Week three of the Caravan was a MARATHON with the goal of covering all 24 GMC schools in either a practice or scrimmage setting. I was also able to coordinate the schedule with additional coverage of 6 Mid-State 38 teams. In all I attended 6 practice sessions, 3 quad scrimmages, 3 regular scrimmages and 5 game scrimmages. I apologize to Somerville for not being able to interview their head coach and players due to my tight schedule on Thursday which included the coverage of a third game scrimmage on the same day.
On Monday August 26, the Caravan made a stop at Highland Park, a team that played a JV schedule only in 2018. Rookie head coach Shawn Henderson, a hometown product, is looking to restore the once storied program by teaching the basic fundamentals of blocking and tackling while at the same time infusing the history and tradition of Owl football. Seniors Andy Lan, Dylan Darkwah and Mike Adamczyk are doing their best to keep the program afloat in 2019.
READ: GMC football team previews and preseason content
Monday evening, I took the drive to Edison like I did every day in 2013 when the school was known as Bishop Ahr. The newly renamed St. Thomas Aquinas has a new head coach Brian Meeney, a former Middlesex County gridiron performer himself at Iselin J.F. Kennedy High School. With a nucleus of underclassmen scheduled to start for the Trojans, Seniors Alejandro Santiago RB/LB, Tom Roarty OL/DL and Elijah Johnson OL/DL will be the guiding force for the talented yet inexperienced six freshman making their debut for Aquinas.
Tuesday’s ride up the Garden State Parkway reminded me why I hate rush hour traffic and the bumper to bumper grind that some people experience on a daily basis. I was excited to attend a scrimmage with Cranford and Carteret and to get a look at the Cougars third year starting quarterback Senior Connor Katz. He did not disappoint as he displayed poise, athleticism and accuracy while throwing to a deeply talented receiving corp. The Ramblers started off slowly but showed resiliency in stopping the Cranford offense in their final first team sequence. Senior Cam McCargo looks the part at quarterback if given time to throw to fellow Class of 2020 wide receiver Justin Leigh who also plays free safety. Two-way lineman Jashon Turner anchors a veteran offensive line which hopes to return to that ground and pound rushing attack that has been a Carteret staple.
CHECK OUT: All of Marcus Borden's Camp Caravan tour visits
With 6 new head coaches in the GMC, Wednesday saw another homegrown talent back in the same stadium he played in 2004 for the South Brunswick Vikings. John Viotto inherits one of the GMC’s winningest programs over the last 6 years while bringing with him a new spread offense. Senior QB Gage Katzenell-Hall will still run or hand off on the zone read but he will look to air it out more in 2019. Senior two-way lineman Danny O’Grady will bring size and athleticism at the line of scrimmage while Junior Justin Lawson hopes to display his talents running and catching the ball. South Brunswick got a scare when Katznell-Hall had to leave their game scrimmage against Paterson Eastside in the first half with a calf contusion. He is expected to be fine for their opener with North Brunswick.
A TRIFECTA on Thursday started at 10:00 a.m. with a game scrimmage at J.F. Kennedy against the Hawks of J.P. Stevens. The young Mustangs in their newly installed Wing-T offense played tough defensively against the Hawks and used a broken tackle on a quick hitch pass for a long touchdown to break a scoreless first half. Seniors Lee Van Pelt RB/LB and two-way lineman Erick Flores look to keep the offense moving as a cast of underclassmen like Keyshawn Dixon RB/LB and Connor Heaney QB mature throughout the season. J.P. Stevens has plenty of offensive weapons and must find the pieces to the puzzle fast as they open up on Rivalry Weekend with Edison. Seniors Ky’zeon Mays WR/DE, Nasear Neal WR/OLB and lineman Ramon Martinez will lead the youngsters like Sophomore Chase Priester QB/DB and Junior RB/DB Gemal Singleton.
In a GMC vs Mid-State 38 game scrimmage at 3:15 p.m. I saw powerhouse Somerville show why they are considered a top 20 team in New Jersey with an attacking gang-tackling defense and a crisp no-huddle offense with multiple weapons. They stymied early on a St. Joseph offense that graduated a multitude of talent like lineman John Olmstead, who is at Notre Dame and a defense that was minus several players nursing minor injuries. Senior Tommy Romond and Junior Gianni Principato will have the offensive line ready for their opener against Woodbridge while Junior RB Jordan Kinsler and Senior WR/DB Kshawn Schulters look to be play makers for Sophomore QB Matt Stanton. Senior LB Tyree Ford will anchor the defense.
The last stop on this triple-header game scrimmage tour was at Perth Amboy which was hosting Plainfield at 6:00 p.m. Will Clark, the new head coach for the Panthers, was the last of the rookies that I would see in action on his home turf. Senior RB/LB Erick Rivera dazzled with his speed and cutting ability reminiscent of a former Panther great Darryl Cross. Amboy held Plainfield in check most of the night with “The Twins” Seniors Joel and Edward Saviñon, two-way linemen, stuffing the Cardinals run game while opening holes for Rivera. Seniors Kayzon Cherisme OL/DE, Jeremy Fernandez WR/DB and QB/Athlete Tony Saucedo look to guide Perth Amboy back to the post season. Former New Brunswick HFC Don Sofilkanich, now at Plainfield, is trying to turn around a program that has not had a winning record since 2005 when they went 6-4.
Friday August 30 was the final stop for the 2019 MyCentralJersey.com GMC Football Camp Caravan at Columbia Park in Dunellen for a 6:00 p.m. game scrimmage with North Plainfield. For the Destroyers this was their only scrimmage of the preseason as they were not able to secure another contest since no one likes to defend their Single-Wing offense. Senior John Ciannello and Junior Anthony DeNapoli share the QB/RB responsibilities along with Juniors Adem Sangiray FB and Qwentin Rose HB who are equally adept at running and blocking. Héctor Gómez anchors the offensive and defensive line which is not big but does possess athleticism and grit.
The Canucks of North Plainfield are led by Senior QB Naji Campbell who returns as a dual threat runner and passer in their spread offense. Senior Slotback/SS Jah’Quan Allen brings size and speed on both sides of the ball and should be a big-time play maker. Senior Center Danny Pareja doubles as a nose guard on defense along with Junior Adam Elsais at LB. North Plainfield opens with Governor Livingston which also runs the Single-Wing offense. Their 11 returning starters should give them an advantage when they open with the Highlanders.
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