Greg Tufaro's GMC football Week 3 predictions and analysis

FRIDAY

J.F. Kennedy (1-1) at Perth Amboy (0-2), 7 p.m.: The Panthers are looking for their first offensive touchdown of the season and the Mustangs are looking to avert overtime for the first time this year. After defeating Red Bank Regional 17-14 in overtime, J.F. Kennedy endured a heartbreaking 27-21 loss in overtime to Carteret. Quarterback David Lee impressed in that contest, finishing with more than 300 yards from scrimmage. Despite falling 21-7 to South Plainfield and 35-0 to defending White Division champion St. Joseph, Perth Amboy impressed in both games with the final scores not being indicative of the Panthers’ effort or performance. Perth Amboy played last week without starting quarterback Tahjmere O’Neal (injury), while playmaker Jeremiah Stevens, one of the league’s fastest players, was sidelined for the second half. In their stead, running back Erick Rivera ran hard. O’Neal has returned and will start. Prediction: J.F. Kennedy 21-14.

READ: Our Week 3 coverage plans and Coach Marcus Borden's picks

READ: Our latest GMC football Top 10 rankings

No. 3 Sayreville (2-0) at New Brunswick (0-2), 7 p.m. Running back Dylan Johnson has been a bright spot for the Zebras, rushing for 189 yards on 26 carries in consecutive losses to perennial powers Piscataway and South Brunswick. New Brunswick faces its second defending sectional champion in three weeks. Sayreville blanked Edison 28-0 last week. New Brunswick has been outscored 99-14 this season. The Bombers feature a balanced offense with sophomore quarterback Mark Whitford and junior running back Connor Holmes. Whitford has completed 20 of 26 attempts for 218 yards and three touchdowns without an interception for a 139.6 quarterback rating. Holmes has carried 32 times for 268 yards and four scores. He has a team-leading 324 all-purpose yards. Jacari Carter, a dangerous return specialist, who doubles as a defensive back and receiver, has amassed 205 all-purpose yards. Colton Redding (17 tackles), Darren Gorczyca (16 tackles), Antwan Golson (15 tackles) and reigning Readers’ Choice GMC Player of the Week Shane O’Neill (15 tackles) anchor Sayreville’s defense. Prediction: Sayreville 27-6.

No. 4 St. Joseph (2-0) at No. 6 Colonia (2-0), 7 p.m.: Two-way tackle John Olmstead, among the country’s most heavily recruited offensive linemen, returns to action after being hospitalized with a viral infection. He will obviously solidify an offensive line that did not skip a beat in last weekend’s 35-0 victory over Perth Amboy as Valentin Cintron started at left tackle in Olmstead’s place. Running back Manny Resto has been as impressive as any back in the league, rushing for 334 yards on 55 carries. After connecting with Jon Sot on scoring strikes of 63 and 45 yards in a 33-13 season-opening win over North Brunswick, quarterback Paul Cocozziello completed 7 of 10 passes for 119 yards last weekend. The defending White Division champions own a 12-game division winning streak. Colonia counters with running back Luke Pero and quarterback Taj-Calvin Johnson, who have accounted for 328 of the Patriots’ 549 yards from scrimmage. Pero has rushed 35 times for 246 yards and four touchdowns, three of which he posted in last weekend’s 28-12 comeback victory over North Brunswick. Johnson has completed 6 of 17 passes for 68 yards and rushed for 82 yards. Colonia’s defense has been stellar. The Patriots opened the year with an 18-0 shutout of Woodbridge. Anthony Palmisano (20), Mateo Campbell (19), Isaiah Pahopin-Lige (18), Matt Allardice (18) and Kyle Foster (16) are the team’s leading tacklers. Prediction:St. Joseph 24-14.

Spotswood (0-2) at Middlesex (1-1), 7 p.m.: The Blue Jays are looking to rebound from a heartbreaking 26-20 overtime loss to South River. Middlesex has among the conference’s most balanced offenses. The well-oiled triple option has rolled up 766 rushing yards. Devin Lanza (217 yards), John Kressbach (208 yards), Anthony Mason (123 yards) and Tom Rau (113 yards) have combined for nine touchdowns on the ground. Jose Andujar (20 tackles), Josh Ramirez (15 tackles) and Lanza (14 tackles) anchor the defense. The Chargers have been outscored 79-14 in losses to Blue Division frontrunner South River and Holmdel. Excluding the second quarter of each game – in which the Chargers have allowed a total of 49 points – Spotswood was competitive in both contests. Prediction:Middlesex 23-13.

No. 7 South Plainfield (2-0) at Woodbridge (0-2), 7 p.m.: Woodbridge’s defense has kept it in games as the Barrons, who are playing without starting quarterback Donovan Tabon, have been shut out in consecutive defeats to Colonia and Manasquan. Nick Nyers (league-leading 37 tackles) and Antoine Hall (27 tackles) have anchored Woodbridge’s defense. The Barrons have been limited to 148 yards from scrimmage this season. South Plainfield has impressed in all facets of the game in victories over Perth Amboy (21-7) and J.P. Stevens (25-7). Quarterback Charles Lovett and running back Zach DelVecchio have accounted for 482 of South Plainfield’s 651 yards from scrimmage. Lovett is 7 of 14 passing for 161 yards with 76 rushing yards. DelVecchio has carried 40 times for 245 yards. Playmaking return specialist and wideout Dondre Tate has 261 all-purpose yards including a game-opening 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against J.P. Stevens last weekend. TJ Massaro (24 tackles) anchors a first-string defense that has yet to allow a touchdown. The Tigers have registered 6.5 sacks and three interceptions. Prediction:South Plainfield 22-8.

No. 2 South Brunswick (2-0) at No. 1 Piscataway (2-0), 7 p.m.: The Chiefs have outscored New Brunswick and East Brunswick 99-7, racing out to a combined 47-7 lead in both contests. Juwon Jackson has scored six times, while Najjir Woods, Nasir Best and Kamille Pryor each have two touchdowns. Jackson (20 carries for 425 yards) and quarterback Joseph Hatcher (14 of 25 for 266 yards) lead a balanced offense. Hatcher set a school record with five touchdowns passes in a season-opening win over New Brunswick. Jackson posted the fourth-best single-game rushing total in school history last weekend. Woods (133 yards) is Piscataway’s leading receiver, while seven teammates have each caught at least one pass. Piscataway has converted six of seven red zone scoring opportunities, is 3-for-4 on fourth down and 6-for-12 on third down. The Chiefs’ average starting position has been midfield (opponents have been starting on average at their own 25). Piscataway has 18 plays of 20 or more yards and has outgained the opposition 854 to 287 in total yards from scrimmage. The Chiefs have allowed just three plays of 20 or more yards. Jevon Buckmire (14 tackles) and Nick Recine (13 tackles) anchor a deep and balanced defense of which 28 players have recorded at least one tackle. The Chiefs have registered 27 hits behind the line of scrimmage including three sacks. They have three fumble recoveries. Piscataway’s kicking game has been sound. The Chiefs are averaging 38 yards per punt and have converted 7 of 12 PATs. The Chiefs have been penalized 11 times for 92 yards, a statistic upon which they would like to improve. South Brunswick has rolled to a 35-6 victory over Old Bridge and a 35-7 win over New Brunswick. Quarterback Felix Quinones has been near flawless in running the triple option. He has amassed a team-leading 225 all-purpose yards, all but 79 of which have come on the ground. Quinones has completed 5 of 11 passes for 79 yards. The Vikings have rushed for 627 yards with 11 players each recording at least one carry.  Quinones (189 yards) and Penn State University commit Justin Shorter (144 yards) are the lone rushers with more than 100 yards. Shorter has 215 all-purpose yards. Xavier Cargile (16 tackles), Dylan Krisz (12 tackles) and Thomas Joe-Kamara (10 tackles) anchor a defense that has registered three fumble recoveries, two interceptions and two sacks. Prediction: Piscataway 24-23.

SATURDAY

No. 9 Carteret (2-0) at North Brunswick (0-2), noon: North Brunswick squandered a 12-7 fourth-quarter lead in last weekend’s 28-12 loss to Colonia and only trailed defending White Division champion St. Joseph 14-7 at the half before falling 31-13, a score that is not reflective of the Raiders’ performance. North Brunswick has a balanced offense with quarterback Christian Petrillo and running back Myles Davis. Carteret has relied heavily upon quarterback Zamar Brake, who has completed 25 of 42 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The Ramblers have rushed 66 times for 268 yards with James Henderson leading the team with 170 yards on 34 carries. Carteret opened the year with a 22-13 win over J.P. Stevens and rallied for a dramatic 28-21 comeback victory in overtime against J.F. Kennedy last weekend. In the final 5:21 of regulation, the Ramblers scored 14 points to tie the game, had a punt return for a touchdown nullified via penalty and also blocked a punt. Carteret had three of the final five possessions during the last 5:21 of regulation. The Ramblers converted two of those possessions into scores and had a pass drop on fourth down in the end zone on the other possession. J.F. Kennedy was unable to register a first down on its final two possessions of regulation. The wild comeback commenced after the Mustangs took a 21-6 lead with 9:32 left in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, J.F. Kennedy surprised Carteret with an onside kick, which the Mustangs recovered. On third down, Anthony Degiglio intercepted a pass at the Carteret 38 yard line, initiating a drive that culminated with Diario Demorla’s 15-yard touchdown reception from Zamar Brake with 5:21 left in regulation that closed the gap to 21-13. After J.F. Kennedy went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Malik Austin blocked a punt, giving Carteret the ball at the J.F. Kennedy 29 with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter. The drive ended on a dropped pass in the end zone on fourth down with 2:48 left in regulation. After the Mustangs went three-and-out again, Razell Austin returned a punt 45 yards for an apparent touchdown, but a block in the back nullified the score, giving the Ramblers possession at the J.F. Kennedy 32 with no timeouts and 1:08 left in regulation. After Brake was sacked on first down, he completed a 20-yard scoring strike to Demorla with 39 seconds left and converted the ensuing two-point conversion pass to Dwayne Sharpe to force overtime. After Brake scored on a 1-yard run in overtime, J.F. Kennedy drove to the Carteret 6 yard line in overtime. The game ended with consecutive incomplete passes into the end zone. Prediction:North Brunswick 20-16.

East Brunswick (0-2) at Monroe (0-2), noon: Monroe squandered a 10-0 halftime lead in a 28-16 season-opening loss to Edison before falling 37-0 to Old Bridge last weekend. Quarterback Fritz Frage has completed 15 of 37 passes for 175 yards. The Falcons have been limited to 144 rushing yards on 40 carries. After being deadlocked at 14-14 late in the second quarter against defending sectional champion Sayreville, the Bears eventually fell 45-21 in their season opener to the Bombers. East Brunswick lost 35-0 last weekend to Piscataway, another defending sectional champion. Zahir Jackson (32 carries for 235 yards) and James Schuld (171 yards passing and 98 yards rushing) provide East Brunswick with offensive balance. Jackson (15) and Tim Gudzak (14) are East Brunswick’s leading tacklers. Prediction: East Brunswick 21-12.

Bishop Ahr (1-1) at South River (2-0), 1 p.m.: Bishop Ahr owns a forfeit victory over Highland Park and dropped an 18-0 decision to Point Pleasant Beach last weekend. The Trojans ran the table in the Blue Division last season, winning six games including a 40-20 victory over South River. The Rams defeated Middlesex 26-20 in overtime last week and defeated three-time defending Blue Division champion Spotswood 34-7 in the season-opener. South River is the only division team with an undefeated record. With quarterback Mike DeSantis among a bevy of talented skill position players and a vastly improved defense, the Rams are the favorite to win the division. Prediction: South River 22-20.

No. 5 Old Bridge (1-1) at Manalapan (2-0), 1 p.m.: The Knights rebounded from a 35-6 loss to South Brunswick with a 37-0 blanking of Monroe. Quarterback Anthony Imbimbo rushed 25 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed a 30-yard pass and had 52 return yards. The Knights amassed 351 yards on the ground. Tyler Haughney returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown and Trevor Schwartz scored on a 22-yard run. Calogero Caruso contributed a 24-yard field goal and four extra points to the win. Zach Thomas and Manny Wheager each had an interception. Manalapan won last year’s meeting between the schools 41-0. The Braves returned the vast majority of that squad including senior quarterback Luke Corcione and senior running back Naim Mayfield. They have outscored two opponents – Marlboro and Southern - 79-0 this year. Manalapan has won 12 consecutive regular-season games dating back to 2015. Prediction: Manalapan 28-10.

Dunellen (0-1) at Highland Park (0-2), 2 p.m.: A week after forfeiting to Bishop Ahr due to a limited roster, the Owls scored a victory of sorts, taking the field in a 47-6 loss to Keansburg. Highland Park’s lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter when Jalen Smith blocked a punt that Andy Lan recovered in the end zone. Dunellen has not played since falling 28-8 to Bound Brook on Sept. 1. In that game, the Destroyers’ ground game was limited to 108 yards on 36 carries. Mike Harmon (two interceptions) anchored a defense that allowed just three touchdowns (Bound Brook’s other score came on an interception return). Jacob Sanders registered Dunellen’s lone score on a 1-yard run. Joe Olsommer led the Destroyers with 49 yards on 10 carries. Harmon, who doubles as a quarterback, attempted just four passes in Dunellen’s run-oriented offense. Prediction: Dunellen 28-7.