Post 141 – HS Football – Bull Session Week 5

Last week, I wrote about the kid who is simply a good high school football player.  There is something good to be said about that.  These last ten plus years have seen the top-rated recruit get put on a higher pedestal and combines have made decent players into top recruits.  But that type of player isn’t always a good football player. There are kids who are better than them, but they never come close to being offered a Power-5 scholarship because of size and speed.  Many schools, more particularly, small schools have undersized players who are very good football players. They do many things well, they stay in position, aren’t afraid to tackle, and make plays. The problem is a kid may be a linebacker who is 5-9, 185 lbs. and colleges often don’t come near that type of player.  Nonetheless, they should still be celebrated as a good high school football player, not looked down upon……….A sincere round of applause to Cherry Hill East in breaking a 32-game losing streak by beating Cumberland, 32-0.  Let’s hope their next win comes sooner rather than later……….Another favorite team name of mine is the Carteret Ramblers……….It was good to see the Emerson play Park Ridge last Friday night.  The game came down to the last 35 seconds of a 27-21 Park Ridge win.  These two schools combine for wrestling in the winter and some of the players opposing one another are wrestling  teammates.  There was a festive atmosphere in Emerson, one I hadn’t seen in years……….Another nearby thriller was Paramus-Ridgewood, won by Paramus in overtime.  Still, I made a very good choice seeing Emerson-Park Ridge……….Great ending for Sayreville, scoring on the final play with a half-second left to beat Edison, 13-12.  Watching the video, it was an excellent pass and an excellent reception in the end zone……….One of the top rivalries in the state has become Haddonfield-West Deptford.  They are two excellent programs.  Since 2010, the only year one of them did not win South Jersey Group 2 was 2015……….Union keeps winning and could have the best season they’ve had in several years.  Once upon a time, they were the premier program in the state……….An interesting game this weekend is Timber Creek travelling north to Westchester County in New York to play 6-0 New Rochelle……….Bergen Catholic-Don Bosco is a big rivalry, but the Bergen-Joe’s rivalry with St. Joe’s (Montvale) is not far behind.  Most of their recent games have come down to the final minute, including overtime. Joe’s has despised Bergen since the Crusaders beat them 76-0 in their first ever meeting in 1965. BC-Bosco may be great, but this is Bergen-Joe’s………. Uniform front – The Good:  Mainland has gone back to their traditional green and white uniforms.  They had a lot of black in recent years and it is good to see. Also, St. Peter’s Prep has maroon numbers on their white jerseys, going away from the silver numbers.  In addition, I criticized Lodi for wearing gray jerseys, but I notice they now have orange home jerseys and have the Miami look, like Dumont: much better……….The Bad:  Oakcrest wearing all black when their colors are blue and white.  They look better with a blue jersey, but they still have black pants.  Perhaps white or an all blue look would be an improvement.  The Ugly: The court jester uniforms Weequahic wears.  They look so much better with the classic Cleveland Browns uniform. ……….Speaking of Oakcrest, they have been on the winning and losing ends of 3-0 games in each of the last two weeks and have allowed 47 points on the year through five games……….Pet Peeves:  The overuse of the term “upset.”  There are legitimate upsets: for instance if the Giants were to beat the Eagles this week, it would be an upset; same if they beat Kansas City or the Rams.  But when a #12 team beats #6, it is not an upset – it is a game with two very good teams. But many love to use that term, no matter what. Brent Musburger has often been guilty on this……….That’s all for now: I’ll be back next week with some more bull!