Central Jersey Football Championship Previews

There are teams from the seven-county South Jersey area playing in the South Jersey and Central Jersey football championships this weekend. Here is a look at the five Central Jersey public school title games. Teams’ seed is in parenthesis.

Saturday, noon

These two teams are familiar recent playoff foes. Salem beat Paulsboro in both the 2021 and 2022 Central Jersey Group 1 championship games. This season they met on Sept. 6, and Paulsboro emerged with an 8-6 win. Salem is red hot, having won seven in a row, following last week’s 36-0 semifinal win over Woodstown. The Rams have not allowed a point in two playoff games. Sophomore Cashmir Parsley has rushed for 1,304 yards and 16 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Desmund Thomas has thrown seven touchdown passes and rushed for eight scores. Junior edge rusher Antonio Merendino has 16.5 sacks. Paulsboro has won six in a row and also has not allowed a point in two playoff wins over Point Pleasant Beach and Audubon. In the win over Salem, Paulsboro quarterback Jashir Johnson and receiver Jeremiah Carr accounted for all the points, with a 15-yard scoring pass and a two-point conversion pass. Carr has run for 277 yards and six touchdowns and has 30 receptions for 255 yards and six scores, while Johnson has thrown for 949 yards and 14 TDs.  This one figures to be as close as the regular season meeting.

Friday, 6 p.m.

Glassboro is the two-time defending state Group 1 champion. The Bulldogs have one of the most explosive offenses in the state. Glassboro has won eight in a row since suffering a 21-7 loss to Winslow Township in a game between defending state champions. Senior quarterback Charlie Foulke, a Syracuse commit and a transfer from Philadelphia’s St. Joseph Prep, has thrown for 1,758 yards and 19 touchdowns. Receiver Mekhi Parker is among the top juniors in the state. He has 30 receptions for 643 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior Oregon commit Xavier Sabb has 66 receptions for 1,066 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is among the top players in the state. Point Pleasant Boro has won four in a row following last week’s 24-21 semifinal victory at Rumson-Fair Haven. The four losses have all come to quality teams in the Shore Conference, three of them by a touchdown to Toms River North, Southern Regional and Brick Memorial.

Friday, 6 p.m.

Camden, the reigning state Group 2 champion, is making its fifth consecutive sectional final appearance. This one of the youngest teams in any of the Groups, but Camden senior Roman Duckett has been a key veteran, rushing for 650 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore Jayden Boyce has rushed for 1,099 yards and 10 scores. The Panthers advanced with a workmanlike 24-7 semifinal win over Ocean City. Burlington Township advanced with a 27-17 semifinal win over Deptford. Standout senior running back Aiden Binns rushed for 324 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. Binns, who was sidelined for five games this season, has still rushed for 1,040 yards and six touchdowns. The Falcons are 5-1 in games he has played.

Friday, 6 p.m.

Forget the seeds, these are the two best teams in the CJ Group 4. Both competed in the best conference in South Jersey, the West Jersey Football League American Division. On Oct. 15, Atlantic City beat Millville, 35-14. Since losing 21-19 to defending Group 5 state champion Washington Township, Atlantic City has won six in a row following last week’s 42-13 win at (2) Northern Burlington. Quarterback Marvin Burroughs has thrown for 1,993 yards and 26 touchdowns. Millville also has a top passer in senior Robert O’Connor, who has thrown for 1,597 yards and 16 TDs. Senior Reginald Holley has rushed for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns and has caught 25 passes for 501 yards and six scores. The Thunderbolts advanced after beating (1) Brick Memorial, 24-7.

Friday, 6 p.m.

Old Bridge has won 10 in a row since an opening 42-35 loss to Shawnee during the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City.  After a first round 20-15 win over Lenape, Old Bridge defeated Williamstown, 35-0 in the semifinal. Junior quarterback Aiden Rios has thrown for 1,828 yards and 24 touchdowns and has rushed for 944 yards and six scores. Senior Chase Rizzo has rushed for 1,431 yards and 13 TDs. Rancocas Valley, which beat common opponent Shawnee, 36-6, is led by senior Syracuse commit Mikey McQueen, who has caught 35 passes for 635 yards and 15 touchdowns. McQueen, who plays safety, has recorded five interceptions. QB Zach Merhar has thrown for 1,856 yards and 33 touchdowns. RV has recorded seven shoutouts, including a 42-0 semifinal win over Sayreville.