Another jam-packed weekend of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Division III Football saw four NJAC matchups take place. We’ll call it road warriors week because in all four games, the road team emerged victorious. Overall, 217 points were scored, 25 fewer than were scored last week. One game was decided by a field goal. Let’s dive in.
Salisbury Edges Rowan in Glassboro
Rowan (4-2-1) put up a valiant fight but in the end were just edged out by the visiting fourth-ranked Salisbury University Sea Gulls (7-0) at Coach Wackar Stadium by a score of 31-28 on Fan Appreciation Night.
The numbers show how close it was, as just three yards separated the total yards of offense put up by either team, with Salisbury having a 385-382 edge. Salisbury quarterback SyRus McGowan went 11-of-16 for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception that was picked off by Rowan freshman defensive back Jaden Everett in the third quarter. Rowan’s junior quarterback, Nate Maiers, outplayed McGowan, completing 23-of-33 passes for three touchdowns. Rowan freshman wide receiver Jamir Rowe caught only two passes for four yards, but both were touchdowns. On the other side of the field, Salisbury’s Dario Belizaire had one receiving and one rushing touchdown to steal the spotlight.
Salisbury next hosts William Paterson in Maryland on Nov. 1, while Rowan will travel to TCNJ on Nov. 1.
TCNJ Stay Hot, Claw Past Cougars
On Saturday, The College of New Jersey Lions football team (6-1) earned its third straight win by beating the Kean Cougars (1-6) in Union, New Jersey by the score of 24-7.
The game was scoreless until TCNJ’s junior wide receiver ran the ball into the endzone from eight yards out to give TCNJ a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. TCNJ’s running game has been one of the strongest in the NJAC all season, and they ran for 258 yards against Kean. Senior running back Joe Visaggio led the way with 20 carries for 116 yards and a score. Meanwhile, TCNJ’s defense held Kean to just 15 yards rushing. Lions’ Senior Jameson Sessa had six tackles, three for a loss and one sack, while sophomore Tyler Van Cleef blocked a field goal and got the game’s only interception in the fourth quarter, which iced Kean’s offense once and for all.
TCNJ is in great form and will need every fiber of their being when they host Rowan next weekend. Kean is in last place in the NJAC football standings and will face Vermont-State Castleton, who are in second-to-last place, next week.
Captains Crush Pioneers in Wayne
At Wightman Stadium in Wayne, New Jersey, the Christopher Newport University Captains (7-0) trounced the William Paterson University Pioneers (2-5) 52-7 Saturday.
The 15th-ranked Captains put up 543 yards of total offense while limiting ‘Willy P’ to just 157. The visitors climbed out to a 7-0 lead six minutes into the first quarter, but William Paterson answered right back when they put together a six-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Nigel Jennings to sophomore wide receiver Kyle Manley.
For the second week in a row, Captains junior quarterback Connor Barry, who leads the nation in pass efficiency, had himself a day. The Junior from Vienna, Virginia, completed 17-of-18 passes with three touchdowns and ran for three more. Dreyvon Tharrington led the Captains in rushing with three carries for 60 yards and one touchdown.
CNU’s defense was just as stout, earning three sacks on the afternoon. Sophomore defensive back Eddie Henderson and freshman linebacker Jackson Ambruzs led the CNU defense with five tackles each. Ambruzs and defensive linemen Deven Norman and Connor Estrella had one sack each.
The Captains will next host the Montclair State Red Hawks on Nov. 1, while Willy P will head out on the road to pay a visit to No. 4 Salisbury next weekend.
Montclair State Mauls Castleton
On their opening drive, Coach Mike Palazzo’s Red Hawks (3-4) punched the ball through the endzone on a four-yard run by junior RB Diante Wilson and never looked back en route to their second road victory on Castleton’s (2-5) Senior Day. Montclair State amassed 418 yards of total offense while limiting the hosts to just 233.
Despite this, MSU’s passing game was anemic compared to Castleton’s. Castleton junior QB Jhai Vellon completed 19-of-45 passes for 211 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception, while Montclair State sophomore QB Luke Henrich completed 10-of-18 passes for 128 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Wilson was the player of the game, as he ran for 116 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Montclair’s sophomore linebacker Isaiah Gurley had four tackles, one for a loss, and one interception.
Montclair State will look to keep their road form, where they are 2-1 this season, going into a big matchup with the undefeated Captains, while Castleton will travel to Union, New Jersey, to face Kean next weekend.
Top Performers of the Week
Starting with the top defender of the week, this honor goes to TCNJ’s senior defensive end, Jameson Sessa. Sessa had six tackles on Saturday, including a game-high three for a loss and one sack.
Moving on to the top offensive performers of the week, they are as follows:
- Top QB: CNU’s Connor Barry (340 yards, six touchdowns)
- Top WR: CNU’s Colin Hart (204 yards, two touchdowns)
- Top RB: MSU’s Diante Wilson (116 yards, three touchdowns)
After eight weeks of football, two undefeated teams remain: in No. 4 Salisbury and No. 15 Christopher Newport, and they have yet to play each other. That game will take place in two weeks. There is one team with one loss on the year, and that is TCNJ, but that record will be on the line when they face a tough Rowan team that just missed upsetting Salisbury this weekend.
Follow ONNJ Sports and TonyParadise3 on X for more on NJAC Football every week.
