BHPRSD Week 4 Football Forecast

The rain has left the area for the time being, so we should see perfect conditions for a trio of local high school football games tonight.

Timber Creek is looking to move to 4-0 as it takes on a 2-1 Kingsway team in what should be a game that provides plenty of scoring. Meanwhile, Triton looks to shake off its first loss of the year when it hosts Cumberland and Highland has a tough task waiting for them against Delsea.

Below is an outline of some of the key players and situations to watch for tonight.

TIMBER CREEK AT KINGSWAY, 7 p.m.

Timber Creek (3-0)

Last game: Defeated Moorestown, 30-19.

Last game against Kingsway: Won, 35-20. The Chargers jumped out to a 22-0 lead behind touchdown runs by Daimere Byrd and Darnell Hardwick and a short scoring pass from Calvin Lowe to Tyler Krusch.

Key player: Linebacker Qualzell Lambert. In last year’s matchup, Lambert was all over the field and was a nightmare for the Kingsway offense. The senior linebacker collected 15 tackles. Lambert is a big part of a Timber Creek defense that has allowed just 26 points over three games. A solid performance would cap off a great week for Lambert, who was selected to the inaugural JuniorRank Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.

Three keys to the game:

- Eliminate turnovers. The Chargers got away with committing three turnovers last week thanks to a defense that forced a trio of its own. However, Timber Creek may not be so lucky if it continues to give the football away to quality opponents. Part of last week’s turnover issues can be credited to a wet field, but no coach wants to see the ball coughed up regardless of the playing conditions.

- Follow the Triton model. The Mustangs dominated Kingsway, 40-17, and did so by owning the ground game. Led by Josh Woods, the offense collected an eye-popping 405 yards on the ground. Look for Khalil Pierce to play the role of Woods in this one and see plenty of touches.

- Slow down Ray Lawry. The Kingsway running back will have a much bigger challenge this week in the Timber Creek defense than he did last week when he scored three touchdowns against Highland, but that doesn’t mean he can’t put together a second-straight strong performance. Look for the Dragons to try and feature Lawry early. If the Chargers can stop him on the first few drives it may force the Dragons to change their approach.

Kingsway (2-1)

Last week: Defeated Highland, 43-6.

Last game against Timber Creek: Lost, 35-20. Rondell Gilmore threw a 15-yard TD pass to Kevin Barr and added a 14-yard TD run for the Dragons in a spirited fourth-quarter comeback attempt.

Key Player: Running back Ray Lawry. The sophomore had a breakout performance last week against Highland, racking up 222 yards and three touchdowns. What makes his line stand out even more is that he did it on just nine touches, suggesting that he doesn’t need the ball a lot to be a key contributor.

Three keys to the game:

- Contain Khalil Pierce. The Timber Creek running back has been a load this season, and he figures to see plenty of touches tonight. Two weeks after being run over by Josh Woods to the tune of more than 300 yards, the Dragons’ defense will need to make major adjustments on defense to stay in the game.

- Make quarterback Myles Matthews comfortable. At some point in this game, the Dragons are going to need a big passing play from the offense. Setting up Matthews with some short passing plays on the first few drives would be a good way to establish the passing game without taking too many risks.

- Keep Calvin Lowe in the pocket. The Timber Creek quarterback is a dual threat and showed off his legs last week, rushing for a pair of second-half touchdowns. The Kingsway defensive ends and outside linebackers will need to keep containment to make sure Lowe doesn’t slip into the secondary for big gains.

CUMBERLAND AT TRITON, 7 p.m.

Cumberland (1-2)

Last game: Lost to Delsea, 37-8.

Last game against Triton: Won, 20-7. The Colts jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a touchdown run by Jaron Cody and a 65-yard interception return touchdown by Charles Clark.

Key Player: Running back Andrew Bonner. Cumberland is still trying to finds its way offensively but the team may have something in Bonner. The running back scored on a 2-yard run against Delsea last week and ran hard between the tackles.

Three keys to the game

- Containing Josh Woods. Last year the Colts did a great job of slowing down Woods, holding him to 30 yards on nine carries. Woods is likely to see more touches this week and the Cumberland defense will have to once again be up to the task to stay in the game.

- Find some success on the ground. Outside of its win against Highland, the Cumberland running game has not been able to sustain drives. Steven Garron is a capable quarterback, but his success is dependent on being set up by a strong running attack.

- Use last year’s template. The Colts were 1-2 entering last year’s matchup as well, but were able to turn the season around with a win. Cumberland came out with a purpose against the Mustangs and used the win as a springboard to a 6-1 finish to the season.

Triton (2-1)

Last game: Lost, 33-13 to Pennsauken.

Last game against Cumberland: Lost, 20-7. The Mustangs gained 145 yards on the ground compared to Cumberland's 194, and could not find the end zone until the fourth quarter in the loss.

Key Players: Linebackers Chance Negri and Dan Bekier. Through three games Negri and Beiker have tackled everything in their path, collecting 33 takedowns each. The duo should cause all kinds of problems for a Cumberland running attack that has been limited to this point.

Three keys to the game:

- Establish a physical presence early. Triton needs to show Cumberland that a repeat of 2011 will not take place. The Mustangs can do that by dominating the line of scrimmage early on both sides of the ball. Look for them to come out with a physical running attack to start the game.

- Pressure Garron. The Cumberland quarterback got into a comfort zone last season, completing 8 of 11 passes. With Cumberland’s running game not what it was a year ago, the Mustangs can afford to take a few chances on blitzes to disrupt the quarterback’s rhythm. The strategy was effective last week against Pennsauken, as the team recorded seven sacks, albeit in a losing cause. Timber Creek pressured Garron in the season opener and recorded four sacks in a shutout.

- Better play from the secondary. The Triton secondary had a rough go of it last week as it gave up 238 yards in the air. The Colts do not possess the same type of up-tempo offense as Pennsauken, but they may try to emulate the results.

HIGHLAND AT DELSEA, 7 p.m.

Highland (0-3)

Last week: Lost to Kingsway, 43-6.

Last game against Delsea: Lost, 35-8. Brandon Harper passed for 25 yards and rushed for 29 yards and the Tartans’ only score.

Key player: Running back Davante Parker.  The senior tailback has worked his way into the mix at running back and is making the most of his carries. He is averaging more than four yards a rush and had the lone Tartans’ touchdown last week.

Three keys to the game:

- Avoiding penalties. Who knows how different last week’s game could have been for Highland if it did not have an opening kickoff return touchdown nullified due to a penalty. Flags have been a problem for the Tartans in the first three games and against a team like Delsea, they cannot afford to cost themselves yards or, more importantly, points.

- Get an early stop. Don’t let Delsea’s 1-2 mark fool you—the team still has plenty of offensive firepower. Delsea scored on its first five drives last week, burying Cumberland before the game reached halftime. If Highland wants to avoid the same fate, it will need to stop the Delsea offense early as it does not have the horses to get in a shootout.

- Use what is taught in practice. Highland head coach Craig Stinson expressed frustration after last week’s game about his players' lack of focus during practice and the inability to take what was learned and put it into action on game day. The only way this losing streak will come to an end is if the players buy in to what Stinson is preaching.

Delsea (1-2)

Last game: Defeated Cumberland, 37-8.

Last game against Highland: Won, 35-8. Datreemus Pitman rushed for 133 yards and two scores, while the Delsea defense forced three turnovers in a game that was never in doubt.

Key player: Running back Oobie Pitman. After a slow start to the season Pitman came alive last week, rushing for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Crusaders like to spread the ball around on offense, but expect Pitman to be a major part of this week’s gameplan.

Three keys to the game:

- Build off last week. As mentioned above, the Crusaders offense caught fire against an inferior opponent last week and would like to repeat that again today. If Delsea is to regroup from its 0-2 start to make the playoffs, it may need to win out.

- Keep defenses guessing. Delsea has made a habit of getting four or five backs significant touches each week and that figures to continue tonight. With the multiple-back look, defenses can’t lock in on one runner and the Crusaders can use that to their benefit.

- Make a play on special teams. What has made Delsea so successful over the past decade is that it has gotten scoring from all three phases of the game. So far this season the special teams have yet to make a big impact. It may only be a matter of time before a punt or kickoff is returned for a touchdown.