NJSIAA Football Group 4 Playoff Preview: Can a Shore team break through against state powers Winslow and Millville?

Shore Sports Insider is breaking down the NJSIAA public school playoffs with previews on each bracket involving Shore Conference teams. A total of 22 Shore teams have qualified for the playoffs across all five groups and nine different sections. Here is what to watch for beginning this Friday night when the battle for a state championship begins across New Jersey.

 

GROUP 4

2023 Champion: Mainland (now in Group 3)

 

Central Jersey Group 4

8-Red Bank at 1-Millville

5-Toms River South at 4-Marlboro

6-Jackson Memorial at 3-Central 

7-Northern Burlington at 2-Brick Memorial

 

The Favorite: Millville

The Thunderbolts might not have the same aura of dominance they’ve had the past two seasons, but they are still one of the state’s most explosive teams with a championship pedigree. They are coming off a 27-21 loss to St. Augustine and were blown out by Winslow, 35-7, in a marquee matchup a month ago, but Millville has multiple quality wins over playoff teams. They hold victories over six playoff teams: Holy Spirit, Atlantic City, Mainland, Washington Township, Delsea and Cherokee.

The first name that likely comes to mind when mentioning Millville is senior wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks. The Alabama commit has been electric since he stepped onto the field as a freshman and holds the state records for career receiving yards (4,243) and receiving touchdowns (63). He enters the playoffs with 38 receptions for 888 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is Millville’s top offensive threat and the No. 1 target for sophomore quarterback Robert O’Connor, who has thrown for 1,471 yards with 19 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Senior running back Jamal Wallace is the team’s leading rusher with 536 yards and six touchdowns. The Thunderbolts are averaging 33.5 points per game.

Millville’s defense allows 13.8 points per game and has recorded one shutout. Senior defensive lineman Darian Blachewicz has a team-high five sacks and junior Shermar Collins leads the team with 69 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. Sophomore Darnell Williams has two of the team’s five interceptions.

Millville has won four sectional titles in seven appearances and holds a 24-16 playoff record across 20 appearances all-time. They won the inaugural Group 4 state title in 2022.

 

Contender: Brick Memorial

If there is a team that can push Millville it appears to be No. 2 seed Brick Memorial. You’re not going to beat the Thunderbolts in a defensive battle. It’s going to take a big offensive effort and the Mustangs have that capability with junior quarterback Jason Lajara leading an offense that averages 28.1 points per game and has multiple playmakers. In his first year as the Mustangs’ starter after taking over for Connor Dietz, who holds nearly every Brick Memorial offensive record, Lajara has thrown for 1,410 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 608 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Senior running back Kevin Andrews has over 2,000 yards rushing for his career but has been out of action with an injury since an October 4 win over Southern. Junior Nazeer Whittaker has done an excellent job stepping in as the starter to rush for 333 yards and three touchdowns in the last three weeks. Junior wide receiver Nyzier Matthews is the team’s leading receiver with 23 catches for 618 yards and six touchdowns. The Mustangs also have a big-play threat in sophomore Shawn Fowler, who is averaging 26 yards per reception with 210 yards and two touchdowns on just eight catches. Whittaker along with junior tight end Trey Tallmadge, senior tight end Matt Hillin and junior wideout Ricky Dillon have also made impact plays.

Brick Memorial has the athletes to attempt to match up with Millville’s passing attack, although slowing down Brooks is a challenge they haven’t faced before. Tallmadge is the leader of the defense and his return from a three-game absence has been huge for Brick Memorial. The Mustangs have posted two straight shutouts entering the playoffs with wins over Toms River South and Jackson Memorial. Brick Memorial doesn’t create a ton of negative plays but thrives on forcing turnovers. Fowler has intercepted three passes and returned two of them for touchdowns. Matthews has two interceptions and the Mustangs have eight altogether. They have also recovered six fumbles.

On special teams, the Mustangs have a reliable kicker with sophomore Jack Marotta, who has kicked three field goals with a long of 32 yards and is 21-for-25 on extra points. Brick Memorial also has a favorable path to the sectional final. The Mustangs host a 4-5 Northern Burlington team in the first round. They would then face either sixth-seeded Jackson Memorial or No. 3 Central in the semifinals. They just beat Jackson, 37-0, in the regular-season finale and won 34-0 over a Toms River South team that just knocked off Central in Week 8

Brick Memorial’s last sectional title came in 2008 when it won the Central Jersey Group 4 title as the No. 5 seed. This year’s group has the goods to win the program’s third title but they’ll have to get through a juggernaut to do so.

 

Shore Shots: Brick Memorial, Central, Marlboro, Toms River South, Jackson Memorial

Brick Memorial’s prospects were mentioned above. Central and Jackson will duke it out in an interesting quarterfinal matchup with the winner being a significant underdog against Brick Memorial in the semifinals given the results referenced previously. If junior running back Jonah Glenn is available for Jackson that would significantly change things, but he hasn’t played in two weeks as an injury has largely derailed his season after two straight 200-yard games to open the year.

The 4 vs. 5 matchup between host Marlboro and Toms River South should be a good one, but the winner gets to drive down to Millville for the semifinals. Both teams are coming in with momentum after the Indians took down previously undefeated Central to claim a share of the Class B South division title, while Marlboro has won three games in a row and was a sectional finalist last season. Both teams lean heavily on their running games with Toms River South senior Jake Henehan and Marlboro senior Christian LaFonte. When they are over 100 yards with multiple touchdowns their team usually wins so that game appears to be about which team can win at the point of attack and get their tailback going.

 

Non-Shore Player to Watch: Lotzeir Brooks, Sr., WR, Millville

Brooks is one of the top wide receiver recruits in the country, is committed to Alabama and holds state records for career receiving yards and touchdowns. He is an ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 highlight waiting to happen.

 

South Jersey Group 4

8-Princeton at 1-Winslow

5-Pennsauken at 4-Manalapan

6-Middletown South at 3-Shawnee

7-Steinert at 2-Middletown North

 

The Favorite: Winslow

As formidable as Millville is in the Central Jersey Group 4 section, Winslow’s presence casts an even bigger shadow in South Jersey Group 4.

The Eagles are a powerhouse team that has blown out nearly every team they’ve faced this season to enter the playoffs with a 9-0 record and as the top-ranked public school in the state. Their performances this season have been so impressive that they jumped over two-time defending Group 5 champions Toms River North (9-0) in the NJ.com Top 20. All nine of their wins have come by at least two touchdowns, including dominant victories over Millville, Camden and Mainland.

Their head coach is former Penn State standout running back Bill Belton and they boast three of New Jersey’s top recruits for an offense that averages 40.1 points per game and a defense that has allowed just 6.4 points per game with four shutouts. Senior cornerback/wide receiver Cam Miller is committed to Wisconsin, senior safety Marcus Upton is committed to Boston College and senior wide receiver Karon Brookins is committed to Iowa State. Junior Nyqir Helton leads the team in receiving with 33 catches for 568 yards and 8 touchdowns, Miller has 485 yards and 7 touchdowns, Upson has 362 yards and 4 touchdowns and junior NaKeem Powell has 346 yards and 7 touchdowns. Jalen Parker started at quarterback as a freshman and had a great season, and has taken his play up a notch with 1,934 yards passing and 28 touchdowns. Sophomore Roman Duckett is the Eagles’ lead back with 432 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.

The explosive, big-play potential extends to the defensive side of the ball. Winslow has 32 sacks, 66 tackles for loss, 14 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries. Junior defensive lineman Rob Carstarphen has a team-high 8 sacks, sophomore defensive lineman Ben Carter has six sacks, and sophomore linebacker Ausar Heard has a team-high 74 tackles. Powell and Upton have three interceptions each for a ball-hawking unit that has returned three picks for touchdowns.

Winslow has won two sectional titles in program history and both have come in the last three seasons. They were 10-3 last season and beat Long Branch 41-7 in the sectional final before running into a 14-0 Mainland team in the Group 4 semifinals. Now, they enter the postseason as the favorite to win the Group 4 state championship.

 

Contenders: Middletown North, Shawnee

Middletown North is in the middle of a historic season as the Lions enter the playoffs with an undefeated record for the first time since 1983 when they went 11-0 and won a state championship. Last week, Middletown North defeated Freehold Township, 45-19, to improve to 7-0 and win its first outright division title since that 1983 season.

The Lions are a balanced team with a strong offense (32.7 points per game) and a stingy defense. Junior quarterback Owen Robson has thrown for 1,261 yards and 12 touchdowns with only one interception in his first season running head coach Steve Bush’s multifaceted pro-style offense. Junior wide receiver Jack Viola has had a breakout season with 36 catches for 625 yards and five touchdowns and senior Brian O’Donnell and junior Ryan Clark are also reliable options in the passing game. They have a big, veteran offensive line and two physical tight ends in Brody Tooker and Joe Grasso paving the way for senior running back Shane Volante, who has rushed for 812 yards and nine touchdowns.

Tooker and Grasso also lead a defense that is allowing under 10 points per game. They are strong in the front seven and difficult to run on and can also create turnovers in the secondary. Clark leads the Shore Conference with five interceptions and senior T.J. Rey has two interceptions. Middletown North’s last state sectional title came in 1996 and its last appearance was in 2016.

Shawnee (6-3) is a playoff mainstay with a fantastic championship history. Led by longtime head coach Tim Gushue, the Renegades have won nine sectional titles in 15 appearances in a sectional final and have a 43-17 playoff record. Their most recent sectional title was in 2019. If they can get through Middletown South in the first round they should present a strong challenge for Middletown North.

The Renegades are a run-first team that has rushed for 2,075 yards and 24 touchdowns. Junior running back Brett Lundberg has 1,011 yards and 11 touchdowns and freshman quarterback Cole Anderson has 778 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns plus 244 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. When Shawnee does pass, junior Tyler Nickles and senior tight end Mason Grabowski are the top targets.

 

Shore Shots: Middletown North, Manalapan, Middletown South

Middletown North’s road to the final isn’t easy with either Shawnee or town rival Middletown South standing in their way in the semifinals. Middletown South and Shawnee both have a common opponent in Cherokee with Middletown South losing 30-0 on opening weekend and Shawnee losing 7-3 in early October. If Middletown South upsets Shawnee the atmosphere for a South vs. North playoff game would be electric. The two schools still play on Thanksgiving, as well.

Manalapan hosts a 6-2 Pennsauken team in the first round but would then get Winslow in the semifinals. The Braves have been impossible to predict this season so who knows what will happen versus the Indians. What the Braves have shown this season is that they can compete with top teams when they play well. Consistency has been their biggest issue.

The bottom line is that Winslow is the heavy favorite in the bracket and it would take an amazing performance to pull off an upset that would reverberate around New Jersey.

 

Non-Shore Players to Watch: Cam Miller, Sr., WR/DB, Winslow

Miller, who is committed to Wisconsin, is rated as the No. 18 recruit in New Jersey by ESPN. He has caught 28 passes for 485 yards and 7 touchdowns and added 20 tackles, 1 interception, 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss on defense.

 

North Jersey matchups

North 1

8-Colonia at 1-Morris Knolls

5-Newark Central at 4-Mount Olive

6-Randolph at 3-Ramapo

7-Rahway at 2-Ridge

 

North 2

8-Nutley at 1-Phillipsburg

5-Chatham at 4-Wayne Valley

6-Westfield at 3-Northern Highlands

7-Watchung Hills at 2-Woodbridge