Football Forecast: Turkey and a Title

The football teams from and will meet for the 10th time on Thanksgiving Day Thursday morning and the matchup figures to be the most consequential in the rivalry yet.

The teams will do battle on the gridiron for the right to be called 2011 West Jersey Football League Royal Division champion. Each team is perfect in division play this season, with Thursday’s contest deciding the champion.

Thursday’s contest is the first of two huge contests to wrap the season for the Chargers, who will play for a South Jersey Group III title next week. Meanwhile, today means the end of the road for the Mustangs, who lost in the Group IV semifinals last week.

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

TRITON AT TIMBER CREEK, Today, 10 a.m.

Triton (8-2)

Last game: Lost to Pennsauken, 52-23, in the Group IV semifinals.

Last game against Timber Creek: Won, 36-14. Brian Keller had his way with the Chargers’ defense, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for two more. Jimmy Burns also rushed for a touchdown.

Key player: Linebacker Dan Bekier. Timber Creek has an offense that likes to get downhill quickly and it will be up to Bekier and his fellow linebackers to prevent that from happening. The junior has had a breakout season, recording 107 tackles to go with three forced fumbles and six passes defended.

Three keys to the game:

- Leave the last game in the past. The Mustangs would love to be playing for a Group IV title next week, but they can’t go back in time and change that. Instead, this game must serve as their championship. Triton gets a team that will be playing for a title next week and has a chance to make a statement that it is the team that should be considered the best in the Black Horse Pike Regional School District.

- Continued success by Burns. The Mustangs lost a major part of their offense when Josh Woods went down with an injury, but Burns has filled in admirably. For the season he has rushed for more than 700 yards at 6.2 yards per carry. He has excelled over the last three games, averaging 140 yards rushing over that span.

- Shore up the protection. Quarterback Brian Keller threw five passes against Pennsauken, but he was sacked five times, meaning he was hit half of the time he dropped back. The Mustangs will have to be better in protection this week against a Chargers’ defense that knows all about getting to the quarterback.

Timber Creek (10-0)

Last game: Defeated Woodrow Wilson, 21-12, in Group III semifinals.

Last game against Triton: Lost, 36-14. Kevin Potter got loose for a 75-yard touchdown run and Damiere Byrd caught a 40-yard TD pass from Calvin Lowe in the loss.

Key player: Running back/linebacker Khalil Pierce. Not only did Pierce carry the load as the featured back last week, but he also stepped in and made plays at middle linebacker with the absence of standout Quanzell Lambert. Pierce had a touchdown on the ground and recorded an interception. He figures to once again be in a prominent position this week.

Three keys to the game:

- Avoid penalties. Although it did not cost against Woodrow Wilson, the Chargers were far too sloppy in the early stages of the game, committing a pair of penalties on third-down situations that led to the Tigers getting automatic first downs. Triton is too good of an opponent to give free yardage.

- Make Keller uncomfortable. Keller picked apart the Chargers last year and Timber Creek’s returning defensive players are certainly aware of that. The defense has been stout all year and caused havoc for opposing quarterbacks. Look for Timber Creek to bring some pressure and force Keller to make plays on the move.

- Put together a full game. Timber Creek struggled in the first half of last week's game and the second half of the prior week's game. The Chargers will need to play a full four quarters of great football to win a state title next week and will likely need to do the same to win the division crown this week.