By Jeff Moeller
MaxPreps.com
Football in the western part of the state already has it share of surprises through the first two weeks of the season, especially in Morris County.
One of the biggest surprises is at Mount Olive, where the Marauders are off to a 2-0 start. Senior tailback Kenny Little, whose contributions were overshadowed by the two-horse Morris/Sussex county race between Joe Martinek and Jeremy Tucker last season, has already rushed for over 300 yards in the first two contests.
Little, whose diminutive 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame takes a popping, scored three touchdowns (31, 31 and 32) and rushed for 105 yards on just nine carries and returned an interception 42 yards for a score in his team's impressive 55-23 win over Randolph, a preseason favorite in the competitive Iron Hills-Iron Division.
For Little and other at Mount Olive, it hasn't been a surprise.
"We've practiced so hard, we knew we would do well," Little said. "We have a lot of team unity. We stay late when we practice Thursdays and Fridays. We're a whole new team this year. Everything's good. I love it. This is my senior year and we're trying to make an impact."
So far, they apparently are. The Marauders host West Morris this week.
Along with Mt. Olive, East Orange, Morristown and Seton Hall prep should all be in the running for the top spots in the conference. In fact, Morristown recently slowed high-powered East Orange, 21-12, Sept. 15. The Colonials rebounded after a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Seton Hall Prep.
Morristown quarterback Mike Colvin lead the charge as he rushed for 91 yards and scored on runs of 2 and 44 yards. Running back George Bass rushed for 175 yards on 28 carries and he scored the deciding touchdown on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter.
If the Colonials are to be a major player in the conference, they will need to relay on their defense. Against East Orange, they had two interceptions and recovered a fumble. Despite their efforts, head coach Chris Hull worked on tackling this week in anticipation for a hard-nosed game with Roxbury, a sleeper in the IHC-Iron division could be Roxbury, who shocked West Morris, 33-14 last weekend.
The Gaels posted 20 fourth-quarter rout, in which many thought would be a tight contest, behind the running of senior Jonathan Carroll, who rambled for 224 yards and scored three touchdowns. Throughout most of the game, Roxbury dominated the line of scrimmage.
"We need to tackle better than we did (against East Orange), " Hull said. "Roxbury with Carroll is a tough team and we'll have a test. They are very physical up front."
Roxbury needs a complete effort to beat a Morristown team ranked second in the area and emerging as one of the best in North Jersey.
"They are very good," Roxbury head coach Carmen Lorusso said. "We watched their gamefilm against Seton Hall (a 13-12 Seton victory in Week One). We're going to need to control the football and try and keep it out of their hands. And we have to gang tackle."
SCIL Scramble
In Sussex County, Pope John has a different look without all-stater Jeremy Tucker leading the attack for as the Winged Lions this season.
Down 22-0, Pope John rallied back, but it fell short, 25-23, to undefeated Kittantinny Sept. 16.
Senior Connor McGrath, who rushed for 135 yards and scored two touchdowns has been the workhorse through the first two weeks of the season. Sophomore fullback Mike Delaney has also been emerging as a force as he rushed for 59 yards. Yet, the Winged Lions (1-1) will have more of a challenging path to repeat as SCIL champs.
Kittantiny, Lenape Valley and Jefferson should be in the mix along with Pope John throughout the season. Lenape Valley's Mike Groome, who rushed for 116 yards in the Patriots 34-7 victory at Jefferson. Groome is getting interest from Yankee Conference and Atlantic-10 schools as well as the Ivy League.
Notes: It appears Don Bosco and St. Peters' Prep could be headed down the same road to an eventual showdown to the Non-Public League title for the third consecutive year. One of the biggest surprises in the Bosco camp has been junior place kicker Pat Murray, who is subbing for senior Brian Hanley. Murray has a pair of field goals, hasn't missed on 12 extra-point attempts and has reached either near or into the end zone on most of his kickoffs.Bosco fullback Guy Germinario hasn't declared yet, and Villanova, Boston College, Penn are the apparent favorites.