Cherokee quarterback Andy Martin leads the Chiefs in an important showdown against Pennsauken.
FOOTBALL
MAINLAND at HOLY SPIRIT, Friday, 7 p.m.
Mainland was supposed to be in somewhat of a rebuilding season after losing most of its starters from a 12-0 state championship season. But a freshman quarterback , moxie and tough defense have kept the Mustangs undefeated at 3-0—including a triple overtime 22-16 win over Ocean City before last week’s bye week. Now, young QB Tom Bradway gets maybe his toughest test yet against Holy Spirit (3-1) in a Cape-Atlantic League crossover. The Spartans have some serious ground power in backs Nigel Jones and Donta Pollock. Last week, Holy Spirit lost a 19-14 thriller to rival St. Joseph-Hammonton, in which there were two lead changes in the final 6 minutes. Holy Spirit have outscored its three other opponents 136-18, albeit opponents with a combined 0-9 record.
CAMDEN at TIMBER CREEK, Friday, 7 p.m.
For the rest of the season, no team will overlook Camden. The Panthers (1-3) stamped themselves with an intrigue factor after an opening week 14-9 upset over Camden Catholic. The Camden Catholic that was the preseason No. 1 team in South Jersey by The Philadelphia Inquirer and No. 3 overall by the Star-Ledger. Camden has since gone 0-3, losing by an average of 21-5 per game. Their defense will be needed in this Burlco/Olympic crossover. Timber Creek (3-0) survived overtime in an opening week 20-17 win over Seneca and have since outscored its two opponents 95-21. The Chargers put up 405 yards of total offense in last week’s 48-21 win over Northern Burlington. An experienced offensive line blocks for speedsters Nahjee Gibson and Damiere Byrd.
PENNSAUKEN at CHEROKEE, Friday, 7 p.m.
In last week’s battle of unbeatens, Pennsauken (3-1) lost a 12-8 heartbreaker to Washington Township off a touchdown with just under 5 minutes left in the contest. Their bounce-back game—undefeated Cherokee (3-0) in another important Burlco/Olympic American Division game. Pennsauken is always dangerous on the ground with Talir Satterfield Rowe and Harry Williams pounding defenses. Cherokee doesn’t do anything fancy, just pounds the ball with runners Sean Farrell and MikeZeuli behind a tough line and as quarterback Andy Martin leads the way.
GOVERNOR LIVINGTON at SUMMIT, Friday, 7 p.m.
Governor Livingston has been in some wild shootouts this year, beating A.L. Johnson 34-33 in the season-opener and losing to Hillside 33-27 last week. Now, comes an important Mid-State 39 Mountain Division game. The Highlanders (2-1, 1-1) offensive skilled stars all have action star names: Max Machado, Rob Ingebretsen, Andrew Romeo and Mike Uhouse. And, they play like leading men led by quarterback Machado, who is dangerous running and passing. Summit (4-0, 2-0) also has had no problems scoring, put up over 40 in each of their wins. If you go by common opponents, Summit will be the favorite: the Hilltoppers beat Johnson 49-7 and Hillside 42-0.
HADDONFIELD at WEST DEPTFORD, Friday, 7 p.m.
Two undefeated teams with possibly the Colonial Liberty title on the line—what’s not to get excited about? Last season both teams entered unbeaten and West Deptford emerged with a surprising 43-0 n. Haddonfield has become more seasoned, led by three-year starting quarterback Phil haya. Both teams have momentum with big wins last week. Vaughn Scott led West Deptford (4-0, 3-0) by rushing for 165 yards with four touchdowns and adding three picks in a 52-7 win over Haddon Heights. Haddonfield (4-0, 2-0) beat Sterling 54-0 behind Chris Davis’ 130 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
TENAFLY at RIVER DELL, Friday, 7 p.m.
North Jersey fans know about this battle of unbeatens in the Bergen County Scholastic League American division. River Dell (4-0, 3-0), which has a 22-game conference winning streak, had promising news and scary news for its opponents in last week’s game against Westwood. The promising: Westwood led 14-0 in the first quarter. The scary: the Cardinals Hawks stormed back for a 42-20 win. Versatile senior quarterback Garrett Avitabile. Tenafly (4-0, 4-0), meanwhile, has adjusted to eight new starters on defense and allowed 31 points in four wins including a 25-0 victory over Ridgefield Park last week.
CROSS COUNTRY
MANHATTAN INVITATIONAL, at Van Cortlandt Park, Saturday, first race at 9:05 a.m., last race at 3:58 p.m.
Many of New Jersey’s top boys and girls runners and teams will be competing in the Eastern States showdown race. On the boys’ side, stud teams include Christian Brothers Academy, Don Bosco, Haddonfield, Millburn, Old Bridge and Ridge. The girls’ race has Hunterdon Central, Immaculate Heart Academy, Randolph, Red Bank Catholic and Ridge.
FIELD HOCKEY
SHAWNEE at WEST ESSEX, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Unlike football, you get great matchups between cross-state, cross-group powers in field hockey. Saturday, is one of those between Group 4 Shawnee, of Burlington County , and Group 2 West Essex, of Essex county. Earlier in the season, West Essex coach Jill Cosse got her 250th career win in her 13th season at the school, and the Knights have won four Group 2 titles in a row. In South Jersey, Shawnee usually contends with power Eastern.
GIRLS SOCCER
WESTFIELD at EAST BRUNSWICK, Friday, 4 p.m.
Two of the best teams in the state meet in what should be a defensive struggle. In soccer, that’s not uncommon, but Westfield (8-0-1) has allowed two goals all season, while the Bears (12-0) behind goalie Gina Policastro have given up four. Westfield’s balanced attack features seven players with four or more goals. Sam Costello and Amanda Markowski lead the way with six goals apiece.
andymendlowitz@coachesaid.com
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