South Jersey Football Games of the Week
Last week, a majority of the games in the West Jersey Football League were division games. This week most of the key games are non-division matchups. Still, these games are important as teams look to improve their playoff power rating.
Here are some of the key games in South Jersey this week:
Friday, Sept. 22
6 p.m. - St. Augustine (2-2) at Holy Spirit (4-0).
St. Augustine is coming off last week’s 21-7 loss to the Millville team many consider to be the best in South Jersey. While there was a solid defensive effort, the Hermits struggled on the other side of the ball. Junior Julian Turney rushed for 94 yards, but the Hermits only passed for 28 yards. Turney, off to a good start, has rushed for 440 yards (6.3 avg.) and four touchdowns*.
Comparatively, Holy Spirit is coming off its most impressive win of the season, a 34-28 victory over Washington Township. QB Ty Costabile threw for 211 touchdowns, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had 19 rushing yards and a score.
Against St. Augustine’s tough defense, Costabile will be key.
7 p.m. - Kingsway (3-1) at Delsea (2-1).
Kingsway bounced back from a 52-23 loss to Washington Township to defeat Vineland last week, 38-15. Senior Tommy Popoff has thrown 593 yards for seven touchdowns and has run for 283 yards resulting in two scores. Senior Benny Liles III has also been a big-play performer with 17 receptions for 415 yards and six touchdowns.
Delsea bounced back from a 28-15 loss to Winslow Township by defeating Ocean City last week, 35-14. Junior Dan Russo, a transfer from Vineland, has been a big part of the running game for Delsea, rushing for 353 yards (5.8 avg.) and seven touchdowns.
Delsea has one of the best rushing attacks in South Jersey so Kingsway’s ability to stop the ground game will be a major storyline.
7 p.m. - Mainland (4-0) at Hammonton (3-1).
Mainland’s closest win was 19 points over Washington Township. The Mustangs are coming off last week’s 47-18 victory over previously unbeaten Atlantic City. Senior Stephen Ordille has led a potent ground game. He has rushed for 563 yards (9.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns with 267 yards and five touchdowns during last week’s win over Atlantic City.
Hammonton has won two in a row since a 47-7 loss to Cherokee. Like Mainland, Hammonton is primarily a running team. Junior Kenny Smith is among the best running backs in South Jersey, having rushed for 666 yards (7.0 avg.) and seven touchdowns.
For Hammonton to have a chance, the Blue Devils will have to control the ball on the ground and keep the potent Mainland offense off the field.
Saturday
10:30 a.m. - Haddonfield (3-0) at Woodbury (3-0).
This is a matchup of Colonial Conference powers. Haddonfield’s most challenging game has been during an opening 24-10 win over West Essex. The Bulldogs are coming off last week’s 42-7 win over Camden Catholic and have outscored teams 101-24, making them a viable contender in Group 2.
Woodbury won the first-ever NJSIAA state Group 1 championship with last year’s 31-7 win over Mountain Lakes. After last week’s 48-12 win over rival Paulsboro, Woodbury has now outscored teams, 121-18. Anthony Reagan Jr. has already rushed for 659 yards (12.2 avg.) and 12 touchdowns.
*Stats courtesy of NJ.com
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Author: Marc Narducci
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