By Tom Szieber
Posted: Friday, September 23, 8:45 am
Check out Brian Carr's photo gallery from Hasbrouck Heights' victory over St. Mary.
Week 3 looks to be a week where the cream will begin rising to the top. It’s an opportunity for teams to separate themselves and pick up some much-needed power points. Here are some picks for some of the more interesting games of the week.
Manalapan (2-0) @ Old Bridge (2-0)
Manalapan quarterback Luke Corcione has been on point, completing 71% of his passes in the first two games. The Old Bridge pass rush will likely be the toughest he’s seen yet, though, and has a knack for causing chaos in the trenches.
The Pick: Old Bridge
Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0) @ Phillipsburg (2-0)
Phillipsburg will have to overcome the lack of QB Jack Stagaard, who is sidelined with an injury. The Panthers were the only team to beat the Stateliners prior to Thanksgiving last year, pouncing early and holding on for a 31-28 victory.
The Pick: Bridgewater-Raritan
Brick Township (2-0) @ Toms River North (2-0)
Brick Township is riding high after wins over two A-South rivals in Brick Memorial and Jackson. Quarterback Mike Husni accounted for 320 total offensive yards (239 passing) in the Mariners’ win over Brick Memorial last week.
The Pick: Toms River North
St. Augustine Prep (3-0) @ Millville (2-0)
Hermits running back Kyle Dobbins has rushed for 511 yards and four touchdowns, and is one of the best in New Jersey at his position. Millville linebacker Zack Douglas and the Thunderbolt defense have yet to allow a point this year.
The Pick: St. Augustine Prep
Williamstown (1-1) @ Hammonton (1-1)
The Braves were the team that served Hammonton its first loss last year after the latter had started the season 7-0. The Blue Devils are looking to avoid their first 1-2 start of the Gridiron New Jersey era (since 2003).
The Pick: Williamstown
Clifton (2-0) @ Ridgewood (2-0)
Clifton is looking to prove it’s for real this week on the legs of RB Saadiq Pitts, who has rushed for 320 yards and eight touchdowns in two games. The Maroons have a lethal two-headed monster in running backs Drew Granski and Zach Feagles.
The Pick: Ridgewood
Union City (2-0) @ Passaic County Tech (1-1)
Bulldogs QB Derrick Cuavers threw three touchdown passes against Bergen Tech last week to get PCT back on track following a season-opening loss to Montclair. Soaring Eagles DE Jacob Gonzalez already has 5 sacks on the year.
The Pick: Union City
Bloomfield (2-0) @ North Bergen (1-1)
It’s a critical week for the Bruins, who want to get back on track after being trounced by Hackensack last week. The Bengals won last year’s meeting between these two teams, 37-6.
The Pick: Bloomfield
Piscataway (2-0) @ South Brunswick (1-1)
Elijah Barnwell and the Chiefs can make it a sweep of the Brunswicks (New, North and South) with a win here. The Vikings have had Piscataway’s number recently, beating the Chiefs in each of the past three seasons.
The Pick: Piscataway
Tom Szieber can be reached by emailing tom@gridironnewjersey.com.