FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Voorhees vs. West Essex in North 2 Group III final

WHAT: New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North 2 Group III football final

WHO: No. 3 seed Voorhees (9-2) vs. No. 1 West Essex (10-1)

WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. Saturday/MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Voorhees beat sixth-seeded Nutley 42-7 in the first round and toppled No. 2 Parsippany Hills 24-19 in the semifinals. West Essex blasted No. 8 Ridgefield Park 48-18 in the first round, before topping No. 5 Rahway 28-14 in the semis.

THE HISTORY: These teams have met just once before, that coming in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, a 35-14 West Essex victory.

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VOORHEES REPORT: The Vikings are in the playoffs for the fourth time in the past six seasons, and have qualified for the final for the first time since winning the Central Group II crown in 1995. Voorhees’ rise has been on the of season’s great stories in the Mid-State 37 Conference, as a team that won just three times last year, routinely getting blown out in most of its losses, is now a win away from a championship. The Vikings have two losses, to Somerville and North Hunterdon, both teams that will be vying for championships Saturday.

The arrival of junior quarterback George Eberle has had a lot to do with the Vikings’ success, as the first-year starter has not only been money with his arm, throwing for 1,848 yards and 17 touchdowns against only seven picks on 115-of-177 attempts, but he’s added 481 rushing yards and seven more scores. Eberle also handles the punting and kicking, connecting on 32-of-34 extra-point attempts and is a perfect 9-of-9 on field goals, with the longest coming from 37 yards.

But the junior signal caller is not alone, as Voorhees has gotten plenty of breakout seasons from his supporting cast, including senior running back Colin Tong (1,009 rushing and 13 touchdowns) and senior receivers John Roncoroni (35-629-8), Jack McCabe (24-474-2) and Will Rodenberger (22-569-4).

Seniors Luke Marturana and Tommy Driscoll anchor the offensive and defensive lines, as the Vikings have allowed just 13.2 points per game. Tong, a linebacker, and defensive backs Roncoroni, McCabe and Rodenberger are also key on defense.

WEST ESSEX REPORT: The Knights have won eight sectional titles and are making their 12th appearance in a championship game, their first since earning the 2011 North 1 Group II title. West Essex is on a nine-game winning streak and has not lost since falling to West Morris 14-13 in week 2.

The Knights are led by a three-headed rushing attack of junior Will Perez, who has gained 823 yards on just 69 carries and nine touchdowns, senior Anthony Sangillo, who has rushed 106 times for 712 yards and seven scores, and senior Vincent Scaglia, who has gone 61-for-396 and seven TDs. Phil Lutz is the top receiving target, catching 32 passes for 597 yards and five touchdowns. West Essex has been playing with its backup quarterback, junior Luke Dignazio, for the past three games, after classmate Zach Lemanski went down with a hip fracture.

Defensively, West Essex is averaging 11.4 points against per game, including three touchdowns, led by Perez, Eamon Morissey, Carmen Cucuzza and Dorian Gashi.

ANALYSIS: Voorhees certainly has its hands full, as the streaking Knights have not shown any chinks in their armor since losing their quarterback, rolling into the final with little resistance. At the same time, the Vikings have also been cruising, shaking off losses to a pair of elite clubs and capping their run to the final with an impressive upset of second-seeded Parsippany Hills in the semifinals, a team West Essex only managed to beat by three points when they met during the regular season.

The Knights are certainly a tall order for Voorhees, but I feel the Vikings have a bit of destiny on their side. This has been a magical season for our friends in the Glen Gardner section of Lebanon Township and with Eberle, a junior, at the helm, the standout is going to be supremely focused on helping his senior-dominated cohorts wrap up their high school careers in style.

PINCUS’ PICKS: Voorhees 28-26

Simeon Pincus can be reached at SPincus@GannettNJ.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SimeonPincusCN