Crusaders Visit Eagles in a BCC Freedom Silver Match-up
LAMBERTVILLE, NJ – On Friday night, Big Central Gridiron will be making its first-ever trip to South Hunterdon Regional High School to see the Eagles in action against Bound Brook in a BCC Freedom Silver clash. The Eagles are coming off a tough 18-8 loss to Middlesex at home last week while the Crusaders notched their first win of the year over Dunellen at LaMonte Field. Both teams are 1-1 overall.
Already this game is crucial for both teams in the division race. Belvidere defeated Dunellen (34-0) on Thursday night at Columbia Park in Dunellen. The win puts the County Seaters at 2-0 in the BCC Freedom Silver Division. Bound Brook is tied with Middlesex for second in the division at 1-0. Middlesex plays host to Manville on Friday night. South Hunterdon is 0-1 in divisional play.
A year ago, South Hunterdon rolled to the Freedom Silver Division title with a 4-0 mark while going 9-2 overall. The Eagles qualified in Central Jersey Group 1 and also won a first-round playoff game by defeating Salem (16-6). Meanwhile, Bound Brook finished 3-7 overall including a 1-3 mark in the more rugged Patriot Gold.
The Crusaders moved down to the Freedom Silver in the latest Big Central Conference realignment for 2024. South Hunterdon stayed put. The BCC Freedom Silver is a six-team division this year with Belvidere, Bound Brook, Dunellen, Manville, Middlesex, and South Hunterdon. The Eagles have been a contender in this division over the past two seasons with a division crown a year ago and a second-place finish to Manville in 2022.
Before the current league configuration was put in place for the 2022 season, South Hunterdon also won a division title in 2021. The Eagles won the BCC’s Division 1B crown by going 5-0 en route to a 7-2 overall season and a Central Jersey Group 1 playoff berth. Entering Friday night’s game, Bound Brook is averaging 28 points per game on offense while yielding 20.5 per contest on defense. South Hunterdon is averaging 19 points per game but has given up only 9 per contest.
The Eagles have the only shutout between the two teams in tonight’s contest. South Hunterdon blanked Jonathan Dayton (30-0) in a Week 1 contest. Bound Brook lost to J.P. Stevens in OT (22-21) two weeks ago. This is the first time the two teams are meeting in three years. The last meeting between the two schools was won by the Crusaders (19-12) on September 4, 2021. Bound Brook has won the last six meetings between the two schools.
South Hunterdon’s last win in the series was back on October 1, 2015, when the Eagles edged Bound Brook (14-13) in Lambertville. The Crusaders have won 13 of the last 16 meetings between the two schools dating back to the 2006 season. Bound Brook leads the all-time series 14-4 dating back to the 1992 season.
The Eagles’ offense has consisted mostly of the run so far this season. The South Hunterdon ground game has accounted for 94 percent of all the offensive plays and 99 percent of the offensive yards. Leading the way for South Hunterdon is senior Edward Cooper, who has rushed 46 times for 283 yards and 4 TDs. Cooper is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and accounts for 61.2 percent of the Eagles’ ground game, and 60.7 percent of the offense.
Cooper also helps anchor the Eagles’ stingy defense along with fellow seniors Thomas Breuer, Nathan Lawton, Ty Dunn, and junior Parker Rampel. The quintet of Cooper, Breuer, Lawton, Dunn, and Rampel account for 74 percent of South Hunterdon’s total tackles. Meanwhile, Bound Brook counters with a more versatile attack led by QB Jeremiah Norwood, RB Andy Perpignan, and WR Lucas Coleman.
Norwood has completed 44.8 percent of his passes for 278 yards while also rushing for another 91 on the ground. Norwood has 5 TDs in total including four TD passes. The Crusaders’ signal caller is averaging 7.7 yards per touch. Perpignan is Bound Brook’s leading rusher with 8.2 yards per carry and a TD. Coleman is the Crusader’s leading receiver with 19.2 yards per catch and 2 TDs.
Coleman also helps anchor the defense with the likes of Grant Guzzino, Norwood, and Perpignan. Guzzino leads the team in total tackles and has the team’s only forced fumble. The quartet of Guzzino, Coleman, Norwood, and Perpignan account for 51 percent of the team’s total tackles. Junior placekicker Xavier Quesada has made 86 percent of his extra point attempts this season.
Looking at this game on paper, Bound Brook looks like it would have an edge offensively, but South Hunterdon is fairly stout on the defensive side of the ball. The game will be won on how the Eagles’ defensive unit handles the Crusaders’ more varied offensive attack. If Bound Brook gets ahead early, it may be difficult for South Hunterdon to overcome. The Eagles’ defense will need to dictate the style of the game.
Prediction: South Hunterdon wins 24-13.
