By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
(Editor’s note: Throughout the season, Sully will give some of his thoughts on the weekend that was in high school football, games and players that stood out and what impressed him on the sidelines.)
Teams squaring off against Millville, the No. 1 team in South Jersey and No. 7 in the state, have to try to figure out some way to stop University of Alabama commit Lotzeir Brooks, a player who already is New Jersey’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions. You have to account for him and hope that you can keep him from wrecking a game.
The biggest problem with that is, Millville is far from a one-dimensional offense. The Thunderbolts can run the ball as well or better than just about every other team in South Jersey, and all that does is open things up for Brooks and the other wide receivers. You can’t double cover Brooks because that leaves your secondary susceptible to the run if the Bolts break through the front seven. But you can’t bring safeties down into the box because then quarterback Robbie O’Connor and Brooks will take the top off your defense.
It’s quite the catch-22, one that will give opposing defensive coordinators some bad cases of acid reflux this season.
On Friday night, Millville put up more than 500 yards of offense against Mainland — a team that went 14-0 last year, beat Millville in the state playoffs, won a state championship and was No. 4 in the South Jersey Glory Days/South Jersey Football Frenzy Show Best 11 rankings heading into the game. No slouch.
But still the Bolts put up 302 passing yards and another 222 on the ground. Brooks went off for 200 receiving yards and also scored on a rushing play and a defensive touchdown. But Millville wants you to know its offensive line can do a lot more than just keep O’Connor’s jersey clean. The Bolts averaged nearly eight yards per carry against Mainland, and in three games they’ve rushed for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns. They’re averaging 7.68 yards per carry and have had seven different ball carriers.
“We have some big guys up front, and our offensive play I credit to our new line coach, Nick (Santosuosso). He grinds with them and they buy into what he’s asking them to do,” said Millville coach Humberto Ayala. “Everything they put in place is allowing us to be able to do the things we’re doing. We’re only going to get better on that front end. We want to be as balanced as possible.”
“Shout out to coach Nick. We’ve been working since January, since the winter weight room, and after weight room workouts we’d work on our steps, how to handle double teams, everything. Our work ethic as a team has really transferred out onto the field, it really shows, from our offensive line all the way up to the skill players,” said senior center Marcus Offer. “The past four years, I feel like our offensive line hasn’t been getting that much respect. Us and coach Nick want to change the narrative this year. We want to be a balanced team, like coach Ayala has been saying. We don’t want teams to just defend our passing game, we want them to fear us running the ball as well.”
What helps Millville stay balanced is the fact that the Bolts have three running backs who could all qualify as starters, and would start for most teams in the West Jersey Football League. Plus, they are all upperclassmen with experience.
Aiden Dawkins, Jamal Wallace and Demere White all have more than 100 yards so far this season and have been dividing up the carries pretty much evenly. That means that a defense has to deal with a fresh running back nearly the entire game, while also worrying about Millville’s prolific passing attack, which has racked up more than 700 yards in the first three games.
“You plan for one running back and then we have two other guys who can be dynamic. We’re fortunate,” Ayala said. “We have guys, and we have guys behind guys. We’re fortunate to be in the situation we’re in. We’re going to enjoy this win, but it’s one game and we have another tough one next week, then again the week after.”
The Bolts certainly have a tough schedule, as they travel to Washington Township this week then return home to face Winslow; both teams are in the top 20 in the state. They also have to deal with Cherokee and St. Augustine Prep on the road in October.
Millville wants people to put some respect on its offensive line, and that unit certainly has earned some accolades. Last year, the Bolts rushed for 1,840 yards, and the year before that, 2,211. During that span Millville has gone 25-4.
CHECK OUT THEM COUGARS!
If you didn’t have Cherry Hill East at Bridgeton on Oct. 25 circled on your calendar, you’re probably not alone, but that game could determine the the WJFL Memorial Division title. Both teams are off to 3-0 starts, and East has outscored its three opponents 97-14 so far. Senior QB Zach Salsbery is 15-of-24 for 340 yards, six TDs and has yet to throw an interception, while the running game has produced another 340 yards, led by senior Isaiah Donaldson, who has 258 yards and five of East’s six rushing scores.
Offensively, every single player who has gotten a touch so far this year is either a junior or senior as the Cougars look to build on last year’s 5-5 mark. Coach Tyler Drob went 6-4 in his first year then 5-5 last year, and so far this year the move to the Memorial Division looks to be paying dividends for the Cougars. East travels to EHT, which just lost to Bridgeton, this week before three straight home games — vs. Atlantic Tech, Cherry Hill West and Deptford.
HOW GOOD CAN GLASSBORO BE?
The Bulldogs shook off a slow start in Week 1 and blanked Penns Grove, 24-0, last weekend and are 2-0 heading into this week’s showdown against Salem. The Dogs have had to rely on their passing game for the most part so far, but that will change dramatically when transfer Kenny Smith becomes eligible after sitting the first 30 days. He’s one of the best running backs in the state and should give Glassboro a pretty dynamic offense. For his career, Smith has rushed for more than 3,500 yards and 40 touchdowns.
SURPRISE 3-0 TEAMS
Ocean City: The schedule has favored the Red Raiders as all three games have been at home, but this is a team that went 3-7 a year ago. Junior Triston Schmidt has burst on to the scene with nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns in his first three games as a varsity starter. He didn’t have a single career carry coming into this season.
Riverside: The Rams were 6-5 last year and just 2-7 the year before that, but have beaten Palmyra, Florence on the road and Maple Shade. They’ve only completed five passes so far this season, but have rushed for nearly 700 yards. Ground-and-pound, baby!
Bishop Eustace: The Crusaders are getting the job done, especially on the ground, cranking out 785 yards and 11 TDs in three games, good for 7.5 yards per tote. Senior Mekhi Simmons has nearly 500 yards already.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
