Simeon Pincus’ Week 2 football picks: Two marquee matches highlight the Friday-only slate

A new season is about setting goals. Every team has its set, whether it’s making a run at a sectional title or a conference crown, or maybe a rebuilding club is just hoping to make the playoffs, or simply finish over .500. But every football coach and player will also tell you they are focused on one game at a time.

I, too, have goals. Goals for picking football winners. Goals for beating my esteemed colleague Greg Tufaro’s percentage in his GMC picks. Goals for not giving in to that Taco Bell craving at 1 a.m.

But just like coaches and players were focused on Week 1 before they worried about their long term goals, for me, my top goal for 2017 was Week 1.

My first week as a football beatwriter did not go well last season. Sure, I have been covering high school sports for 20 years, but 2016 was my first season heading the football coverage – I covered girls soccer  the previous 15 falls. So while I was, of course, frustrated and embarrassed to go an abysmal 10-7 last year in Week 1, at least I could chalk it up to rookie mistakes, and I was supremely focused on making up for it this past weekend.

I’d say a 17-1 performance warrants a celebratory late-night Chalupa run.

I might not have beaten Tufaro, who posted a 9-0 mark in the much-easier-to-predict Greater Middlesex Conference, but I feel quite accomplished. Ironic, though, the one game I got wrong – I missed North Hunterdon over Summit – was the one I got the biggest Twitter reaction about after I posted my picks last week (apparently our friends in the greater Clinton area enjoy their dairy products). But the guys enjoyed rubbing my face in it after the game – I actually covered that one Saturday – and I was happy to offer a mea culpa.

Let’s see what I’ll have to apologize for next week. Here are my picks for Week 2 – a Friday-only slate:

Friday, Sept. 15

Hillsborough (1-0) at Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0), 7 p.m. – This is a game I’ve had my eye on since I first went over this year’s schedule in early August, and one I will be covering Friday night. Bridgewater-Raritan’s accomplishments have been well documented. Two straight undefeated regular seasons and Delaware Division championships, two straight trips to the sectional final, and a solid opening-week victory at Hunterdon Central. But while the Panthers are still the team to beat, I feel Hillsborough is the biggest challenge to BR’s 23-game regular-season winning streak and its hope to repeat in the division, and this should, obviously, be a very telling game for both clubs. Both teams are loaded, Bridgewater-Raritan lost a lot on offense, but returns plenty, especially on defense, led by linebackers Justin Bryant and Chike Nwankwo. The Panthers also added some promising pieces on the other side of the ball, including running back Anthony Goffe and quarterback Greg Verano, and each had an impressive opening performance in the 28-14 topping of Hunterdon Central. Hillsborough returns even more, and on both sides of the ball, led by a group of six three-year starters, and are in its best position in years to make serious noise, both in season and in the playoffs. The Raiders blanked Elizabeth for the second straight year on opening night, scoring a 27-0 victory, and head into Basilone Field on Friday night looking to take things to the next level. It’s hard to pick against a team that hasn’t lost a regular-season game in three years, especially when it will hosting the game, but to quote the great Jimmy Dugan, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it."

PINCUS’ PICK: Hillsborough 20-14

READ: CN/Mid-State 37 Top 10 and notebook for Week 1

Westfield (1-0) at Ridge (1-0), 7 p.m. – If the Bridgewater-Raritan/Hillsborough game is the No. 1 marquee matchup of the weekend, this one is 1A, and the honorable T. Harry Frezza will have the coverage (@TheFrez56 for live Twitter updates). Like Bridgewater-Raritan, Westfield’s resume has also been well documented, 26 straight victories, two consecutive North 2 Group V championships, led by a defense that could probably stop a truck. But that defense isn’t what worries me about the Blue Devils. The unit did lose a lot to graduation, including CN Defensive Player of the Year Owen Kessler, but returns Jake Vall-Llobera up front and a secondary that’s largely intact, and they certainly did the job last weekend, holding Linden without an offensive touchdown in a 12-7 Westfield win. The Blue Devils’ offense is a different story, having graduated, virtually, the entire unit, and it showed last week, managing just one touchdown. That kind of performance isn’t going to fly at Lee Field on Friday night. Ridge also suffered its share of graduation losses, but, unlike the Blue Devils, returns plenty of talent, including quarterback Brandon Radice, who missed last season with an injury, and the Red Devils attack seemed to be in rhythm last weekend, as CN/MS37 Player of the Week RJ Milligan led the way in a 34-14 topping of Montgomery. So what happens now? Does Westfield find a way to shut down the team that scored a season-high 21 points against it in last year’s meeting, the only club to tally more than two touchdowns against the Blue Devils a year ago? Can they muster enough on offense against a solid Ridge defense to have a chance? I’m going to go with no.

PINCUS’ PICK: Ridge 24-13

A.L. Johnson (1-0) at Bernards (0-2), 7 p.m. – Bernards has prided itself on seven straight winning seasons, the longest active streak among public schools in the state. But after losses to Shabazz and Roselle to start its year, the Mountaineers streak of successful campaigns is not only at serious risk, but so is its string of not starting 0-3 since it posted a 1-9 dud in 2009. Wish I had a silver lining to offer our friends in Bernardsville.

PINCUS’ PICK: A.L. Johnson 36-21

Belvidere (1-0) at Brearley (0-1), 7 p.m. – Brearley opened in Week 0, falling to Holmdel 17-12. Belvidere nearly shot itself in the foot last weekend, escaping Dayton 17-14. I’m a lot more worried about Belvidere’s win than Brearley’s loss.

PINCUS’ PICK: Brearley 17-13

Cranford (0-1) at Voorhees (1-0), 7 p.m. – Voorhees is shaping up to be one of the emergent teams of 2017. The Vikings 3-7 finish a year ago snapped a string of four straight winning seasons, and with a lot back from last year’s club, Voorhees certainly looks poised to get the ship righted. An impressive 23-0 blanking of Governor Livingston in last weekend’s opener is certainly a fantastic first step for our Hunterdon County brethren, but this weekend’s matchup will provide an even bigger test. I got to see Cranford first hand last Friday night at Somerville, and though the Cougars left Brooks Field with a 36-16 loss, they were very much in the game until the Pioneers pulled away late, even closing a 22-3 deficit to just six points late in the fourth quarter. Granted, this doesn’t appear to be a vintage powerhouse Cranford club like those that went 7-3 last season and a combined 23-1 the previous two campaigns, but the Cougars are certainly a dangerous opponent, one Voorhees is going to have to beat if it’s serious about turning things around this year. I’m tempted to pick the Vikings,who broke into the Top 10 this week for the first time, but I want to see a little more before I’m ready to consider them a serious contender.

PINCUS’ PICK: Cranford 28-24

Dayton (0-1) at Roselle Park (2-0), 7 p.m. – Roselle Park’s 2-0 start has come on the strength of back-to-back 33-7 victories, over Sussex Tech and South Hunterdon. Dayton nearly shocked Central Jersey last weekend, nearly edging Group I power Belvidere in a 17-14 loss. I don’t expect either trend to continue.

PINCUS’ PICK: Roselle Park 24-20

Elizabeth (0-1) at Watchung Hills (0-1), 7 p.m. – Coming of a disappointing 2-8 year, Watchung Hills didn’t look much better last week, falling to Union 34-17. Word out of Elizabeth, meanwhile, seems to indicate a down year for the Minutemen, and Friday’s 24-0 loss to Hillsborough certainly seems to confirm that buzz. So for a team like Watchung Hills looking to get things headed in the right direction, this is certainly a club the Warriors need to beat, or at least turn in a solid performance against. I certainly expect the latter, but the former might still be a bit over Watchung Hills’ head.

PINCUS’ PICK: Elizabeth 26-21

Governor Livingston (0-1) at Rahway (1-0), 7 p.m. – Not a good start for Governor Livingston last Saturday, getting shutout by Voorhees 23-0. Rahway started with a 35-21 topping of Hillside. Yeah, I got nothing.

PINCUS’ PICK: Rahway 44-14

Hillside (0-1) at New Providence (0-1), 7 p.m. – Keeping a close eye on New Providence, looking for signs of getting the ship righted with a new coach at the helm after it finished under .500 for the first time since 2001 and missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 1997. Last weekend’s 41-3 loss to A.L. Johnson is not quite what I had in mind. 

PINCUS’ PICK: Hillside 34-17

Hunterdon Central (0-1) at Phillipsburg (1-0), 7 p.m. – There’s no question the Delaware Division is deep, and though Bridgewater-Raritan and Hillsborough are getting most of the love – at least from me – let’s not forget Hunterdon Central and Phillipsburg are both perennial powerhouses, two programs that have a combined 13 state championships. P’burg won last year’s meeting 17-14 at Central, and although the Stateliners cruised past Franklin 47-13 last Friday night, while the Red Devils fell to Bridgewater-Raritan 28-14, expect this to be a hard-fought game. It’s been five years since Central has beaten Phillipsburg, and six seasons since the Red Devils have won at the Stateliners, so while this one certainly skews P’burg’s way, it really is a coin flip.

PINCUS’ PICK: Phillipsburg 27-24

Montgomery (0-1) at Franklin (0-1), 7 p.m. – Coming off a 1-9 season, and not having won more than two games in a year since 2012, Franklin and its first-year head coach could not have been very happy with last week’s 47-13 loss to Phillipsburg. Montgomery, meanwhile, feels it’s trending in the right direction, despite last weekend’s 34-14 loss to Ridge, as the Cougars’ numbers are up and they have a nice group of experienced returners. I don’t expect Montgomery to have much trouble here, but this is the kind of game in which Franklin could surprise.

PINCUS’ PICK: Montgomery 33-20

Pingry (1-0) at Manville (0-1), 7 p.m. – Manville has not had much success on the gridiron over the years, so last season’s 6-4 finish that included just the second playoff berth in program history was certainly a huge highlight. Now, with a nice group returning and hopes high, there might not have been a more frustrating loss in Mustangs history than last Friday night’s stinging 7-6 loss to Bound Brook, its bitterest rival. So while Pingry is certainly enjoying life as a non-Mid-State 37 combatant, fresh off its most potent output in 22 years in a 53-6 lambasting of Newark Academy last weekend, Manville is in no mood for good cheer.

PINCUS’ PICK: Manville 38-13

Plainfield (0-1) at Union (1-0), 7 p.m. – I certainly expect Plainfield to be better than last year’s 1-9 finish, but a Union club coming off a deep playoff run and a convincing 34-17 topping of Watchung Hills in week 1 is probably too tall an order for the Cardinals at this point.

PINCUS’ PICK: Union 35-14

Roselle (1-0) at Delaware Valley (1-0), 7 p.m. – Del Val is one of the teams whose bandwagon I’m piloting in the early season, and the Terriers didn’t disappoint in week 1, handling North Plainfield 21-6. Roselle also opened strong, topping Bernards 34-17. If defense is going to be Delaware Valley’s calling card again this year – the Terriers allowed a Valley-Division-best 18.1 points against last year – limiting a highly potent Rams offense is a must.

PINCUS’ PICK: Delaware Valley 28-20

Scotch Plains-Fanwood (0-1) at Linden (0-1), 7 p.m. – I thought Scotch Plains-Fanwood had a chance to open with a victory last week, or at least keep it close against Warren Hills (the Raiders lost 35-15). I don’t see this one being kept close.

PINCUS’ PICK: Linden 31-12

Somerville (1-0) at North Plainfield (0-1), 7 p.m. – I covered the meeting between these teams last year, a 55-35 barnburner won by Somerville. Neither team’s offense is as potent as it was last year, but that doesn’t change my expectation that at least one of these will put up some big numbers.

PINCUS’ PICK: Somerville 41-20

READ: Somerville’s offense wakes up late, tops Cranford in week 1

South Hunterdon (0-2) at Bound Brook (2-0), 7 p.m. – Bound Brook did its best Harry Houdini impression last weekend, escaping Manville 7-6 thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown. There should be considerably less drama this Friday night against the winless Eagles.

PINCUS’ PICK: Bound Brook 34-14

Summit (0-1) at Immaculata (1-0), 7 p.m. – This game would have a lot more juice if Summit wasn’t coming off an opening-week loss to North Hunterdon. Still, the Hilltoppers are down but certainly not out and should provide Immaculata with its first test of the year after the Spartans had no trouble with Plainfield last weekend. This might be the toughest game to pick this weekend, so, as always, when in doubt, I’ll go with the home club.

PINCUS’ PICK: Immaculata 21-20

Warren Hills (1-0) at North Hunterdon (1-0), 7 p.m. – I feel like I need to make up for the fact I doubted North Hunterdon last weekend. Yes, I picked the Lions to lose at Summit, only for North to serve me a giant cheese sandwich with a 21-17 victory, the only game I picked wrong last week. The only cheese expected at Singley Field this Friday night will be the scrumptious slices topping burgers at the concession stand.  

PINCUS’ PICK: North Hunterdon 33-14

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