By Joe Zedalis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
School records, Top 20 teams tumble
On the first night of the season when it actually felt like fall, upsets, ferocious comebacks and huge performances highlighted Friday night of Week 6 in New Jersey. NJ.com looks at the biggest game and noteworthy performances in hot takes. Check back regularly on Saturday for updates to the list.
You ought to be in pictures
NJ.com Week 6 photo galleries:
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Bergen Catholic vs. St. Peter's Prep
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Whippany Park vs. Mountain Lakes
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West Windsor-Plainsboro South vs. Princeton
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Allentown vs. St. Joseph (Hamm.)
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Joe Zedalis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Scores, links
• Football: LIVE COVERAGE, results and links for Week 6
• Week 6 statewide schedule/scoreboard
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Bergen Catholic leaves no doubt
Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.cm
In a battle between the state’s top two-ranked teams, No. 2 Bergen Catholic left no doubt in a 41-14 victory over No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep behind another dominant rushing performance. In total, Bergen Catholic rushed 58 times for 298 yards and four touchdowns against a defense that features three Notre Dame commits. QB Johnny Langan led the charge with 25 carries for 129 yards and three touchdowns, Josh McKenzie added 21 carries for 125 yards and one touchdown and Rahmir Johnson chipped in with 10 carries for 54 yards. Jordan Morant and Javontae Jean-Baptiste provided the play of the game in the second quarter, when Morant came on a corner blitz and registered a vicious sack/forced fumble, scooped up by Jean-Baptiste, who rumbled with it 48 yards for the score to put BC ahead, 21-7. The Bergen Catholic defense recorded five sacks and limited SPP to just 185 yards of total offense.
Westfield escape Elizabeth for 31st-straight win
Jake Vall-Llobera ran for a 34-yard touchdown that proved to be the game-winner as Westfield, No. 17 in the NJ.com Top 20, avoided an upset at the hands of Elizabeth with a 13-6 victory over Elizabeth at Rutgers University for the Blue Devils’ state-best 31st straight win.
MORE: Nottingham football wins fifth game in a row with 21-16 win over Notre Dame
Absegami survives
Andrew Marcucci completed 26-of-39 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns to propel Absegami to a 36-31 victory over Triton. Josh Coursey had 15 receptions for 246 yards and four TDs for Absegami.
Livingston wins by a whisker
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
Jack Ernst completed 15-of-21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns and Tyrell Garnes added 30 carries for 190 yards and one TD to lift Livingston to a 28-27 victory over Bloomfield in Livingston. Jeremey Witherspoon had 23 carries for 288 yards and four TDs to pace Bloomfield.
MORE: Zaire Jones returns, carries Salem past Gloucester (with PHOTOS)
Penns Grove overpowers Florence
Jesse Bair | For NJ Advance Media
Kavon Lewis completed 12-of-15 passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns to power Penns Grove to a 52-0 victory over Florence in Florence. Tyreke Brown had six catches for 157 yards and three TDs, Joshua Martin added four catches for 165 yards and a score, and Samej Moore had 12 carries for 115 yards to pace a balanced attack for Penns Grove.
Stewart saves No. 4 St. Joe (Mont.)
No. 4 St. Joseph (Mont.) led by 20 points with 10 minutes to play, but was forced to hang on for a 20-14 win after a late flurry from No. 6 Pope John. Evan Stewart – who scored what proved to be the game-winning TD on a 2-yard run in the third quarter – intercepted a pass with 1:35 left that killed Pope John’s rally and sealed St. Joseph’s win.
MORE: No. 9 Vineland football rolls to 55-21 win over Clearview (PHOTOS)
Ferguson, Morris Knolls run wild
Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
Morris Knolls (4-2) made it four straight wins on Saturday by grabbing a 41-20 win over West Morris (4-2). Derek Ferguson was the spark plug, rushing for three TDs on the afternoon. Ferguson opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD, broke a 73-yard TD later in the first quarter and helped ice the game with a 7-yard TD in the third.
Puccio boots Watchung to victory in OT
YouTube
Brian Puccio provided all of Watchung Hills’ offense in a 9-6 OT victory over Plainfield, kicking a 33-yard field goal for the first points, tying the game at 6-6 with another 33-yarder as time expired and then banging a 29-yarder in overtime for the game-winning points.
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Freehold's Worthy is great late
Freehold Borough’s senior quarterback Ashante Worthy, who handles the ball on every play, had enough gas left in the tank to take off on a 53-yard run in the fourth quarter that sparked Freehold Borough to a 35-28 victory over intra-district rival Colts Neck, 35-28. Freehold has won two straight games
Steinert 'D' stout again
Larry Murphy | For NJ Advance Media
The Steinert defensive unit came to play again Saturday when the Spartans limited Hopewell Valley to 146 yards of total offense in a 20-2 West Jersey Football League victory. The Steinert defense has allowed has allowed a mere 15 points in its last five games — all victories
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Keansburg playing like Titans
Break up Keansburg! The Titans, behind their first shutout since 2008, won their third-straight game Saturday, blanking Sussex Tech, 19-0. Senior quarterback Gary Vital had another big day for Keansburg. He threw TD passes to Joseph Osterby (53 yards) and two, 10-yard scoring strikes to Jashawn Martin.
Russo stars on offense, defense for Nutley
George McNish | For NJ Advance Media
Vincent Russo had the game-tying and game-winning touchdown grabs as well as a fumble recovery in overtime that clinched the victory in a 21-14 win for Nutley over Orange. It was Russo’s second fumble recovery of the game, and helped Nutley move to 3-3 after losing its first three games of the season.
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Rams, Rams, Rams: South River is 6-0
South River got rushing touchdowns from Michael DeSantis, Billy Drum and Tarrio Kelly while Terry Outlaw returned a punt for a touchdown in a 49-20 victory over Highland Park that moved the Rams to 6-0 on the season.
Newark Central dominates crosstown rival
Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The Newark Central defense recorded seven sacks and forced two turnovers as it defeated West Side, 33-14. Oluefella Sadik had three sacks and an interception to lead the way defensively while Steph Parker and Safee Campbell combined for 331 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
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J.P. Stevens honors electrocuted classmate
The J.P. Stevens student body came together at Friday night’s GMC game against Perth Amboy to honor a fellow student injured while climbing a steel railroad trestle Tuesday in Metuchen. The MyCentralJersey.com report identified the student as Lance Vargas, a 132-pounder wrestler for J.P. Stevens. According to the report, Vargas, 17, of Edison fell 30 feet after being electrocuted. He suffered burns on 70 percent of his body. He was in the St. Barnabas hospital burn unit. J.P. Stevens female student had blue hearts on their cheeks, painted with love. The boys sported blue bandanas and blue stripes next to their nose. A large sign underneath the press box said, “We wear blue for the fighter in you.”
A Southern shocker
Senior Joe Miele led a spirited Southern defensive effort Friday night when the Rams held Brick to under 50 yards of offense in a 20-7 upset of the division-leading Green Dragons. Miele also rushed for 80 yards and intercepted a pass.
MORE: Hightstown football unable to overcome slow start in loss to Moorestown
Monmouth's immaculate reception
Senior Ian Fitzgerald gathered in a pass that was tipped by two Red Bank Regional defenders Friday night and miracle Monmouth took advantage of a missed Red Bank PAT for a 28-27 win in overtime. Monmouth improved to 6-1. Fitzgerald also scored on the back end of a 90-yard hook-and-lateral with three minutes left in regulation that tied the score, 21-21.
Bryant, Bordentown run past Palmyra
Phil McAuliffe | For NJ Advance Media
Jayden Bryant carried the ball 34 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns and Bordentown romped over Palmyra, 45-28. Bordentown finished with 305 yards rushing as a team.
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Keyport gets 1st win
Keyport received a pair of rushing TDs from Greg Robinson and one touchdown throwing and running fro Matt Twigg and the Raiders ended a five-game losing streak with a 39-20 victory over Dunellen on Friday night.
Is Northern Highlands for real?
George McNish | For NJ Advance Media
If Northern Highlands was trying to send a message Friday night, it was successful. The Highlanders steamrolled Mahwah, 42-0, behind six touchdowns and 485 yards of total offense and a defense that suffocated Mahwah throughout the night. RB Mario Agyen rushed 16 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns — both in the first half as Northern Highlands built a 14-0 halftime lead. The Highlanders exploded for 28 second-half points to initiate a running clock in the second half against the reigning North 1, Group 2 champions.
RELATED: PHOTOS: Belvidere blanks South Hunterdon
WATCH: North Bergen's Michael Santini make bit hit vs. Dickinson
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Michael Santini, a senior running back-linebacker, scored three touchdowns and a two-point coversion Friday night and helped 5-1 North Bergen smash Dickinson, 41-6.
Pero's big game powers Colonia
Colonia has put all the pieces together the past two weeks. On Friday night, Colonia received 232 yards and four touchdowns from Luke Pero in a 35-7 romp over South Plainfield. The Colonia defense also came up big. The Colonia defense has only allowed 14 points in the last two games.
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Brigati, Gennarelli power Passaic Valley
Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Vincenzo Brigati and Anthony Gennarelli both scored three touchdowns as Passaic Valley defeated Indian Hills, 56-14. Brigati finished the night with 177 yards and three touchdowns on 10 rushing attempts as Gennarelli amassed 50 yards and three scorings on four carries.
High Point breezes behind Musilli
Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Chad Musilli had four rushing touchdowns – all in the first half – to lead High Point in a 47-12 victory over Kittatinny. Musilli finished with 20 carries for 136 yards and scored on rushes of 9, 1, 4 and 30 yards in the victory, which pushed High Point to 4-2 on the season.
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Mayfield magnificent for No. 10 Manalapan
Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Manalapan’s senior tailback Naim Mayfield carried 25 times for 273 yards and scored five touchdowns, powering No. 10 Manalapan to a 49-28 victory over No. 18 Howell in a match-up of unbeaten. Mayfield had 345 yards of total offense. Mayfield, who is patient and explosive, scored on touchdown runs of 16, 33, 9, 72 and 7 yards. He had 131 yards on 16 carries in the first half. He added 142 yards on nine carries in the second half. He gained positive yardage of 23 of his 25 carries.
Old Bridge stuns No. 19 Piscataway ... again
For the second straight season, Old Bridge upset Piscataway. Liam Knowles and Tino Sacasa had interception returns for touchdowns in a 24-20 victory for the Old Bridge. Piscataway was previously undefeated, the top team in the GMC rankings and No. 19 in the NJ.com Top 20. The victory for Old Bridge came despite Piscataway outgaining Old Bridge, 306 to 167.
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Middlesex knocks off Shore in OT
John Kressbach's 25-yard touchdown pass and ensuing two-point conversion was the difference as Middlesex took out Shore, 22-21, in overtime on the road. Zack Godrey caught the game-winning pass and also caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Devin Lanza left in regulation that tied the score at 14.
Irish eyes are smiling
David Gard | For NJ Advance Media
The story of how Camden Catholic’s 26-game South Jersey winning streak ended was being written. The Irish were down 21-3 in the fourth quarter. They were on their own 4-yard line. But QB Rob McCoy shook off a rough first three quarters and Marcus Hillman, who finished with 177 yards and a forced fumble, scored twice as Camden Catholic scored 22 unanswered points in just over seven minutes to stun Shawnee, 25-22.
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RELATED: N.J. football Week 6 mega-coverage guide: Everything you need for the games
Jack Baker serves up OT win for Mountain Lakes
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
Mountain Lakes’ offense was powerless for most of the night, but came to life down the stretch in a 14-7 overtime win against previously undefeated Whippany Park. Quarterback Jack Baker hit Jake Schicke with a 72-yard TD pass to tie the game with 2:02 left, then found Jake Marshall with an 11-yard score in overtime to put Mountain Lakes – which had tallied just 50 yards over the first 46 minutes – in front.
Clifton's comeback kids
John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Clifton erased a 19-point deficit in the final 4:46 of the game and survived a thriller when junior David Martinez scored the game-winning points with a pinball-esque, 13-yard touchdown run that give Clifton a 32-26 win over Paterson Kennedy in overtime on Friday. Martinez finished with 157 yards on 24 carries.
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Edison rally jolts New Brunswick
Dean Escobar ran three yards for a touchdown with 13 seconds left to cap off a dramatic comeback in a 26-23 victory over New Brunswick. Donavan Benoit had 78 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the win. Edison trailed by as much as 10 points in the game before its comeback.
Home Sweet Home for West Windsor-Plainsboro South
Phil McAuliffe | For NJ Advance Media
West Windsor-Plainsboro South won at home for the first time since 2013 with an emphatic 48-13 victory over Princeton. Max Bruno threw for two TDs and ran for another for WW-P South, which had lost the last 16 straight at home before Friday night.
MORE: NJ.com football Top 20, Group and conference rankings through Week 5
Verona wins despite coaching controversy
Ed Murray | For NJ.com
Verona was a heavy favorite against North Warren and played like it despite dealing with a bit of controversy with news breaking that veteran coach Lou Racioppe had been suspended this week while dealing with an investigation. Verona defeated North Warren, 40-0, with Ray Bowes serving as head coach instead of Raciope, who has guided Verona to four sectional titles in his 20-year tenure.
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St. Joe (Hamm.) grounds Allentown
Larry Murphy | For NJ Advance Media
Jada Byers rushed 11 times for 147 yards and four touchdowns, Nate Johnson carried 20 times for 120 yards and two scores and Qwahsin Townsel added 11 carries for 105 and two more scores as St. Joseph (Hamm.) beat Allentown 58-26. The trio combined for 32 carries for 372 yards and eight TDs
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Jachera pushes Pequannock to 6-0
George McNish | For NJ Advance Media
Dave Jachera tallied five touchdowns as Pequannock defeated Hanover Park, 46-26, to remain undefeated. Jachera, a senior quarterback, threw for TDs of 7 and 44 yards and rushed for TDs of 34, 36 and 5 yards in the win.
Solid gold quarter for Delsea
Delsea running back Aiden Borguet ran for 172 yards in the third quarter and 283 yards in the game as the Crusaders used a big second half to knock off Kingsway, 49-32. Bourguet ran for touchdowns of 7, 53 and 90 yards in the frame. Delsea needed Bourguet’s heroics because Kingsway QB Joel Scerbo threw for 252 yards and ran for 173.
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Somerville explodes
Somerville got a standout performance from Jalahan Dabney (114 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown) as well as rushing touchdowns from Robbie Fiorentino, Ryan Pedrani and Kyree Hinton in a 60-7 over Gov. Livingston.
Hackettstown gets hot, tops Lenape Valley
After falling behind by eight early, Hackettstown tallied 28 consecutive points to grab a 28-14 win over Lenape Valley. T.J. Sciaretta returned a kickoff 84 yards for a TD, Anthony Caputo scored on runs of 2 and 49 yards and Brandon Kuehner punched in a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter – all before Lenape Valley eventually got on the board again.
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Brick Memorial's Thorpe sets TD mark
Russ Desantis | For NJ Advance Media
Senior Tony Thorpe rushed for 191 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns and set a school record for TDs in a career with 42 in a 35-13 victory over Toms River East Friday night. Brick Memorial has won five-straight games.
A Weequahic whopper for Leverette, Bruton
Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
After being held to just 73 yards of offense last week, Weequahic unloaded a doozy Friday in a 42-8 victory over Glen Ridge as running backs Robert Leverette and Charles Bruton combined for 561 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Leverette ran for 304 yards on 19 carries and punched in four touchdowns. Bruton also had 19 carries, and went for 257 yards with two touchdowns.
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Happy homecoming for Holy Spirit's Zamot
Kristian Gonyea | For NJ Advance Media
Holy Spirit quarterback Josh Zamot ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns and picked off a pass in his return to St. Augustne, where he played the first three years of his career. Zamot led the Spartans to a 22-17 win over his former team.
Franklin shocks Union
One of the more stunning results of Friday in the Mid-State 38 was Franklin's 14-13 victory over Union. Tony Scott and Dalen Merricks both had touchdowns runs in the victory while a missed PAT doomed Union.
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Verano bounces back for Bridgewater-Raritan
John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
After throwing three interceptions in the final three minutes of the first half, Greg Verano had two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in the second half as Bridgewater-Raritan held off LInden for a 28-12 victory.
Roche's passing leads Burlington City
Larry Murphy | For NJ Advance Media
Absegami survives
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Spotswood hangs on
Shea Obado and Chance Fee had two rushing touchdowns each and Spotswood's defense broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down to save a 28-22 victory over Point Pleasant Beach.
Cinnaminson Ruffin it
David Gard | For NJ Advance Media
Shawn Ruffin, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound sophomore quarterback completed only four passes Friday night, but 3 went for touchdowns in Cinnaminson’s 28-0 victory over Collingswood. Ruffin completed two scoring passes to Mark Ruiz on throws of 10 and 17 yards and another to John Meeks from five yards out.
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A sterling performance
Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media
Sterling bounced back from a 34-33 loss to West Deptford last week by knocking off Group 4 Highland, 29-14, a win that should propel the now 4-1 Silver Knights to a playoff berth. QB C.J. Barrett accounted for 219 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
North Brunswick gets win No. 4
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
Myles Bailey had 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns as North Brunswick cruised past Iselin Kennedy, 40-14, for its fourth win of the season. The Raiders had three combined victories in the previous two seasons.
Kinney carries Belvidere
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
David Kinney had three rushing touchdowns, accounting for nearly all of Belvidere's offense in a 28-0 shutout win over South Hunterdon.
Union City trio breaks 100 yards
John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Union City had three running backs rush for at least 100 yards in Friday’s 56-7 win over Memorial. Jean Alvarez rushed for three touchdowns and 139 yards on nine carries to lead the way while Izayah Reyez added 14 carries for 121 yards and and two touchdowns and Devin Gonzalez racked up 100 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Overall, Union City rushed for seven touchdowns.
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Sayreville responds
Mark Sullivan | For NJ Advance Media
Sayreville got a strong performance from Connor Holmes who had 119 rushing yards on just eight carries with two touchdowns in a 47-7 victory over Monroe to bounce back from back-to-back heartbreaking losses.
Passaic Tech pitches third shutout
George McNish | For NJ Advance Media
Since its opening-week loss to Montclair, Passaic Tech has won five games in a row and has only surrendered 19 points. Passaic Tech got its most-recent dominant defensive showing Friday night when it shutout Passaic in a 19-0 victory. Passaic Tech also shutout Clifton, held Hackensack to six points and Union City to 13. Union City’s other shutout was against Bergen Tech on Sept. 14.
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DeSantis gets job done for West Orange
Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Senior quarterback Vince Desantis threw for 190 yards and four touchdowns to lead West Orange to a 41-14 victory over Barringer. DeSantis threw all four of his touchdowns to four different receivers as he completed 12 of his 16 passes.
Tyler's big plays power Summit
George McNish | For NJ Advance Media
Jackson Tyler ran for touchdowns of 54 and 77 yards while Skyler Schluter connected with Max Hayford for two touchdowns, t in a 31-13 victory for Summit over Cranford, the first time in four years the Hilltoppers won a game in the series.
RELATED: Which Rutgers football recruits put forth top performances this last weekend?
West Essex knocks off Parsippany Hills
Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
West Essex is no stranger to close games, and it took another one to hand Parsippany Hills its first loss of the season Friday. Kicker Patrick Delahanty hit a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter and Vincent Scaglia scored a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth to help West Essex erase a second-half deficit and defeat Parsippany Hills, 24-21. West Essex is now 3-1 in games decided on the last play or three points of less.
Manville magic continues
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
Manville's magic season continued with Nick Firth scoring a tie-breaking touchdown on the ground in the fourth quarter to give the Mustangs a 14-7 victory over Brearley.
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Irby, Lewis fuel Hillside
Freehold Township remains undefeated
Freehold Townhip’s multi-faceted offense claimed another victory Friday night when the Patriots pounded Jackson Liberty, 31-6, to go 6-0. Quarterback Nick Reardon passed for 200 yards and three TDs. He also ran for a score. Receiver Pat Larry caught three balls for 85 yards and a TD. Receiver Kevin Dougherty caught two TD strikes.
Saed Hindash | For NJ Advance Media
6/6 New Providence against Brearley Friday night at Brearley High School. High School Football icons. (Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)HSSPORTS
David Gard | For NJ Advance Media
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