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BHPRSD Football Forecast

This week on the gridiron, Timber Creek and Triton take on a pair of conference heavyweights, while Highland looks to put a win on the board against Cumberland.

All three local football teams are in action tonight as Timber Creek and Triton look to go 2-0, while Highland looks for its first win since 2009.

Bellow is a look at tonight's slate of games.

DELSEA AT TIMBER CREEK, 7 P.M.

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Delsea

Record: (0-1)

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Last Week: Lost, 16-14, to Kingsway.

Last game against Timber Creek: Won, 33-14.

Key Player: Running back Marshall Brooks. Last week Brooks ran nine times for 78 yards, an average of 8.7 yards a carry. He showed off his breakaway speed with a 37-yard run and added a touchdown. Delsea deploys multiple running backs, but Brooks is the standout.

Three keys to the game:

- Using last week as motivation. Delsea looked to have its opener in control when it jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter and led 16-3 entering the fourth. Delsea will certainly be smarting from the loss and needs to use that as energy against a game Timber Creek squad.

- Get Tyrone Saud the football. Like Brooks, Saud is a home-run threat every time he touches the football. He had six carries for 31 yards and a touchdown and added two catches for 45 yards. Look for Saud to see more than eight touches tonight.

- Protect quarterback Josh Awotunde. The offensive line had some problems with Kingsway and the result was Awotunde being sacked six times. For a team like Delsea, that is a nearly a season’s worth. In the event that Delsea is in a spot where it needs to throw, the line must do a better job giving the quarterback time to find success in the passing game.

Timber Creek

Record: (1-0)

Last week: Won, 19-0, against Cumberland.

Last game against Delsea: Lost, 33-14.

Key player: Quarterback Calvin Lowe. The Chargers’ quarterback threw a pair of touchdowns last week, but has room to improve upon his 8-for-21 effort.

Three keys to the game:

- Continuing to win the turnover battle. While the Chargers may have a tough time duplicating their five-turnover effort against the Colts, if they want to come away with the upset they will need to produce a plus in that category.

- Continue to feed Kalil Pierce. It’s no secret that Timber Creek likes to throw the ball, but Pierce is still a huge part of the offense. He made his 10 carries count for 90 yards and, like Saud for Delsea, you can expect his touches to go up this week.

- Cut down on the penalties. Infractions are common in the opening weeks of the season, but they must be limited when playing an opponent of high caliber. That means the Chargers cannot have a repeat of their eight-penalty showing against Cumberland. Delsea’s offense is too talented to be given free yardage.

 

HIGHLAND AT CUMBERLAND, 7 P.M.

Highland

Record: (0-1)

Last week: Lost, 48-0, to Triton.

Last game against Cumberland: Lost, 26-14.

Key Player: Running back Troy Warren. What limited offense the Tartans got in last week came from Warren, who rushed for 58 yards on eight carries. He also had the only reception, good for 15 yards. Warren should expect to see the ball a lot against Cumberland.

Three keys to the game:

- Containing Colts’ quarterback Steven Garron. Last year, Highland did well to limit Cumberland’s running game but was susceptible to the pass. Garron was 5-for-9 for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Garron struggled last week against Timber Creek and the Tartans would like his woes to continue.

- Get early production. The first quarter could not have gone much worse for the Tartans last week. The team turned the ball over three times and gained just 15 yards of total offense, digging itself a whole it could not get out of. Moving the chains on the first possession would be a good start.

- Getting into manageable second and third downs. Highland is not a team that will throw the ball often, as evidenced by its five attempts last week. The Tartans like to run the ball even on third downs. For the running backs to have a chance to convert, the offense must gain positive yards on first down and avoid second- and third-and-long scenarios.

Cumberland

Record: (0-1)

Last week: Lost, 19-0, to Timber Creek.

Last game against Highland: Won, 26-14.

Key player: Running back Taron Clark. In his first game as the starter in the backfield, Clark struggled, managing just 26 yards on 11 carries. Look for Clark to have a much bigger impact tonight.

Three keys to the game:

- Receiving the snap: Five turnovers is far too many to surrender to any team and coach Tom Lake certainly addressed that after last week’s performance against Timber Creek. The center-quarterback exchange was the main culprit of the turnover fest, producing six fumbles last week.

- Getting the running game going. Clark’s 26 yards were a team high last week, a noticeable change from a team that averaged close to 200 yards on the ground a year ago. Look for the Colts to get back to their roots tonight by running the ball early and often.

- Not being overconfident. The Colts are surely aware of the struggle it has been for Highland over the last year, but are not good enough to simply look past them and on to their game next week with Delsea.

 

KINGSWAY AT TRITON, 7 P.M.

Kingsway

Record: 1-0

Last Week: Won, 16-14, against Delsea.

Last game against Triton: Won, 26-23.

Key Player: Receiver Shannon Johnson. A big-play wideout, Johnson had a 47-yard touchdown that keyed Kingsway's comeback win last week. He finished with four catches for 93 yards. Johnson has great speed and a big chunk of his yardage comes after the catch.

Three keys to the game:

- Team fitness. The Dragons looked in great shape last week as they wore down Delsea in the second half. The offense scored 14 points in the fourth quarter while the defense held Delsea to just two first downs in the second half. Their conditioning should give them an edge as the game wears on.

- Playing better on the road. One of the things that kept Kingsway from being a serious contender last year was its failures on the road. The Dragons finished the year 6-4, but were just 2-3 away from home. Triton will be Kingsway’s first road test of the season.

- Opening up lanes for Timmy Durnall. Durnall is the featured back for the Dragons and they will look to get him loose. He carried the ball 18 times last week, but only found 4 yards a carry. Kingsway will be looking to up that average tonight.

Triton

Record: 1-0

Last week: Won, 48-0, against Highland.

Last game against Kingsway: Lost, 26-23.

Key player: Quarterback Brian Keller. The Kingsway defense will be gearing up to stop running back Josh Woods. If Keller can have success through the air, it will force the Dragons to think twice before stuffing the box.

Three keys to the game:

- Forming a 1-2 punch on the ground. Woods and Jim Burns could form one of the best running back tandems in the conference. The duo combined for four touchdowns and 200 yards against Highland. The emergence of Burns could take the Mustangs to a new level offensively.

- Keeping the foot on the gas. Triton should take a lesson from Delsea if they get in front early and not assume the game is in hand. Kingsway showed in the opener that it does not mind playing from behind, so the Mustangs will have to play at full throttle until the final whistle.

- Solid offensive line play. Kingsway demonstrated in its opener that it likes to get to the quarterback, sacking the Delsea signal-caller six times. The boys up front for Triton will have to find away to keep the Dragons’ defensive line from breaking through the pocket and pressuring Keller. The line can be helped out with play calling that features Keller getting the ball out quickly on passing plays.

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