Nick Brown certainly pounded the rock for the Cherry Hill East Cougars in Week 3. The senior rushed for more than 150 yards and three touchdowns to lead East to victory against Bishop Eustace. Brown earned 44% of the vote to take home the JSZ NJM Insurance South Jersey Week 3 Game Ball. Take Our Poll Watch Nick’s Game Ball presentation here: South Jersey Game Balls are made possible by NJM Insurance. Please submit nominations to MikeFrankel@jerseysportszone.com by Saturday evening.

It’s hard to believe it, but we’re already halfway through the regular season of the 2020 campaign. JSZ’s team of MMJ’s are highlighting another batch of stellar performances with game ball voting where players in every corner of the state are honored. The polls stay open through Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Thanks to everyone for voting! South Jersey Our South Jersey game ball poll includes players from the West Jersey Football League. Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring our South Jersey Game Ball polls! Take Our Poll North Jersey Our North Jersey poll includes players from the Super Football Conference and parts of the Big Central Football Conference. Take Our Poll Central Jersey Our Central Jersey polls includes players from the Shore Conference, as well as parts of the Big Central Football Conference and Mercer County. Take Our Poll

Week 3 begins with a handful of Thursday night games on the gridiron. JSZ has highlights from a pair of those games to begin the weekend with a bang! Gloucester City 20 Maple Shade 7 The Lions fell behind early, but stormed back to beat the Wildcats and secure their first (3-0) start since 2014. […] To access this post, you must purchase an All Access Pass. You can log in here or purchase an All Access Pass here. Become an All Access Pass Holder. You will be redirected to login or purchase page.

As a sophomore Frankie Garbolino has quickly made his name known at North Brunswick. Despite starting practice in September, the Raiders are 2-0, against New Brunswick Garbolino threw for 245 passing yards and four touchdowns. The fans have spoken and he is the Central Jersey Week 2 Game Ball Winner! JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez stopped by practice for another electric ceremony: Take Our Poll Be sure to vote for our Top Plays and Game Balls every week from 9 a.m. Sunday-3 p.m. Tuesday!

Monday Night Football in New Jersey? Yes please! JSZ has a pair of Big Central Football Conference games during a rainy evening on the gridiron. Bernards 39 Johnson 14 After falling to last year’s South/Central Group 2 Champions, Hillside, in their season opener, Bernards bounced back with a dominating 39-14 win over Johnson. The Mountaineers […] To access this post, you must purchase an All Access Pass. You can log in here or purchase an All Access Pass here. Become an All Access Pass Holder. You will be redirected to login or purchase page.

It’s another slate of tremendous action for Week 2 of the high school football season in the Garden State. Check back throughout the night for all of the amazing highlights and reaction! Cherokee 35 Woodrow Wilson 0 In a battle between defending sectional champions, the Chiefs dominated from start to finish. Billy Osborn threw two […] To access this post, you must purchase an All Access Pass. You can log in here or purchase an All Access Pass here. Become an All Access Pass Holder. You will be redirected to login or purchase page.

Standing at 5’10, Woodbridge’s Ali Lee Jr. is one of the biggest threats on the football field. In 2019 his 1,873 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns led the Barrons to a 10-1 record and a North 1, Group 4 Sectional Final appearance. His deadly speed is only matched by his fun persona and now the Senior will take his talents national to play Division 1 football for Stony Brook University! Congratulations Ali, watch his JSZ highlight reel and “A to Z” profile below: 

The COVID-19 pandemic is going to give us more than just two days of high school football this fall. Watch the highlights and post-game reaction of a wild fourth quarter in the Shore Conference between Jackson Liberty and Toms River East! Jackson Liberty 16 Toms River East 14 Jayvon Vilus had a 39-yard TD run […] To access this post, you must purchase an All Access Pass. You can log in here or purchase an All Access Pass here. Become an All Access Pass Holder. You will be redirected to login or purchase page.

We wrap up Week 1 with some incredible Saturday match-ups from all over the Garden State. Enjoy the highlights! Bergen Catholic 24 St. Joe-Montvale 21 Ryan Butler had three touchdowns and over 250 yards of offense and the Bergen Catholic defense held off a fourth-quarter comeback to win their opener on the road. Crusaders QB […] To access this post, you must purchase an All Access Pass. You can log in here or purchase an All Access Pass here. Become an All Access Pass Holder. You will be redirected to login or purchase page.

Football teams in New Jersey are currently preparing for the 2020 high school season in a preseason like no other. Jersey Sports Zone’s team of multimedia journalists are back pounding the pavement to cover the state and preview dozens of football programs leading up to Opening Day on Oct. 2. From now until then, our “JSZ Camp Countdown” series will highlight a new team daily in preparation for the season. Stop back in each day for a story on your favorite team, your crosstown rival or a team on the other end of New Jersey. Today’s JSZ Camp Countdown Feature: Timber Creek Major changes took place at Timber Creek this offseason as longtime head coach Rob Hinson joined the coaching staff at Rutgers. Brian Wright takes over for Hinson after eight seasons at Cherry Hill West. Wright now presides over one of the best rosters in the state highlighted by junior DE/WR Jihaad Campbell, and junior quarterback Donovan Leary. The Chargers also added senior running back, Temple-commit Johnny Martin, who transferred from Highland in the offseason. JSZ’s James Mooney has the story: Previous JSZ Camp Countdown Previews Scroll down to find a team’s preview, then click the name to watch! Week 1 8/17: Don Bosco Prep 8/18: Hammonton 8/19: Donovan Catholic 8/20: Ramapo 8/21: Absegami 8/22: Bridgewater-Raritan 8/23: Woodbridge Week 2 8/24: Paramus Catholic 8/25: Washington Township 8/26: Union 8/27: Holmdel 8/28: Seton Hall Prep 8/29: Lenape 8/30: Toms River North Week 3 8/31: Winslow 9/1: Sayreville 9/2: St. Joe’s (Mont.) 9/3: Wall 9/4: Hillside 9/5: Wayne Valley 9/6: St. Augustine Week 4 9/7: Holy Spirit 9/8: Westfield 9/9: Irvington 9/10: West Orange 9/11: Woodrow Wilson 9/12: Williamstown 9/13: Mater Dei Prep Week 5 9/14: Delbarton 9/15: Burlington Township 9/16: Red Bank Catholic 9/17: Pope John 9/18: Ridgewood 9/19: Red Bank Regional 9/20: Shawnee Week 6 9/21: DePaul Catholic 9/22: South Brunswick 9/23: Cedar Creek 9/24: Millville 9/25: St. Peter’s Prep 9/26: Timber Creek

One of the state’s top prospects is off the board. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel and A to Z feature on Mikai Gbayor Irvington linebacker Mikai Gbayor has given a verbal commitment to play Big Ten for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Gbayor made his choice on Friday evening on Instagram live. Gbayor is considered one of the top overall prospects in New Jersey garnering 22 Division I offers. Check out his JSZ junior highlight reel with Irvington: Gbayor was part of JSZ’s A to Z Series featuring players we’re most excited to see in 2020. Watch this profile to see the character of a player who has faced adversity off the field which matches his elite talent:

St. Joe’s (Mont.) has a reputation of producing top-tier offensive line talent in recent years. That trend officially continued Saturday as Lodi, New Jersey native Geno VanDeMark announced his commitment to Michigan State. 110% COMMITTED TO MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY!!! Extremely thankful for everyone who has helped me get here!! #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/XQEcxsC3cQ— Geno VanDeMark (@GenoVanDeMark) August 22, 2020 Named a Jersey Sports Zone 2019 All-Zone team member, he’s the consensus top-ranked offensive lineman in New Jersey’s Class of 2021. VanDeMark is an imposing force who stands at 6-4 and 295 pounds. He’s rated a four-star recruit, per 247Sports.com. VanDeMark is the second offensive lineman from St. Joe’s (Mont.) to sign with a Big Ten program in as many years. Class of 2019 graduate Luke Wypler is now playing at Ohio State. VanDeMark yielded tons of interest in the aftermath of a breakout junior season with the Green Knights. He received a total of 19 offers from various Power 5 programs before cutting his list down to a top six of Nebraska, Rutgers, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arizona State in late June. VanDeMark, along with teammate Audric Estime, also a Michigan State target at running back, visited East Lansing last week for an unofficial tour of the campus. He also joins Hun School’s Kevin Wigenton as fellow Michigan State commits from New Jersey on the offensive line. Watch His JSZ “A to Z” Feature! This summer, Jersey Sports Zone featured the Top 50 players in the Garden State. VanDeMark was highlighted, and recruiting analysts who cover New Jersey football said he’s among the most talented linemen in the region. Stay tuned with Jersey Sports Zone for all the latest news and updates on New Jersey athletes.

Nate Summerville emerged as the vertical threat Shawnee needed in 2019, finishing with close to 700 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Summerville helped lead the Renegades to the South Jersey Group 4 title, and a South-Central Regional championship last fall. The rising senior announced his college decision over the weekend, committing to Fordham University. COMMITTED❗️🐏 #2AM1LY pic.twitter.com/ZjF2GPoxhZ— Nate Summerville (@nsummerville8) August 8, 2020 Watch Summerville’s 2019 highlight reel here: Coverage of Shawnee is made possible by Cooper University Health Care.

Charlie Volker was an All-Ivy League running back at Princeton and now younger brother John Volker follows his footsteps. Watch JSZ’s highlight reel and A to Z feature on the Rumson-Fair Haven running back with blazing speed John Volker is one of the fastest players in New Jersey and he’s bringing that blazing speed to the Ivy League and Princeton. Volker has given a verbal commitment to the admissions process with the Tigers. John will follow in the footsteps of younger brother Charlie who had a successful four-year career at Princeton from 2015-18: I want to thank the Princeton coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play at the next level. I would also like to thank those in Rumson and Fair Haven who have guided me along the way. That being said, I’m committing to the admissions process at Princeton University! 🐅 pic.twitter.com/Z8XXRlDK1B— John Volker (@JohnVolker3) August 6, 2020 Volker was able to put together an impressive junior season with over 1,000 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns despite playing the second half of the year with a broken bone in his foot. Jersey Sports Zone profiled Volker earlier this summer in our A to Z Series of players we’re most excited to see in 2020: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is brought to you by ACI Medical & Dental School

St. Joseph (Hammonton) rising senior Ahmad Ross has earned a reputation as one of the toughest players in South Jersey. Ross helped lead the Wildcats to a (9-2) record last season, playing both linebacker and fullback. The Bridgeton native announced his college decision on Friday evening, committing to the Army Black Knights. Watch Ross in action for St. Joe last season here:

New Jersey high school student athletes very well may get the chance to hit the fields this fall, but it could be a much shorter season than they’re used to. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) officially announced Friday a plan for the fall sports season to begin on Oct. 1 and last until Thanksgiving weekend on Nov. 27-28. Athletes are still allowed to return to campus for the first time since March in the NJSIAA’s “summer recess” period which is set to begin Monday (July 13). The summer recess period is now extended through August 28. After that, there will be a two-week hiatus from August 29 through September 13 (only virtual meetings will be permitted). Official practices for fall sports will begin September 14 leading up to girls tennis opening September 28, football on October 2 and all other fall sports getting stated October 1. “High school sports are school-based, so we need to first ensure all is in order with the opening of our schools,” says Colleen Maguire, NJSIAA chief operating officer in a press release. “After that, we can begin playing sports. To be clear, our goal is to return to play – while making sure that health, safety, emotional well-being, and academics come first. We have a different model than some other types of programs that are far smaller in scale and operate independently. We have a duty to ensure that New Jersey’s schools and their more than 1.5 million students and teachers, including 283,000 high school student-athletes, can first return to school and their academics, and then participate in extracurricular activities like sports.” When it comes to high school football, the regular season has a six-game window and post-season play will be limited to just two weeks of play. Traditional Thanksgiving contests will still be able to be played past the November 22 end-date to the fall sports season. The NJSIAA Sports Advisory Task Force has identified the following eight guiding principles that will drive the decision-making process.  1.    Ensure the health and safety of all student-athletes. 2.    Re-engage all student-athletes as soon as possible for their social, emotional and mental well-being. 3.    Maximize participation across all sports and all student-athletes. 4.    Keep competition as local as possible for as long as possible. 5.    Develop multiple return to play models to minimize the risk of a cancelled season. 6.    Maintain the ability to pivot to back-up plans when deemed necessary. 7.    Minimize potential impact on the spring season. 8.    Minimize the importance of postseason, statewide championships. In a memo to NJSIAA member schools, the NJSIAA Sports Advisory Task Force said: “This plan is the first model to be provided in what will be a series of return to play models that will be in place for the 2020-2021 school year. The goal of the task force is to identify multiple back-up models that will be available as both school-related and health-related circumstances evolve.” The memo went on note: “This plan is intended to allow schools and leagues and conferences to start planning for a fall sports season.  We all recognize the fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic and realize the circumstances are changing regularly. We will provide updates to all potential plans as timely as possible to ensure schools and leagues and conferences have time to adapt to any pivots to a different return to play model.” New Jersey’s various scholastic leagues and conferences are strongly encouraged to revise schedules to emphasize local competition and minimize the number of different schools that come in contact with each other. Smaller divisions of schools for competition purposes is encouraged in order to facilitate communications and scheduling. The NJSIAA will strive to open postseason participation to any team wishing to participate. As with the regular season, the postseason will remain local, meaning a sectional championship or less.  A seeding committee will be used by every sport in order to remove the reliance on power points, standings, and overall record. “By reducing the length of the season, student-athletes will have the opportunity for participation – but will also have more time to focus on their academic requirements,” says NJSIAA President Steve Shohfi. “A reduced season will naturally lead to a reduced amount of competition, which minimizes the risk of infection through exposure to many different teams and schools.”  Denis Nelson, a member of the NJSIAA COVID-19 Sports Advisory Task Force and the athletic director at River Dell Regional High School notes: “Removing the possibility for statewide, postseason competition is intended to convey the specific message that the fall season is specifically about opportunity, engagement, and participation. It is not about winning championships. From a health perspective, it’s appropriate to keep sports as local as possible. From a competition perspective, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial but different impact on every school district. As a result, the playing field won’t be level this year, so it’s only fair not to crown statewide champions.”