Bull Session Week Four
September 20, 2023
Saturday afternoon games north of the Raritan River suck! There are fewer and fewer games to watch and Morristown is the latest team to install lights. I keep hearing there are more Thursday night games because of the shortage of officials, but why don’t some of those games get scheduled for Saturday afternoon? I am at the point where I may stay home on Saturday afternoon and cover a game from YouTube and there are plenty of choices, even if it is a game from the previous night. One good thing is my ability to see games from areas such as the Shore Conference and I am going to Keyport this Saturday, but for others it is tough. The Keyport game with Manchester Township was moved up to 10:00 AM because of expected rain. It hurts me because I have to get up earlier and miss out on some important beauty rest! …I will go to DePaul Friday night for their game with Paramus Catholic. Some will wonder why I am not going to Bergen-Bosco, but I am experiencing Bergen-Bosco Burnout. I have seen so many of these matchups and I say “how many times can I see these two teams?” It is easier when Bergen is the home team and it is on Saturday, but there are so many games on Friday night and I have more to choose from … .One of the wilder plays of the year came in Timber Creek’s late comeback win over Rancocas Valley. During that comeback, Timber Creek’s pass was intercepted deep in the end zone. The RV defender chose to run it out and lost control of the ball shortly past the end zone. As the lost ball was going through the air, a Timber Creek receiver on the run caught it and ran a few steps into the end zone for a touchdown … .More Deion Sanders at Colorado: New Jersey is not a college football state and if he can get more interest here, I am all for it ….Speaking of Deion, Colorado may be moving to the Big 12, but I hope they can continue playing Colorado State. Ditto Oregon-Oregon State and the Civil War. Too bad I could not stay awake for the ending of the Colorado-Colorado State overtime thriller … .Princeton won their opener over San Diego, 23-12, and have a home game with Bryant this Saturday at 3:00. Monmouth is 1-2 and faces Lafayette this Saturday at 3:30 … .What some call “upsets” early in the season aren’t upsets at all as the season progresses. Last year was last year and this year is this year….Congratulations to legendary Florence head coach Joe Frappolli for getting two tickets to the Super Bowl before last week’s Eagle game … .I actually missed Friday night action for the first time in a long time. I was out to dinner with friends, one who is moving to Arizona shortly. Proof that I sometimes have a life….Boy, it’s been a long time since Hoboken’s glory days. The same goes for JP Stevens … .Courtesy of nj.com, some performances stood out to me. Passing: Maurice Williams of Orange was 20 of 29 for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns, Dominic Campanile of Bergen Catholic going 12-13-175-4, Xavier Smith of Newark East Side going 7 of 7 for 216 and 3 scores, while Sean McGeehan of North Arlington was also 7 of 7, getting 205 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Anthony Skawinski of Roxbury 10-12-204-3…On the ground it was Ayden Jones of Hackensack rushing for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries, Anthony Reagan of Woodbury getting 275 and 5 touchdowns on 19 carries, Chris Aykurt of Paramus going 5-198-3, Denzel Lee of Cherry Hill East gaining 236 yards and 4 touchdowns on 14 carries, and Gabe Winowich of Notre Dame gaining 162 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries…..Receiving: Quinn Carran of Somerville catching 4 for 195 yards, Zach Garmont of Verona with 8 receptions for 173 yards, Christopher Naperkoski of Robbinsville with 11 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown, Matthew Woode of Allentown catching 4 for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Darion Joyner with 5 receptions for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns…..And speaking of Darion Joyner, his teammate, DaShawn Long, made a spectacular, one-handed grab for a touchdown in the same game…..And speaking of Orange’s Maurice Williams, if Chris Berman was going high school sports, he would call him Maurice “Stay” Williams for the early 60’s hit, Stay, by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. Maybe Tom Jackson would have yelled out “stay!”…..That’s it for now, I will be back next week with some more bull!
- Most stats come from nj.com – some from Maxpreps and Jersey Sports Zone