Essex-Morris Picks: Week 7
In an on-going effort to better enjoy the high school football season in both Morris and Essex counties, the Sideline Swami from sidelinechatter.com and the capable 'Coach' from mchss.net partake in their weekly take on some of the football games involving their respective areas of expertise. But, remember, the swami rules!
The Coach: I fight … I kick … I call Vegas … I call Joey Two-toes & Sammy the Gator for all the HS shoe-in sports info. I do my homework. I watch endless hours of film. I even go 12-0 in the past two weeks … and for what? I get one game back. One measly stinking game for all that hard work. You better watch out Swami, I’m like one of those Ice Road Truckers or even one of the Crab Fisherman from the Deadliest Catch. (* Side note, I am wondering if the Swami is actually Mike Rowe who narrates the Crab show and stars on Dirty Jobs? … think about it! *)
That being said … I used to idolize the Swami, but not anymore. I am beginning to dislike that Oracle – yes … I can say that … so this pick ‘em game has come to this! Think of me as the Warren Wallace kid from the Geico commercial and the Swami as Mike Wallace … NO NOT Warren from “There’s something about Mary!”
The Swami: Coach, you are very dramatic, indeed. Perhaps, a supporting role on “The Young and the Restless” would be a good daytime gig for you in between classes. Now, as far as your weekly pigskin picks, we know you have put in a lot of work in your research, but you have to realize there is no standing up-over the long haul-to the trusty crystal ball of the Sideline Swami. And, now, with this wonderful, somewhat cooler weather, the guru himself is especially primed for a huge stretch run, wearing his cape, turban and riding the magic carpet in flight from Essex to Morris. So, alas, to our picks for the week!
Friday Night:
Delbarton at Montville:
The Coach: How many people predicted that Montville would be 4-1 in conference and have a chance to spoiler for Delbarton again this year? Unfortunately for the Mustangs, Delbarton was running on all cylinders last week against Lakeland. The Green Wave jumped to a 28-0 halftime lead despite committing almost 10 first half penalties. Delbarton, now 5-1 and ranked #16 in NJ by The Star-Ledger, has too many weapons offensively for Mustangs. Terry White and Murphy McCurdy will be just too much for the Montville. Delbarton 35-14
The Swami: I too am very impressed with the job Coach Gerry Gallagher and his staff have done in guiding a rebuilt Mustang squad into playoff contention while being as highly competitive as they’ve been in every game. Unfortunately for the Montville faithful, Delbarton is just rounding into top form. Quarterback Brian McMahon has emerged as one of the best in Morris County and linemen Matt Van Orden and Mike Passaro give the Green Wave their typical strong push up front. The Mustangs will certainly hang for a while with Eric Toporoff’s running, but in the end, well, you know, the wave tends to always break at the right time. Delbarton 28-14
Morris Hills at Weequahic:
The Coach: Ahh … the Scarlet Knights. They are finding ways to win. Luke Mirabella has joined the group of high flyers out of the Knights backfield and is now the go-to guy near the end zone and on third downs. Oddly enough, despite their 2-4 overall record, Weequahic has only been outscored by a total of 10 points. The Indians need to knock off two in a row – MH here and Summit next week, in order to allow their power points to work them into the playoffs. Morris Hills will do what they need to do – again. Morris Hills 17-6
The Swami: The Morris Hills defense has picked it up a notch since the West Essex game, the ground game, even with Justin Doniloski on the shelf, has had no let-up. We still like the savvy of QB Dan Kellner and the array of weapons for the Scarlet Knights. Weequahic, still feeling the effects of starting eight sophomores at key spots, is going to be hard-pressed to be a factor here, but at home, and with speedy Rashon Vines able to break loose at any time, they could hang for a while. Still, in the end, the red-clad visitors emerge. Morris Hills 21-7
Roxbury at Livingston:
The Coach: Livingston is well on its way to a playoff appearance and a win here could lock up a playoff spot, maybe even a home game. There are 17, yes seventeen, teams in Livingston’s’ Section that could finish at or above .500 – unlikely but true. Livingston has proven week after week that they are a quality team with the ability to turn away anything you throw at them. Roxbury has struggled and things do not look promising this week either … Livingston 33-13
The Swami: Back in September, after witnessing the all-around potential of the Lancers I told some unsuspecting Essex County aficionados that Coach Bill Tracy’s team could be heard from. Now, after almost knocking off East Orange, and winning impressively on the road at Mount Olive, Livingston is gearing up for a likely berth in North 1, Group 4. One of the up and coming stars for the Lancers is fullback-linebacker-kicker Zach McGehee, who finally had a breakout game at Mount Olive and provides the perfect complement to fleet-footed Vinny Fischer in the backfield. Greg Romagnoli is a superb linebacker and John Alston is a force on the D-Line. It all adds up to just too much for the Gaels, who have Jon Carroll, but not a lot else. Livingston 28-7
Whippany Park at Kinnelon:
The Coach: With Mike Bizzarro healthy and Chris Neinstedt coming off a week’s rest, this could be one of those games where you just hand the ball off and watch them go! It’s Homecoming at Kinnelon on Friday night. Trevor Dunn has emerged as nice complement for Bizzarro and adds another dimension to the Wildcats’ offense. Kinnelon is on a rough losing streak, but had an extra week to prepare. Whippany snapped their streak with a memorable victory over Mo-Beard. I’m going with the over – laid out on the Vegas underground – at 74.5. But since I think the Swami will not let that pick go towards my yearly total. This is a tough one … coin flip goes to the home team: I’ll go with a coin flip – home team by 2 – Kinnelon 42-40
The Swami: When Jim DeSarno left Kinnelon a couple of years back to try and resurrect Westfield’s once glorious program, I thought that the Colts would be up against it trying to find a worthy replacement. But, Kevin White has been a perfect fit and AD Scott Rosenberg should be thrilled with the job he is doing, especially with football once again energizing the local populace. We all like Neinstedt, but the Colts have a wealth of capable role players like tackle-linebacker Chris Dolci and two-way end Marcin Rosol. It’s a decent football team and one which we feel will be able to offset the scoring machine that Whippany Park can sometimes be with Bizzaro. It will be a festive Homecoming Night for the Colts! Kinnelon 28-20.
Saturday afternoon:
Boonton at Verona:
The Coach: The Bombers found their game last week against Pingry and finally were able to put it all together. The 14-7 loss to Cedar Grove may have actually been the turning point of their season. Boonton will need to keep their play at that level if they hope to be in the game against Verona. Boonton is a 3-3 and at win this week will really help the Bombers playoff chances. The Hillbillies are also heading in the right direction coming off of three straight wins. Verona has scored 3 or more touchdowns in each of their four victories. I do not think Boonton can hold them under 21 points and that seems to be the magic number for a win. Verona 28-14
The Swami: Dan Allen would make an interesting choice to open with a video montage of yelling and screaming and pleading by the head coach on Mike Quick’s High School Sportsweekly on MSG. Somehow, I know Coach Allen is ready to explode, but it won’t matter in this spot. This is by no means a vintage Verona team, but it is one that is simply more talented than Boonton. The Hillbillies are gearing up for a strong second half and a playoff berth in North 2, Group 1. The defense, with Carlo Calabrese at linebacker, Hunter Mason up front and Chris Looney in the secondary, is first-rate, and Coach Lou Racioppe has been putting the pieces together slowly but surely since an early-season one-sided loss to Mountain Lakes. Look for a breakout game for the home team. Verona 35-13
Immaculate at Morristown-Beard:
The Coach: In case you did not notice, Morristown-Beard moved Mike Betz all over the field. The result – an offense that gives any defensive coordinator head aches! Something needs to be said about the turnaround the Crimson program has taken over the past few years and the promise of the future ahead. If you remember, wasn’t Morristown-Beard’s varsity program on sabbatical a few years back? Now, with a new staff, a prefect field and two very talented seniors, the Crimson face a must win in order to even sniff a playoff birth. In walks winless Montclair Immaculate. Do not look ahead, anything can – and usually does – happen in HS Football. But with the senior leadership of Colin Larmond & Betz, the Crimson will be one win away from a playoff birth come Sunday morning. Morristown-Bread 34-20
The Swami: We spent some time inbetween rare raindrops a week ago Thursday with Coach Steve Romano at Mo-Beard talking about this season and how he envisions making the Crimson a small-school, Non-Public, Group 1 program to be reckoned with. Betz has been recovering well from his cracked ribs and he could be at full tilt this weekend. That’s not good news for Immaculate, which has not been able to stop very many people and is mistake-prone with such a young lineup under patient Coach Sean Morris. We like the potential of many Lions, particularly soph QB Marcus Hackett, whose dad was once a pro wide receiver. Still, the Crimson are older, better and just ready for that aforementioned push toward a playoff berth. Mo-Beard 28-8.
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