Preview: Highland Regional Tartans vs. Rancocas Valley Red Devils
Highland Regional has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against The Rancocas Valley Red Devils at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Highland Regional at home against Triton as the team secured a 50-14 win. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Highland Regional had established a 29 point advantage.
Nehemiah Butler-mayhew continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 101 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries, while also picking up 41 receiving yards. Butler-mayhew is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last six games he's played. Matt Tuttle did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 118 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Rancocas Valley was not the first on the board last Saturday, but they got there more often. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Northern Burlington 38-3 on the road. Given Rancocas Valley's advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 49th, while Northern Burlington is ranked 150th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Nicholas Marco had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes. Another player making a difference was Brody Deiter, who picked up 51 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Highland Regional's win was their third straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 5-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 31.3 points per game. Rancocas Valley has been no stranger to the win column this season, as they've started out with wins in six of their first eight matches, giving them a 6-2 record.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Highland Regional has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 172.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Rancocas Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 150.5 per game. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Highland Regional came up short against Rancocas Valley in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 46-42. Thankfully for Highland Regional, Jase Deiter (who rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, and also picked up 50 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
