Bull Session Week Two
September 6, 2023
For those who look down on Group 1, there are some good players out there. They may not be able to start for the Catholics due to physical limitations, but they are good football players who do things very well and all that is asked from the coaches. Butler vs. Wood-Ridge was the most entertaining of the three games I saw last weekend. One example of what I am saying is Wood-Ridge quarterback Jimmy Masucci throwing a long touchdown pass on a beautifully thrown ball. A 5-star quarterback from California or Texas could not have thrown it any better…. .Coaching legend Greg Toal once said “all coaches should coach Group 1 for at least one year” because there is a creative factor that happens when players get injured and how they adjust….Pope John surprised some with their win over Seton Hall Prep, but they easily could have won their regular season game last year. Last weekend’s game featured a 52-yard field goal by Jack Morgese and Tylik Hill gained 187 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries and returned a kickoff for a touchdown … .Mount Olive looks good after a tough season last year. I watched their opener on Morris Sussex Sports and they are a good team. They also had an impressive win over Randolph and I respect what Brian O’Connor has done for the program….There is an interesting page on nj.com that lists many of the transfers from the past offseason. Listed alphabetically, I went through a bunch of them and realized I only made it to the G’s. Unfortunately, this is the new normal….My first thumbs down for uniforms goes to Westwood for their all-black look with red numbers that have no trim. The dimwits from the sneaker companies only look at the jersey from 5-10 feet away and probably never take into consideration how it looks 50 feet away or 100 feet away. Believe me, it is very hard to identify a player. I had an easier time identifying Willingboro players with their white number on white jersey look that I gave a thumbs down to in the past….There is another thumbs down for Warren Hills for their white jersey with silver numbers. Try watching that on YouTube. Aren’t they the Blue Streaks? Wear blue numbers …Last weekend’s top performances from nj.com are out and here are a few I noticed (of many). At quarterback, Newark Central freshman Andrew Wright Jr. was 14-20-324-2, while Verona’s Connor DeMasi was 20 of 26 for 360 yards and four touchdowns in their win against Madison, Somerville’s Brenden Pacheco going 17-20-264-4, Notre Dame’s AJ Surace going 19 of 24 for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns, DePaul’s Derek Zammit with 15-19-247-2, and Elizabeth freshman Arique Fleming going 17 of 25 for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns….On the rushing side, Colin Gallagher of Middletown South ran for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns on 19 carries, Woodbury’s Anthony Reagan Jr. ran for 213 yards and 5 touchdowns on 17 carries, Governor Livingston’s Jack Dally had 217 yards and 3 touchdowns on 15 carries, Dylan Cerciello of Saddle Brook rushed for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries, Colonia’s Jaeden Jones ran for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries, and Cole Hughes of Park Ridge had 170 yards and 3 touchdowns on 11 carries….On the receiving end, AJ Bosch of Woodbridge caught 13 for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns, Bergen Catholic’s Quincy Porter had 183 yards and 4 touchdowns on 4 receptions, DePaul’s Dez Jones caught 7 for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns, Atlantic City’s Sah’nye DeGraffenreidt caught 6 for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Daniel Cruz of Allentown caught 10 for for 141 yards….An entertaining game I watched on Morris Sussex Sports was Wallkill Valley’s win over Sussex Tech, 36-30….While I was at the Butler game last weekend, not only did I get to watch a game played on blue turf, I was impressed with how the town comes out and supports the team….Point Pleasant Boro beat Manasquan last weekend, 35-7, but the score at the half and at the end of three was 14-7….Of all of last weekend’s games that were on Jersey Sports Zone, the best game might have been Jackson’s overtime win over Manalapan….That’s it for now; I will see you next week with some more bull!
- Most stats come from nj.com – some from Maxpreps