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BHPRSD Football Forecast: Playoffs Edition

The Timber Creek and Triton football teams compete in playoff games tonight.

The football teams at and take their first steps toward a South Jersey title tonight as each team competes in an NJSIAA playoff game.

The Mustangs are seeded fifth in Group IV and will travel to take on No. 4 Southern Regional, while the top-seeded Chargers host No. 8 Lacey Township in Group III action.

Meanwhile, Highland takes on Pleasantville in a consolation game.

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Below is a look at some of the key players and situations to keep an eye on tonight.

NO. 8 LACEY TOWNSHIP AT NO. 1 TIMBER CREEK, Tonight, 7 p.m.

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(Group III quarterfinal)

Lacey Township (4-5)

Last game: Lost to Middletown South, 35-7.

Key player: Running back Kyle Spatz. To say the offense runs through Spatz would be an understatement. In just seven games, Spatz has carried the ball 176 times for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns. His biggest effort came three weeks ago when he carried the ball an astonishing 34 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

Three keys to the game:

- Get solid gains on first down. Lacey doesn’t pass the ball much— just 44 yards per game—so they are not a team built for second- or third-and-long situations. Consistent gains on first down will keep the offense in its comfort zone.

- Protect the ball. Lacey has had its problems in the fumbles department, putting the ball on the ground 13 times. It has been fortunate to recover nine of those fumbles. Against a ferocious Timber Creek defense, Lacey players must protect the ball at all times.

- Get plays from quarterback Tom Kelly. The Lions don’t like to rely on the passing game often, but against the Chargers, Kelly will have to make plays to keep his team in the game. He is completing just 38 percent of his passes on the year, a number that must improve tonight for the Lions to stay competitive.

Timber Creek (8-0)

Last game: Defeated Highland, 41-8.

Key player: Running back Khalil Pierce. A foot injury sidelined Pierce for the last game-and-a-half, so this will be his first action in a few weeks. If Pierce is 100 percent, he should be able to find big running lanes against a defense that has been susceptible against the run this season.

Three keys to the game:

- Containing Spatz. The Chargers know Spatz will be getting the ball early and often—the key will be limiting him. Timber Creek has the size and speed up front to keep him contained. If they do so, the Lions will have little hope of moving the ball offensively.

- Game management from Calvin Lowe. There may come a time during the playoffs when Lowe will have to win a game with his arm or legs, but it likely won’t need to be tonight. Lowe just needs to stay in control of his offense and make smart decisions, and the Chargers should be on their way to the Group III semifinals.

- Feed off the home crowd. The Chargers’ faithful should be full of energy, particularly if the boys’ soccer team wins its South Jersey title game at home a few hours earlier. That energy should propel Timber Creek to a good start, allowing its dominant defense to play with a lead.

 

NO. 5 TRITON AT NO. 4 SOUTHERN REGIONAL, Tonight, 7 p.m.

(Group IV quarterfinal)

Triton (7-1)

Last game: Defeated Woodrow Wilson, 33-32.

Key player: Linebacker Dan Bekier. The senior seems to get better by the week. Last week, he led his team with 14 tackles (9 solo). He has recorded at least 10 tackles in five straight games and will be counted on to slow down the Southern rushing attack.

Three keys to the game:

- Picking up the slack for Woods. Running back Josh Woods will again be out this week with a knee injury. With their leading rusher out, the Mustangs must rely on contributions from all over the roster, starting with quarterback Brian Keller, who was the team’s leading rusher last week.

- Big performances in the secondary. Southern likes to throw the ball as evidenced by quarterback Dan Higgins’ 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air. Higgins has been intercepted eight times, though, meaning the Mustangs’ secondary should have ample opportunity to make a game-changing play.

- Protect the ball. While Southern has turned the ball over quite a bit itself, the Rams have also been quite good at taking the ball away from their opponents. On the season, Southern has 12 interceptions and seven fumbles on defense. In a game that figures to be close, turnovers can make all the difference.

Southern Regional (8-1)

Last game: Defeated Middletown North, 28-0.

Key player: Running back T.J. Bellissimo. While the Rams rely on the pass quite often, much of their offense comes from Bellissimo, who has accounted for more than 950 yards on the ground. Bellissimo is particularly dangerous near the goal line, where he has rushed for 16 touchdowns and caught three more.

Three keys to the game:

- Contain Keller. With Woods out of the lineup, Keller assumes a big chunk of the Mustangs' running game, in addition to his passing duties. The Rams should focus on keeping Keller inside the tackles and making running back Jimmy Burns beat them.

- Jump on Triton early. The Mustangs have a long bus ride north for this game and may be a little slow out of the gates. The Rams need to take advantage of the Mustangs’ travels by executing a quick, yet physical style of offense.

- Stick to what’s been working. The Rams have been as hot as any team in South Jersey over the last two months, winning eight straight games. They have done it with an offense that has scored at least 21 points in every game and a defense that hasn’t let a team reach 20.

HIGHLAND AT PLEASANTVILLE, Tonight, 7 p.m.

Highland (0-9)

Last game: Lost to Timber Creek, 41-8.

Key player: Quarterback Dan Martin. This is a chance for Martin to lead his team to a victory—something he hasn’t had the pleasure of doing for two years. Pleasantville doesn’t have the horses to come from behind, so if Martin can lead his offense to an early score, the Tartans will find themselves in great shape for a win.

Three keys to the game:

- Be the hungrier team. Consolation games often come down to which team is willing to work for a win and which team has packed it in for the year. Highland has the opportunity to halt two seasons' worth of losing tonight and that needs to be motivation enough for the players to put forth maximum effort.

- Pound the ball on Pleasantville. The Rams have had no answer to the running game this season. This is a chance for Highland to establish the tempo of the game and keep the chains moving.

- Make Pleasantville pass. The Greyhounds are a run-first team that has been forced to pass far too much this season due to playing from behind. Highland needs to continue that trend by getting an early lead and making Pleasantville get away from its preferred style of offense.

Pleasantville (0-8)

Last game: Lost to Lower Cape May, 54-0.

Key player: Quarterback Che’quan Hargrose. The Pleasantville signal-caller has been inconsistent this year, but has the tools to put up yards through the air and on the ground. His best effort of the year was a two-touchdown game against Buena.

Three keys to the game:

- Defensive pride. Pleasantville’s defense has been brutal over the last three weeks, giving up more than 50 points in each contest. The defensive unit needs to play with some pride this week to give the offense a chance to win the game.

- Move the chains. As bad as the defense has been, the offense has been worse. In the last three weeks, the only points the Greyhounds have scored have come from a safety. Highland’s defense has improved over the second half of the year but can still be scored on. Pleasantville needs a few early first downs to build some offensive confidence.

- Empty the playbook. For the Greyhounds, this is the last realistic chance to score a win so the whole playbook should be in play here. If there is ever a time to break out a trick play, it would be in this game against an out-of-conference team that has limited knowledge of the Pleasantville schemes.

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