This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Second Half of the Season Gets Going With a Bang

Carter helps Morristown rebound; Madison and Butler remain unbeaten.

With Week 5 the mark of the unofficial second half of the high school football season, every matchup, whether divisional or not, carries with it a little more significance, as teams get set for a push for the playoffs.

Carter Leads Colonial Assault

In our we highlighted the Morristown Colonials coming off back-to-back losses to Par Hills and Randolph, heading into this week's matchup against Morris Knolls.

Find out what's happening in Morristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It was in that preview that we noted the importance of running back Zac Carter, who seemingly disappeared in the second half of Morristown’s carrying the ball just three times for 26 yards.

It wasn’t known why Carter had so few carries late in that game, but he returned to top form this week.

Find out what's happening in Morristownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

It was all Carter Thursday night, as the senior back carried the ball 26 times for 211 yards, and scored all four Morristown touchdowns, leading the Colonials to a

"Zac is a tough kid [and] he is hard runner,” Morristown head coach Chris Hull said after the win. "We expect a lot out of him and he delivers more often than not."

On the other side of the ball, the Morristown defense was just as impressive as the Colonials star running back. After seeing Knolls' quarterback Nick Patterson break a 52-yard run for a first quarter touchdown, the Colonial defense locked down.

Knolls struggled to do anything offensively in the games' final three quarters, as the Colonial defense produced shutting out the Morris Knolls offense for the rest of the contest.

Chatham Struggles Again

It’s been an up-and-down season for Chatham thus far, as the Cougars started the year on a torrid pace, racking up dominant wins in each of their first three games. But after a Week 4 loss to an undefeated Madison team, the Cougars were saddled with the task of facing another unbeaten team in Lenape Valley this week.

After seeing Madison rack up 301 yards on the ground last week, the Chatham defense again struggled to stop the run, allowing Lenape Valley 276 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, according to NJ.com.

Lenape jumped out in front 14-0 in the first half, capitalizing on two Cougar fumbles with scores from Robert Pregno and Nicholas Rafferty.

But it wasn’t all bad news for Chatham, as senior running back to lead a Cougar rushing attack that totaled 272 yards in the loss. Quarterback Sam Failla also threw for two scores, hitting Dylan Adams on a 58-yard pass in the second quarter and Colin Brown (15-yard pass) in the fourth quarter.

For Lenape Valley, Friday’s win secures a matchup with fellow undefeated Freedom Division rival, Madison (4-0) next Friday.

Jefferson Rebounds to Stop Montville

After a ended the Jefferson football team's four-game winning streak, the Falcons headed to Montville this week, looking to regroup against a winless Mustang team.

While Jefferson (4-1) did earn the win, Montville (0-5) certainly made the Falcons earn it. Jefferson's third-quarter score—a 94-yard touchdown run by Devyn Sanchez—with less than 50 seconds remaining,

On the other sideline, Montville's attempt to grasp the new “wishbone” offense installed by head coach James Delaney has resulted in some offensive struggles, as the Mustangs have averaged a paltry 3.5 points per game.

But Montville appeared a little more comfortable executing in Week 5, as junior quarterback John Jespersen went 4 of 8 for 78 yards with one touchdown, helping the Mustangs to their

Standout performances

After Madison’s top offensive threat, Justin Goodwin, went down with a possible concussion, starting quarterback Carson Lassiter stepped up in a big way. The junior signal-caller threw for 99 yards, and rushed for another 95 yards and four touchdowns to help lead the Dodgers to a

The Butler football team is 4-0, and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. A big reason for the Bulldog success this season is quarterback Chris Heredia, and this weekend was no different. Heredia had pinpoint accuracy on Friday, going 20 of 27 for 218 yards and four touchdowns, leading Butler to a 42-33 win, according to NJ.com.

Division Standings

Standings are a combination of Patch records, as well as from NJ.com. Coaches are required by the NJSIAA to submit results to NJ.com in order to be eligible for the postseason, due to a contract between the two.

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference–Freedom Division

Team Division Record Overall Record Lenape Valley 5-0 5-0 Madison 4-0 4-0 Hanover Park 3-1 3-2 Kittatinny 3-2 3-2 Chatham 2-2 3-2 Wallkill Valley 2-3 2-3 Hackettstown 1-4 1-4 Newton 0-4 1-4 Parsippany 0-4 0-5

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference–American Division

Team Division Record Overall Record Delbarton 4-0
5-0 West Morris Central 3-1 4-1 Morris Knolls 2-2 3-2 Parsippany Hills 2-2 3-2 Morristown 2-2 3-2 Randolph 2-2 3-2 Roxbury 1-3 2-3 Mendham 0-4 0-5

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference–National Division

Team Division Record Overall Record Sparta
3-0 5-0 Jefferson 2-1 4-1 Pope John 2-1 3-2 Vernon 2-2 2-3 Morris Hills 2-2 2-3 Mount Olive 1-3 2-3 Montville 0-4 0-5

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference–Independence Division

Team Division Record Overall Record Mtn. Lakes 4-0 5-0 Butler 4-0 4-0 Kinnelon 3-1 4-1 Hopatcong 3-2 3-2 Pequannock 3-2 3-2 Dover 1-3 2-3 Boonton 1-3 1-4 Whippany Park 1-4 1-4 Morristown-Beard
0-0 2-3 Morris Catholic
0-5 0-5
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?