Bull Session Playoffs Week Two
November 12, 2025
Good luck to all playing, coaching, and officiating in this weekend’s sectional finals. I will not be around, as I will be attending my sister’s wedding in the Nashville area. The only way someone might see me at a game is if my flight is canceled, and my choice would be Ramapo-Northern Highlands…..One of the best performances in recent memory came from Holmdel quarterback Jack Cannon, who threw for 256 yards and 6 touchdowns on 12-of-14 and rushed for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns on 12 carries. It was 431 yards of total offense and 9 touchdowns…. Another good two-way threat at quarterback is Brody Nugent of Old Bridge. He has passed for 2,118 yards and 18 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,239 yards and 20 touchdowns, per Kevin Minnick at nj.com. ….. St. Mary should not waste any time being in the playoffs. It was bad enough when they would take the two-hour bus trip to St. Joe’s (Hammonton) to get their annual spanking. Now they take a two-hour bus trip to Holy Spirit to lose 48-8, having given up 40 in the first quarter, per nj.com. They only allowed 48 because Holy Spirit gracefully called off the dogs….Last year, they lost to St. Thomas Aquinas, 61-6, and to DePaul, 63-21, in 2023. It may sound good to say they were in the playoffs, but they aren’t doing the kids any favors by booking them into these annual beatings. They would be better off playing a consolation game…..One big turnaround belongs to Montgomery, which went from 1-9 to being in a sectional final this weekend…..Westwood is enjoying a 10-1 campaign and faces Ramsey this Friday night. But if you asked me in the preseason, I thought they would be around 5-3 at the cutoff for the playoffs. Kudos to the players and coaches…..A unique team name is the Caper Tigers of Lower Cape May….. More crazy band names I remembered from the 1980s: Haircut 100 and Siouxsie & the Banshees…..With Jaxson Dart making a big splash, I hope he doesn’t get ruined by the Giants. He needs to slide more often, and he is a big target when he meets defenders, which risks injury….. If Bill Belichick sticks around at North Carolina, I hope they play the University of Cincinnati. Then he can tell the press that week, “we’re on to Cincinnati.”…..The week’s top playoff performances per nj.com. Passing: Robert O’Connor of Millville: 18-21-325-4, Ahmad Jones of Camden: 22-29-313-5, Jalen Parker of Winslow: 11-17-290-5, Marvin Burroughs of Atlantic City: 15-23-274-4, Pierce Asfalg of Cedar Grove: 19-27-281-1. Rushing: David Smith (QB) of Butler: 23-310-5, Nazeer Whittaker of Brick Memorial: 19-237-2, Brody Leonard of Haddonfield: 35-234-2, Anthony Tirico (QB) of Seneca: 21-230-4, Shaun Jackson of Sayreville: 18-216-3, Donte Davis of Burlington City: 14-199-1, and NaKeem Powell of Winslow: 10-142-2. Receiving: Michael Ruggiano of Cedar Grove: 7-161-1, Andre Byrdsong of Rancocas Valley 4-160-1, Jaden Days of Millville: 6-153-2, NyQuir Helton of Winslow: 4-168-2, Reginald Holley of Millville: 7-140-2, Joseph Yessis of Ramapo: 4-120-2, Brady Shine of Hasbrouck Heights: 5-132-2, and RJ Wortman of Colonia: 13-146-1……With Winslow getting a lot of publicity in New Jersey, and rightfully so, Washington Township is an outstanding team from South Jersey and has been the #2 team in my Top 25 the entire year. ….An outstanding quarterback is Hun sophomore Lukas Prock, who has passed for 4,330 yards and 41 touchdowns this year…..The North Section 1 Group 1 final is between next-door neighbors Butler and Kinnelon. Head north on Route 23 from Route 287, and Butler is to the east and Kinnelon to the west…. RJ Wortman of Colonia had a spectacular year, with 101 receptions, 1,396 yards, and 15 touchdowns….. Kudos to Hasbrouck Heights. While they didn’t win, they were down 14-0, scored 21 points to take the lead, before New Providence tied it and won in overtime. They didn’t quit and could have won….. That’s all for this week! I will be back with more bull soon!