2022 Football Playoffs - Group 2 Preview
North 2 Section 1
1 Rutherford vs 8 Mahwah
2 Westwood vs 7 Hanover Park
3 Madison vs 6 Jefferson
4 Dumont vs 5 West Side
North 2 Section 2
1 Caldwell vs 8 High Point
2 Newton vs 7 Becton
3 Glen Rock vs 6 Ridgefield Park
4 Ramsey vs 5 Bernards
Central 2
1 Point Pleasant Boro vs 8 Overbrook
2 Haddonfield vs 7 Cinnaminson
3 Gloucester vs 6 West Deptford
4 Willingboro vs 5 New Providence
South 2
1 Raritan vs 8 Middle Township
2 Rumson-Fair Haven vs 7 Monmouth
3 Oakcrest vs 6 Delaware Valley
4 Pleasantville vs 5 Johnson
The Favorite
Caldwell
- 8-0, 1st seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: North Group 2 Regional Champions
- Can Caldwell be stopped? That will be answered in the all-out brawl that is going to be the North Group 2 bracket this season. Caldwell boasts the longest winning streak in the state, and are favorites to repeat this upcoming season. Harry Boland is a star no matter where you put him on the field, and running back Joey Marinello has rushed for 794 yards in an offense with a lot of mouths to feed. Add this to the fact that they now have two quarterbacks that can sling it in Luke Kurzum and Louie Anemone, first-year head coach Todd Romano has plenty of options. If you thought their offense was scary, you should see the defense. They have combined for a whopping 26 sacks and 11 takeaways. Caldwell is a well-oiled machine and rolling towards another date with destiny
Rutherford
- 8-0, 2nd seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: Lost to Jefferson in Sectional Final
- Rutherford battled out a win against Wood-Ridge to secure the NJIC Championship, and secured the second number one seed over Newton. The Rutherford offense is absolutely ridiculous, with over 3,100 yards in a balanced attack led by quarterback Van Weber, receiver Ryan Ward, and running backs Nick Lora and Cole Goumas. With 11 takeaways and 12 sacks, the defense has players across the board. They also have yet to allow more than 17 points all season. Rutherford has one championship under it’s belt already, and the quest for another starts now.
Point Bleasant Boro
- 8-0, 1st seed in UPR South 2 Rankings
- Last season: Lost to Haddonfield in Group 2 South Regional Championship
- Point Pleasant Boro finished their season undefeated, grinding out a win against a great St. John Vianney team in the final week. They open as favorites in the South, and for good reason. Boro has a dominant rushing attack led by Matt Oliphant, Jake Croce, and Connor Cilento. This offense has put up 39 points or more in six of their games. The defense is just as dominant, shutting out opponents in half of their matchups. Point Pleasant Boro is the favorite in the South, and have a good opportunity to win an outright state championship.
Newton
- 8-0, 4th seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: Second round loss to Jefferson
- To understand how good North Group 2 is this season, you can look at this example right here. Newton did not get a one seed, they got a two seed and will potentially have to face Caldwell in their sectional final. I do not want to get ahead of myself, but that has the state’s game of the year written all over it. Their offense is spearheaded by a 1,000 yard rusher in Brayden Nolan and a 900 yard rusher in Thaylor Sibblies. They also have four other rushers with over 100 yards. The Newton option game is amazing and quarterback Rob McCullough runs it to perfection. Their defense is even more ferocious, with 15 interceptions and top coverage guys Sibblies and Demarius Posey combining for 9 of those. Newton ran over a talented Walkill Valley team, curb-stomped a top Ramsey team, and overcame a 14 point deficit at the half on the road in Sparta’s Death Valley in a highly anticipated and phyiscal rivalry game. Is their anything Newton cannot do?
The Contenders
Westwood
- 8-0, 3rd seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: Sectional semifinals loss to Caldwell
- Westwood finished undefeated, with quality wins over River Dell and Ramsey. Dual-threat quarterback Robbie Carcich leads the offense with almost 1,600 total yards. He’s joined by running back Jack Dugan with almost 700 yards. In total, this Westwood team has rushed for 2,267 yards as a unit. There ground game is top notch and their defense is just as good. With 11 sacks and 13 takeaways, plenty of momentum shifting plays happen on the defensive side of the ball. Dario Mathurin is impossible to block and it has led him to a five sack and 41 tackle season. With an unblemished record, Westwood could cut down some top teams in the state.
Haddonfield
- 5-2, 4th seed in UPR South 2 Rankings
- Last season: South Group 2 Regional Champions
- Haddonfield sits at 5-2, but they are one of the best teams in the South playoff picture. Those two losses have come to top teams in Camden and Woodstown. With a win over Woodbury, Haddonfield knows they can make some noise in the playoffs. As the reigning champions of South 2, they have a lot to play for. This linebacker corps, with Patrick Ryan and Johnny Mink at the helm, wreak havoc on opposing offenses. This allows a multi-faceted offense to set up shop and go to work in games. Never count Haddonfield out of a game.
Glen Rock
- 7-1, 5th seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: First round exit to Waldwick
- Glen Rock put together an amazing season, but a blowout loss to Rutherford raises question marks about their ability to play in big games. They seemed to oust that fire last week, picking up a stellar victory over Park Ridge. Quarterback Andrew Knight has almost 1,600 total yards and has assistance in the backfield at the running back position. His favorite target is Tony Atme, who has hauled in seven touchdowns on the season. Their defense is a powerhouse, with an eye-popping 27 sacks and 6 interceptions. Glen Rock has a rough path to the state championship, but the skill on this squad is undeniable.
Raritan
- 6-2, 2nd seed in UPR South 2 Rankings
- Last season: Lost to Haddonfield in Sectional Finals
- Raritan is among the best when on their A-game, earning quality wins throughout the season. However, they did get dropped off 39-0 by Point Pleasant Boro and suffered a bitter 34-13 defeat at the hands of Ocean Township. How far this team goes depends on which version shows up. Will we consistently see the Raritan that beat St. John Vianney or the one who could not pull it together against Ocean Twp? The pieces are in place for Raritan, and it is their move in an open South 2.
The Sleepers
Jefferson
- 5-3, 11th seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: Regional championship loss to Caldwell
- Jefferson was the cinderella road warriors of the playoffs last year, and have a great build to do it again. While their defense has taken a step back, the offense is arguable just as good. Quarterback Ryan Moran has burst onto the scene, throwing for 1,829 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has a three receiver set featuring Travis Osterhout, Jason Eisele, and Jacob Studnick. The defense has put up some gaudy numbers, including 540 total team tackles and 10 sacks. However, they do let games get away from them sometimes and that includes offensive turnovers. If Jefferson can play to their full potential, a state championship opportunity may await.
Madison
- 6-2, 6th seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: Did not qualify for playoffs
- Madison has a defense that will break you down piece-by-piece until you have no confidence left. Defense wins championships, and if Madison makes it to the final round it will be because of that unit. Their offense has been clicking the past two weeks, an encouraging sign for a team that need to push as hard as they can to navigate a challenging bracket. A three-man backfield featuring Gregory Randall, Anthony Contessa, and Jayson Candelario takes precious time off the clock and puts the ball in the endzone.
Bernards
- 8-1, 9th seed in UPR North 2 Rankings
- Last season: Lost to Haddonfield in Sectional semifinals
- Bernards only loss came to Hillside, and they have shut out opponents in six games this season. To say they are flying under the radar would be an understatement. They face a tough task with Ramsey in the first round, but if they move past them there are plenty of potential upsets. Quarterback Connor Laverty threw for over 1,000 yards and is getting love from plenty of colleges. They also had two rushers go for over 400 yards in Nicky Koulfie and Terrence Hanratty. Receiver Jake Caldwell was in the 400 yard club as well. The defense is this team’s main assest, especially in coverage. They came down with 11 interceptions and did not let up much threw the air. Add that to 456 total team tackles and you have a winning recipe going into playoffs and a chip on your shoulder.
Delaware Valley
- 6-2, 11th seed in UPR South 2 Rankings
- Last season: First round exit to New Providence
- Delaware Valley returned two great offensive player in quarterback Jack Bill and running back Patrick Garlinghouse, and they both delivered. They anchored an offense that scored 30+ points on five separate occasions. You add that offense to a defense with 17 takeaways and a 77 total tackler in Anderson Olcott and the talent is there for a run. This team still has a lot of young players, but the amount of senior leadership could let them take a deep run.