By Tom Szieber
Posted: Monday, September 7, 2015 8:30 am
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Junior quarterback Jonathan Lewis picked up where Brandon Wimbush left off this weekend in leading St. Peter’s Prep past Avalon (MD), 28-14. He didn’t light up the stat sheet, necessarily, but he did what he needed to do to get the Marauders a victory. He rushed for two touchdowns, and also completed some key passes to senior receiver K.J. Gray (3 catches, 75 yards.). Senior running back Sa'id Boykin though, was the workhorse, scoring two touchdowns in the second half and rushing for 80 yards.
Bergen Catholic made its case to be ranked at the top of the first in the Vita Athletics/Gridiron New Jersey Top 20 this season, as quarterback Jarrett Guarantano led the Crusaders with his arm and his legs to a 37-7 blowout of American Heritage (FL). Guarantano passed for 122 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 40 yards and a three-yard scoring plunge. From a team standpoint, BC showed that it may well be the cream of the crop in the Big North United Division. Individually, freshman running back Josh McKenzie showed that their future is bright, churning out 57 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown in the first half.
The other four members of the North Jersey “Big Six” split their weekend at 2-2. St. Joseph of Montvale downed Don Bosco Prep, 17-7, by scoring 17 unanswered second half points. DePaul scored a 37-0 blowout victory over Pope John thanks to four touchdowns by the state’s top running back, Kareem Walker. And Paramus Catholic fell to Eastern Christian (MD), 42-20, shooting themselves in the foot with three interceptions in the first half.
Seton Hall Prep’s stifling defense was impressive against Union City, holding the Soaring Eagles to just six points in a 21-6 victory. To put the achievement in context, Union City never scored less than 32 points in eight victories in 2014. In their three losses last year (against three sectional finalists in St. Peter’s Prep, Passaic County Tech and Montclair), they were held to seven points or less each time. The defensive effort allowed Pirates quarterback Zach Keller lead the offense with efficiency, and didn’t force him to do so with his arm. He is certainly able to lead through the air, but never had to, as the Pirates pulled off the win.
Pascack Valley quarterback Colin Dedrick delivered a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Pimpinella with 1:35 to play to lead the Indians past Hackensack, 34-29, in perhaps the top intrastate public school battle of the weekend. The Indians QB carved up the Comets when he had to, going 11-of-16 (68%) for 160 yards. He also threw a scoring pass to wide receiver Mike Soravilla. Hackensack, despite the loss, showed that with a big and experienced offensive line, it will be a tough team to contend with, particularly on the ground.
Tom Szieber can be reached by emailing tom@gridironnewjersey.com.