Post 69 – HS Football – Preview: South Brunswick

August 28, 2018  

2017 In Review:  The Vikings were 11-1, winning the Central Jersey Group 5 championship by beating Manalapan after beating Old Bridge and Hillsborough.  They scored 372 points for a 31.0 average, while allowing 147 for a 12.25 average.  Wins included Sayreville, Old Bridge, and Brick Memorial, while their only loss was to Piscataway.

Graduation Losses:  WR/DB Justin Shorter – Penn State, OL/DL Xavier Cargile – New Haven, WR/DB Jaylan Lawson – Albright (Pa.)

Offense:  South Brunswick runs the triple option, returning five starters.  The new quarterback is junior Gage Katzenell-Hall (6-0, 165), who started some games when the starter was hurt.  Senior Thomas Joe-Kamara (6-1, 190) is back at running back and he will also play in the slot.  When that happens, the running back is senior Mike Slover (6-0, 215), who started on defense.

Returning at receiver is senior slot receiver Katibu Martin (5-9, 170).  Also playing there will be Kamara, along with junior Ezequiel Johnson (5-8, 165).  The wide receivers will be sophomore Jelani Devonish-Wynter (5-9, 155) at one spot and either junior JP Cuellar-Nieto (6-1, 165) or senior Amir Assassi (6-2, 180).  When a tight end is used, it may be Slover.

Three starters are back on the line: senior Jalen John (6-0, 270) at guard and senior tackles Darrin Seavers (6-5, 220) and Kyle White (5-9, 245).  The center is junior Akil Murugan (6-2, 265) and sophomore Gabe Neals (6-1, 250) is starting at guard.  Pushing hard at tackle is junior Danny O’Grady (6-3, 265).

Defense:  The Vikings employ a 3-3 stack and return six starters.  Returning at the tackles are John and Seavers, while nose guard is still a battle among Neals, White, and junior Nick Ng (5-6, 240).

The inside linebackers have Slover back in the middle and senior Sean Goldsmith (6-1, 205) back on the strong side.  The weak side will have either junior Nick Jairdullo (6-0, 190) or sophomore Justin Lawson (5-10, 190) stationed there.

In the secondary, Kamara returns at free safety and Martin is back at strong safety.  The weak safety is between Johnson and sophomore De’Jhon Thomas (5-8, 160).  The corners will be Devonish-Wynter and sophomore Majid Howard-Baker (95-7, 140), with Assasi rotating in with them.

Special Teams:  Returning at kicker is senior Mitch Fisher and Slover is back at punter.  The return men will be Johnson, Kamara, and Devonish-Wynter.

Schedule:

Thursday, 8/30, Lenape at home, 7 PM
Friday, 9/7, Old Bridge at home, 7 PM
Friday, 9/14, at Piscataway, 7 PM
Friday, 9/21, at Perth Amboy, 7 PM
Friday, 9/28, Union at home, 7 PM
Friday 10/5, at East Brunswick, 7 PM
Friday, 10/12, St. Joe’s (Metuchen), 7 PM
Friday, 10/19, JP Stevens, 7 PM
Friday, 10/26, at Sayreville, 7 PM

Recruits:  Kamara verballed to Temple and Martin is a D2/D3 prospect.

Concerns:  Replacing a lot of skill kids.  It’s a work in progress.  With a short pre-season, and early start, they need to be ready by Thursday.

Coach’s Comments:  “We lost some very good players in Justin Shorter, Felix Quinones, Xavier Cargile, and Jaylan Lawson, but that’s high school football.  Some players are getting a chance to play and it’s a matter of how soon we gel with a tough schedule.  If we do what we’re capable of, we will be competitive.” – Head Coach Joe Goerge

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.