Football Game Preview: Dunellen Destroyers vs. Manville Mustangs

The Dunellen Destroyers are taking a road trip to face off against the Manville Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Dunellen has given up an average of 45.8 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

On Friday, Dunellen took a blow against Roselle Park, falling 50-8. The Destroyers haven't had much luck with the Panthers recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.

Meanwhile, Manville put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed past J.P. Stevens to the tune of 41-12. The Mustangs' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.

This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Josh D'Ambrosio and Isaiah Bennett. D'Ambrosio gained 167 total yards and three touchdowns while Bennett rushed for 121 yards and three TDs on only ten carries. What's more, D'Ambrosio racked up 131 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in October of 2024.

Manville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 298 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 203 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Manville's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. The heavy lifting was done by John Lunsford and Levan Chankotadze, who racked up all four sacks between them.

Manville's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Dunellen, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.

Dunellen took a serious blow against Manville in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 42-14. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Destroyers were down 28-6.