Greg Tufaro's Week 6 GMC football predictions and analysis

FRIDAY

Keyport (0-5) at Dunellen (2-2), 7 p.m.: Mike Harmon starred for Dunellen in last weekend’s thrilling 26-20 overtime victory over Bishop Ahr, rushing for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. The Destroyers losses were a 14-12 decision to Spotswood and a deceptive 28-8 season-opening setback to Bound Brook. Keyport is much better than its record indicates. The Red Raiders are playing a Blue Division foe for the third consecutive week. They lost 27-19 to Middlesex and 20-16 to South River, teams with a combined 9-1 record. Keyport’s first two losses were to Point Pleasant Beach and Asbury Park by one touchdown apiece. They also dropped a lopsided decision to defending state champion Mater Dei, which owns a 15-game winning streak. Prediction: Dunellen 20-18.  

North Brunswick (3-2) at J.F. Kennedy (1-4), 7 p.m.: The hard-luck Mustangs are 1-2 in overtime games and one of their other losses was by five points to Perth Amboy. North Brunswick has won three in a row after opening the season with losses to defending White Division champion St. Joseph, which owns a 15-game division winning streak, and squandering a fourth-quarter lead in a setback to Colonia, with which the Raiders are currently tied for second place in the division. Myles Bailey rushed for more than 200 yards for the second consecutive week in last Friday’s 21-7 victory over J.P. Stevens, which defeated J.F. Kennedy 28-7 one week earlier. David Strzeminski (38 tackles), Sean Breheney (31 tackles) and Kewnah Dolo (30 tackles) anchor a North Brunswick defense that is limiting opponents to 229 yards per game. Prediction: North Brunswick 28-14.

Perth Amboy (1-3) at J.P. Stevens (1-3), 7 p.m.: The Panthers were held without an offensive touchdown for the third game this season in last weekend’s 14-0 loss to Freehold Township. Perth Amboy also has losses to defending White Division champion St. Joseph (35-0) and South Plainfield (21-7). The Panthers’ lone victory was a 12-7 comeback win over J.F. Kennedy. Perth Amboy, which played the St. Joseph game without quarterback Tahjmere O’Neal (injury), has relied on its defense as the offense has amassed just 754 yards from scrimmage. Erick Rivera accounts for 173 of the team’s 327 rushing yards. O’Neal has completed 24 of 45 passes for 310 yards. Versatile Tyler Jack, who has been used at quarterback, running back and receiver, has 396 all-purpose yards including 206 as a dangerous return specialist. J.P. Stevens, which joins North Brunswick as the White Division’s most improved team, dropped a 21-7 decision to the Raiders last weekend after posting an impressive 28-7 victory over J.F. Kennedy. The Hawks opened the year with a 22-13 loss to Carteret and a 25-7 setback to South Plainfield. J.P. Stevens quarterback Joey Young has completed 26 of 56 passes for 437 yards. Nadale Buntin leads the Hawks with 212 of their 520 rushing yards. Dan Ricigliano is J.P. Stevens’ top receiver with eight catches for 149 yards. Prediction: J.P. Stevens 21-20.

New Brunswick (1-4) at Edison (1-3), 7 p.m.: After snapping a three-game losing streak against the Red Division’s three best teams with an impressive 41-6 victory over Monroe, New Brunswick dropped a 41-16 victory to Middletown North. The Zebras have relied heavily this season upon running back Dylan Johnson, who is averaging 122.8 rushing yards per game. After rushing for a season-high 209 yards against Monroe, Johnson was limited to 63 yards in last weekend’s loss to the Lions. After opening the season with an impressive 28-16 comeback victory over Monroe, the Eagles have dropped three in a row to three teams (Sayreville, Old Bridge and South Brunswick) ranked ahead of them in the Top 10. Edison has been competitive in all of its defeats and the defense has fared well. Troubles inside the red zone have plagued Edison, which is averaging 170 rushing yards and 66 passing yards per game. Donavan Benoit is the Eagles’ leading ground gainer with 342 yards on 53 carries and is the team’s leader with 34 tackles. Prediction: Edison 20-14.

Woodbridge (2-3) at Carteret (2-2), 7 p.m.: Ke’sean Glover entered last weekend’s game against J.F. Kennedy having accounted for 412 of the Barrons’ 542 all-purpose yards. Woodbridge, however, utilized another offensive weapon in a thrilling 27-21 double overtime victory over J.F. Kennedy as Nick Nyers rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns – including the game-winner – on 15 carries. Nyers, who is among the state’s leading-tackler, also made 18 tackles in the victory. Woodbridge has played all but two quarters of the season without starting quarterback Donovan Tabon (shoulder injury), whose backup, Ryan Hinkle, continues to improve. The four touchdowns Woodbridge scored last weekend surpassed its total of three touchdowns in the four previous games combined. After opening the year with a 22-13 win over J.P. Stevens and a 28-21 overtime victory over J.F. Kennedy, the Ramblers have dropped a 13-6 decision to North Brunswick and a 21-7 decision to Colonia, which opened the year with an 18-0 victory over Woodbridge. Carteret has relied heavily upon quarterback Zamar Brake, who has accounted for all of the Ramblers’ touchdowns with five through the air and four on the ground. He has completed 47 of 83 passes for 662 yards. Carteret has been limited to 397 yards on the ground with James Henderson accounting for a team-high 242 rushing yards on 51 carries. Prediction: Carteret 21-20.

Colonia (3-2) at South Plainfield (2-3), 7 p.m.: The Patriots rebounded from consecutive losses with an impressive 21-7 victory over Carteret. Quarterback Taj-Calvin Johnson, who has amassed 593 yards from scrimmage this season, turned in his finest performance of the year against Carteret, completing 9 of 13 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown and rushing 10 times for 43 yards. Luke Pero has accounted for 528 of Colonia’s 870 rushing yards. He has also scored six touchdowns. After opening the year with consecutive victories over Perth Amboy and J.P. Stevens, the injury-riddled Tigers have dropped three straight. South Plainfield remains without quarterback and linebacker Charles Lovett, one of the state’s best two-way players. Workhorse back Zach DelVecchio has rushed for 417 yards on 86 carries and the Tigers have been limited to 75 yards per game through the air. Prediction: Colonia 23-13.

Middlesex (4-1) at Shore Regional (3-2), 7 p.m.: After enduring a heartbreaking overtime loss to undefeated and Blue division-leading South River, the Blue Jays have reeled off three impressive wins including back-to-back victories over Shore Conference schools Point Pleasant Beach and Keyport. Middlesex finds itself facing a third consecutive Shore Conference foe, one which appears to be the toughest it will see. The Blue Devils count a 21-7 victory over Bishop Ahr among their wins this season. They dropped a 38-12 decision to undefeated and defending state champion Mater Dei last weekend. Middlesex’s strong and balanced running game could be the difference. The Blue Jays have amassed 1,751 yards on the ground. Devin Lanza (504 yards), John Kressbach (426 yards) and Tom Rau (418 yards) are Middlesex’s leading rushers. Jose Andujar (49 tackles) anchors a stout defense. Prediction: Middlesex 23-21.

Sayreville (3-2) at Monroe (1-4), 7 p.m.: After opening the year with three consecutive victories, the Bombers have lost consecutive heartbreakers, squandering fourth-quarter leads in a 22-21 double overtime loss to Brick Memorial and in a 12-6 loss to undefeated and Red Division-leading Piscataway. An offense that averaged 40.7 points during its season-opening winning streak against schools with a combined 3-10 record has been limited to 20 points during regulation over its last two games. Monroe’s lone victory was a 21-19 thriller over East Brunswick, which fell 48-21 to Sayreville earlier this year. Prediction: Sayreville 28-6.

Spotswood (2-3) at Point Pleasant Beach, 7 p.m.: After opening the season with a three-game losing streak, the three-time defending division champions have rebounded to win their last two contests, rallying for a thrilling 14-12 comeback victory over Dunellen and blanking Highland Park 35-0. Point Pleasant Beach, conversely, has lost two in a row after winning its first three. The teams have one common opponent: Middlesex defeated Spotswood 31-21 and upended Point Pleasant Beach 28-12. Prediction: Spotswood 21-20.

Old Bridge (2-2) at Piscataway (4-0), 7 p.m.: Standout linebacker Jevon Buckmire, who posted a team-high 12 tackles in last weekend’s 12-6 comeback victory over Sayreville, anchors a stellar defense with a team-leading 36 tackles. The Chiefs were balanced on offense against the Bombers with Juwon Jackson rushing for 138 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries and with Joseph Hatcher completing 13 of 21 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. Old Bridge had a bye after posting a 17-0 victory over Edison. A week earlier, the Knights only trailed Manalapan, undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the Asbury Park Press Shore Conference Top 10, by seven points before allowing two touchdowns in the final six minutes of a deceptive 34-13 loss. After being outscored by a combined score of 84-14 in 2014 and 2015 regular-season losses to Piscataway, Old Bridge shocked the Chiefs with a 24-20 win last October. Piscataway exacted revenge with a 42-3 win in the playoffs. Prediction: Piscataway 27-14.

East Brunswick (1-3) at South Brunswick (3-1), 7 p.m.: The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak with a 28-14 victory over Marlboro last weekend. Quarterback James Schuld completed 12 of 21 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown and rushed 11 times for 47 yards in the win. South Brunswick counterpart Felix Quinones completed scoring strikes of 20 yards to Justin Shorter and 35 yards to Jaylan Lawson and also scored on a 1-yard keeper in a 21-6 victory over Edison. East Brunswick has lost its last six meetings with South Brunswick. The Bears have been limited to a total of 36 points in those defeats. Prediction: South Brunswick 28-9.

SATURDAY

Highland Park (0-5) at South River (5-0), 1 p.m.: South River quarterback Michael DeSantis has completed 67 of 95 passes for 1,038 yards with 13 touchdowns and just one interception. He also has four rushing touchdowns. Travis Thomas is South River’s leading receiver with 453 yards and five scores. Billy Drum tops the Rams with 223 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Highland Park improved defensively in last weekend’s loss to Spotswood. Prediction: South River 31-6.

Donovan Catholic (2-3) at St. Joseph (5-0), 1 p.m.: The Falcons have allowed just three touchdowns all season. They have outscored their last two opponents – Woodbridge and South Plainfield – by a combined 89-7 score. The offense is clicking on all cylinders with tailback Manny Resto, quarterback Paul Cocozziello and the versatile Jordan Davis. Donovan Catholic rebounded from consecutive losses to Point Pleasant Boro and Raritan with a 49-26 victory over Pinelands. St. Joseph won last year’s meeting between the schools 42-0. Prediction: St. Joseph 28-7.

Bishop Ahr (1-4) at Metuchen (0-4), 2 p.m.: After opening the year with a forfeit victory over Highland Park, the Trojans have dropped four in a row. Quarterback Ryan O’Leary completed 11 of 22 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns in last weekend’s 26-20 overtime loss to Dunellen. Luke Vizzoni made 14 tackles and recovered a fumble in the game. Metuchen has shown flashes of offensive success in several of its games, but has still been limited five touchdowns this season. Prediction: Bishop Ahr 21-14.