We’re now six weeks into the N.J. high school football season, during which we have seen teams outperform expectations, put together long winning streaks and in some cases, recover from challenging starts to the year.
In September, we listed 21 teams trending up through the first three weeks of 2022. Plenty are still seeing their stock grow while others have just recently asserted themselves amongst the hottest squads in the state.
Here is our latest list of risers, five of which return from our September post with 16 new head-turning teams.
Buy of the week: Lenape (3-2)
Lenape started 0-2 with tight losses to Wayne Valley and Shawnee, but since senior running back Zyaire Goffney-Fleming overcame a summer injury, the Indians have been on fire. A 14-13 win over Williamstown put Lenape on the board and a dominating 34-0 win over Eastern evened their record. But it was a comeback from a 17-0 deficit to stun then-No. 9 Millville, 21-17, that really put Lenape on the map and established it as a serious contender in South Jersey Group 5. The Indians will have plenty of opportunity to prove themselves down the stretch. Rival Cherokee is next, followed by showdowns with St. Joseph (Hamm.) and St. Augustine. Fran Brown has 34 tackles, two interceptions and a sack while Ty Smith has posted 28 tackles, with 7.5 for loss, four hurries and 2.5 sacks to help lead a strong and improving defense. – Bill Evans
Still trending
Old Tappan (5-0)
The Golden Knights continue to throttle their competition. They were our “buy of the week” in our first trending teams post of the season following a 28-0 win against then No. 18 Northern Highlands, and here they are at 5-0. A 35-0 win at rival Pascack Valley, a 41-0 victory over Bergenfield and an impressive 45-6 road win against River Dell give this group a reason to believe they are the most imposing public school team in the state. Head coach Brian Dunn and company have outscored their opponents by an absurd 174 points – 186-12. On deck is the meat of their schedule as Paterson Eastside and No. 11 Ramapo come to town these next two weeks. The Ghosts upset previously-ranked No. 15 Ridgewood on Saturday and the Raiders were No. 6 in the NJ.com Top 20 prior to Friday’s home loss to Northern Highlands. All-State quarterback Jack Grusser may very well be back on the field two weekends from now, which would set up one of the most anticipated public school matchups to this point. Old Tappan seems ready for any test. – Ryan Patti
Phillipsburg (5-0)
Not only do the 13th-ranked Stateliners continue to hammer away at teams with the three-pronged rushing attack comprised of Xavier Moore, John Wargo and Caleb Rivera, but their passing game is improving steadily as the season progresses. The role of sophomore Jeff Genovese has expanded appreciably since Game 1, a 14-7 victory over Sayreville in which he completed 3-of-10 passes for 34 yards. Compare that to his workload last Friday against Hunterdon Central, hitting on 11-of-15 for 199 yards and two touchdowns to fellow sophomore Matthew Scerbo. Phillipsburg has yielded only 45 points this season thanks to the gritty play of linebackers Connor Hille and Wargo, linemen Rivera and Hunter Cleaves, and defensive backs Cameron Bohal, Ryan Dech, Patrick Day and Moore. – Mike Kinney
Point Pleasant Boro (5-0)
The Panthers are playing suffocating football. Head coach Brian Staub’s flexbone, double-wing, triple-option offense is putting up points like a pinball machine. Offensively, Point Boro is No. 3 in the state in points scored behind Toms River North (247) and Newton (219). Defensively, Point Boro has allowed the fewest points in the Shore Conference (23) and is fifth statewide behind Old Tappan (12), Weequahic and Pascack Hills (20) and Westwood (21). Point Boro has posted back-to-back shutouts and three overall. It has scored more than 50 points in a game once, more than 40 twice and 39 twice. The Panthers have already gained 1,345 yards on the ground (269 per game), their running game so overpowering they have attempted only 11 passes. Junior quarterback Matt Oliphant has 614 yards rushing and 11 scores, running back Jake Croce has 374 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns and senior wingback Connor Cilento has 243 yards and three scores. Point Boro can clinch a tie for the Shore Conference Independence title with a win this week against. It ranks No. 3 in power points in South, Group 2 with 12.60 behind Haddonfield (4-0, 14.00) and Rumson-Fair Haven (3-2, 15.80). Point Boro hosts Monmouth (2-3) on Friday night at Al Saner Field. – Joe Zedalis
South Plainfield (5-0)
The Tigers needed a fourth-quarter rally to top Carteret, 13-12, on Sept. 9, but have not come close to facing that kind of late-game drama since. Behind a deep ground attack orchestrated by junior Patrick Smith and seniors Michael Green and Jason Greer, South Plainfield has outscored its last three opponents, 148-74. In their most recent game, 47-22, over Gov. Livingston last Saturday, the Tigers rolled up 370 rushing yards on 35 attempts, and Smith, Green and Greer all scaled 100 yards for the day behind the blocks of Vin Nguyen, Rob Currao and others. Linebackers Joshua Toca, Adam Bowles and Mark Molinaro also have contributed much to this remarkable turnaround story. The Tigers were 2-8 last year and a combined 2-12 in the previous two seasons. – Mike Kinney
Wayne Valley (6-0)
One of the few unbeaten teams that began its season in Week 0, Wayne Valley has stayed hot. Since our post that ran after Week 2, the Indians have rattled off wins over West Essex, Wayne Hills and West Milford, outscoring the three by a combined 95-21. Their 37-7 road win over Wayne Hills is the largest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry for the program. They also now find themselves at No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20. Head coach Roger Kotlarz credits a lot of his team’s success to the improvement of senior do-it-all standout Alex Scheuplein, a talented core of skill position players headlined by senior Danny Smith and strong defense in all three levels. Wayne Valley ends its regular season home versus Passaic Valley, at Nutley and then back home against Mount Olive. – Ryan Patti
Stock rising
Bernards (5-1)
The Mountaineers have made a stunning transformation on defense since falling to Hillside, 35-20, on Sept. 2. They have allowed only 14 points total and compiled three shutouts in the four subsequent games. Linebackers Charlie Gonella, Kai Dallimore and Daniel Ferguson, defensive lineman Pablo Britez, and backs Mitch Dakin and Nicky Koulfie have been the leaders of that unit while junior quarterback Connor Laverty steers the offense with help from running backs Koulfie and Terrence Hanratty, and a talented receiving crew powered by Enzo Britez, Tommy Hanratty and Jake Caldwell. – Mike Kinney
Colts Neck (4-1)
Terrific defense and a clock-eating rushing attack have been the formula that has propelled the Cougars to four consecutive victories and perch atop the Shore Conference Constitution Division. Since a season-opening 28-21 loss to one-loss St. John Vianney, the Cougars have won with a gritty, white-knuckle style. They crunched Freehold Borough, 50-13, then scored their most important victory of the fall, 15-7 over division favorite Jackson Memorial. It followed the Jackson win with a hard-fought 14-7 victory over Freehold Township. Last week, junior Chris Scully rushed for 191 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 28-13 triumph over Lacey. He has 934 yards on 129 carries and 11 touchdowns on the year. On the defensive side, Will Surdez, a senior linebacker, has been outstanding. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder leads the team with 52 tackles – 30 of those solo, with 10 tackles for loss. Eric Loueiro, a 6-2, 220-pound junior, has six sacks from the defensive end spot. Colts Neck sits fourth in the South 4 power points race with 17.80 behind Middletown South, Hammonton and Mainland. It faces a serious challenge when it hosts Howell (3-2) on Saturday. – Joe Zedalis
Highland (3-3)
With three losses in its first three games, Highland could have easily folded the tent and called it a day. The Tartans took a step back, looked each other in the eyes and regrouped instead. They figured out what was going wrong and came up with ways to fix their their problems. When they travel to Eastern this weekend for a WJFL Memorial matchup, the Tartans will be riding a three-game winning streak with an outside chance at still grabbing at least a share of the division title. In wins over Clearview, Absegami and district rival Timber Creek last week, Highland has averaged better than 36 points per game. Held to 278 yards and three touchdowns in the first three games, senior running back and Long Island University commit Angelo Rodriguez has rushed for 442 yards and eight touchdowns over the last three behind one of South Jersey’s top offensive lines. Highland is riding a wave of momentum right now and is playing like a team on a mission, a hungry team that’s living in the moment and not dwelling on the past. – Kevin Minnick
Hopewell Valley (5-0)
Is Hopewell Valley Mercer County’s best team? It has so far made its case coming off a 34-32 win over Nottingham. A regular-season finale against Notre Dame in a few weeks could answer the question. Quarterback Tim McKeown has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception with Justin Klotz posting 653 yards and eight scores – 300 yards and six scores coming in one game. Anish Ponam has three sacks on defense. Hopewell Valley has already tied the number of victories it had a season ago. – Bill Evans
North Hunterdon (5-1)
A fairly young 2021 squad that had some trouble closing out games (finishing 5-5) is now a senior-driven club with sound answers in the offensive balance the Lions possess. Senior quarterback Luke Martini engineers the passing attack while Kente Edwards (961 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns) and Alex Uryniak head up the ground game. North Hunterdon averages 30.6 points per game and is thus far the only team to score more than one touchdown against 13th-ranked Phillipsburg, producing three Sept. 16 in a 48-21 loss. Uryniak, one of the best linebackers in the Big Central Conference, anchors the defense along with Greg Rayl, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Schenkel and Derek Vaddis. – Mike Kinney
Palmyra (4-1)
The Panthers are trending towards their first winning season since 2015. An impressive 41-8 win over Cherry Hill East gave Palmyra a three-game winning streak. Kwinten Ives has led the way with a monster season at running back. He went over 1,000 yards in just his fifth game and has accumulated a ridiculous 17 touchdowns. He also has 18 tackles and two interceptions on defense. An intriguing showdown with Florence is on tap that could really establish the Panthers as a Group 1 playoff team. – Bill Evans
Pope John (4-1)
Pope John has struggled in recent years to string together wins. That hasn’t been the case this season. After losing to Seton Hall Prep in Week 1, the Lions have won three in a row under the guidance of second-year coach Dom Gaston. Pope John isn’t deep, but the Spartans play hard and have talented skill players who spread out the roster. Sophomore running back Tylik Hill is an explosive athlete, who has posted some big numbers in games this season. Pope John now heads into the home stretch of its schedule, with division games against Delbarton, DePaul and Hudson Catholic these next three weeks. – Luis Torres
Randolph (5-0)
Randolph has emerged as a Group 4 contender this season after beginning the year with five consecutive wins. Senior quarterback Sean Clark leads an up-tempo offense. Clark has thrown for 996 yards and 14 touchdowns against four interceptions, finding his weapons at receiver. Stephen Petruziello and Jesse Wilfong lead a two-headed rushing attack, combining to rush for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns. The defense is allowing just 15.6 points per game. Arguably Randolph’s biggest win of the season so far came on the road in East Orange, where the Rams held off a late rally. The schedule for coach Will Nahan’s team picks up over the next three weeks, with matchups against Livingston, No. 9 West Morris and Morris Knolls. – Luis Torres
Rumson-Fair Haven (3-2)
Facing its most significant rebuild in more than a decade, the Purple Bulldogs have rallied from an 0-2 start to win three games in a row and put themselves near the top of the South 2 playoff standings. RFH lost its first two games of 2022 to No. 7 Toms River North (40-27) and another former Top 20 team, Donovan Catholic (21-0). In the three games since, RFH has scored wins over Wall (44-20), Manalapan (14-10) and Southern (27-0). While its running game is still not up to its usual snuff (290 yards on 84 carries as a team), sophomore QB Owen O’Toole is coming into his own. In the last three games, O’Toole has connected on 41-of-75 passes for 620 yards and seven scores. Junior wide receiver Nick Rigby and senior Scott Venancio account for 29 catches and 498 yards. While Rumson-Fair Haven has already fallen out of the Shore Conference American Division race, the multiplier points gained from game against Donovan Catholic have them No. 2 in the South 2, UPR calculation at 1.6, just behind Haddonfield’s 1.4. – Joe Zedalis
Rutherford (5-0)
The preseason favorite in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference has lived up to its billing through five games. Rutherford has rolled in each of its games, winning by an average margin of just over 30 points per game. The offense, led by senior quarterback Van Weber, is averaging 41 points per game. Weber has thrown for 806 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions. Nick Lora has paced the ground attack, rushing for 585 yards and nine touchdowns, while the defense has racked up 10 sacks and 47 tackles for loss. – Luis Torres
St. Thomas Aquinas (5-1)
The Trojans learned a valuable lesson that has been applied dependably since their opening-season loss to Timber Creek, 26-21. St. Thomas started off that game sluggishly – down 19-0 at the half – and was unable to make up all that ground in 24 minutes despite solid play from quarterback Jayden Young, running back Joel Marellis and receivers Benjamin Bussiere and Sherief Guinyard. The Trojans have since snared the first-half lead in every game, most recently against undefeated Hillside Friday night. St. Thomas moved in front by 10 points and closed with a 17-7 win. Linebackers Israel Bey and Elijah Abass-Shereef, and linemen Jerermiah Derilhomme, Davon Grant and Steven Coghan lead the defense. – Mike Kinney
Schalick (5-1)
A Group 1 program that has struggled over the past five seasons, Schalick has turned things around in coach Mike Wilson’s third year at the helm. The Cougars have won five in a row since a 21-0 loss to Gloucester in their season opener and will take on Bishop Eustace this weekend in search of their ninth win in the last 10 games dating back to last season. They’re tied for first place in the WJFL Horizon with Gloucester Catholic, each unbeaten in three division games. Outscoring opponents 205-76, Schalick has leaned on its ground game to score points and move the chains. Sophomores Kenai Simmons (67 carries, 672 yards, 12 scores) and Reggie Allen Jr. (42 carries, 348 yards, five touchdowns) have led the way for a rushing attack that’s collected 1,829 yards and 25 touchdowns on 231 carries, an average of nearly eight yards per carry. Senior JaQuan Redfern leads its rugged defense with 72 tackles (47 solos), five tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble. Schalick’s last winning season came in 2016, winning its first six games en route to an 8-2 finish. – Kevin Minnick
Shore (4-1)
Since a 34-0 trouncing in the season-opener against undefeated Westwood, Shore has been on a tear. The Blue Devils have won four straight, outscored opponents 136-13 and scored two shutouts. Shore has also zeroed in on the Shore Conference Patriot Division title. Now 3-0 in the division, it can clinch a tie for the championship with a win at home against Point Pleasant Beach (2-3) on Friday night. Shore then has a non-divisional game against Manasquan (1-3) and a divisional showdown with Asbury Park (2-2) on Oct. 21. During the four-game winning streak, Shore gave longtime head coach Mark Costantino his 200th career victory. While Costantino has modified his Wing-T scheme to include more passing (272 yards so far), Shore still relies on the running game. The Devils have 1,145 yards on 208 attempts. They have 16 rushing touchdowns and three through the air. This fall, Shore is spreading the wealth on offense. Senior Lucas Rosa (61 carries, 327 yards), Alex George (40/280), Lucas White (40/256) and Ty Koch (42/132) have shared the rushing workload. – Joe Zedalis
Union City (4-1)
After a heartbreaking 6-3 loss to Passaic Tech to begin the season, the Soaring Eagles are playing to their potential and now sit at No. 20 in the NJ.com Top 20. Comfortable wins over Livingston (66-7) and at Montclair (31-7) and Bayonne (45-6) were followed by a 19-15 upset of then No. 11 Irvington on the rooftop in Union City on Friday. Head coach Wilbur Valdez and crew didn’t allow a defensive touchdown – surrendering a Famah Toure kick return touchdown and a Vaboue Toure scoop and score. The Soaring Eagles’ Wing-T offense has essentially been unstoppable. They have seen 10 different ball carriers combine for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns. Senior two-way lineman JaSire Peterson and junior Anthony Crawford led the way for this squad in the trenches. Defensively, they have 12 takeaways and three touchdowns. This team is playing the complementary football it needs to ahead of a stretch run of Lincoln, at Columbia and Clifton. – Ryan Patti
West Side (5-0)
The Roughriders have several new faces leading the offense this season, such as junior quarterback Nazir Smith and senior running back Joshua Medal, yet are playing as if these guys have been together for years. West Side defeated its first five opponents by an average score of 33-5, and has not had one of them finish within 17 points. Smith has passed for 1,008 yards and 12 touchdowns, Medal leads the rushers with 544 yards and six touchdowns, and Nyad Walker and Talib McLean pace a deep and talented receiving corps. The Roughriders’ stingy defense is led by linebackers Rashaad Williams and Tahir Davies, linemen Nysir Henderson and Nasir Williams, and defensive backs Tylif Gary and Darrell Barrow Jr. – Mike Kinney
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Bill Evans covers the West Jersey Football League. He can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports
Mike Kinney covers the Big Central Conference and Super Football Conference. He can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeKinneyHS
Kevin Minnick covers the West Jersey Football League. He can be reached at kminnick@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kminnicksports
Ryan Patti covers the Super Football Conference and NJIC. He can be reached at rpatti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanwpatti
Luis Torres covers the Super Football Conference and NJIC. He can be reached at ltorres@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByLuisTorres
Joe Zedalis covers the Shore Conference. He can be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Josephzedalis