowns in the two wins. 

*Stats courtesy of NJ.com

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