Jersey Mike’s Week 4 Football Team of the Week: Central Regional
Every week this fall, Jersey Mike’s and Shore Sports Network will be selecting a Team of the Week based on its performance over the past weekend.
The Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week for Week 4 is Central Regional, which delivered a statement victory by defeating then-No. 10 Raritan, 41-17, in a nondivisional road game to remain undefeated and grab a spot in the latest Shore Sports Network Football Top 10. Shore Sports Network stopped by practice on Tuesday to present the Golden Eagles and head coach Jarrett Pidgeon with a special game ball and a $250 Jersey Mike's gift card.
Junior running back Chase Gumbrecht ran for 288 yards and five touchdowns on 37 carries and Central's defense held Raritan out of the end zone for the final three quarters to give the Golden Eagles a take-notice victory over a Raritan team that has been a consistent contender. The game was tied at 14 after the first quarter but Central controlled the rest of the game, outscoring the Rockets 27-3.
Gumbrecht continued his breakout season by nearly rushing for 300 yards for the second straight game. He has 977 yards and 16 total touchdowns on the season. Junior quarterback Jahaziel Garcia added 73 yards rushing, including a 42-yard touchdown run, as Central ran for 361 yards. While Gumbrecht has been the star so far this season, the offensive line deserves as much credit. They were dominant as the game progressed and paved the way for Central to average 8.8 yards per rushing attempt.
Central entered the game having shut out its first three opponents, all three of which were five-touchdown victories for the Eagles. Raritan quickly ended the shutout streak, however, by scoring on the game's opening possession. Central answered to the tie score but Raritan came right back down the field to take a 14-7 lead. From there, Central's defense made the necessary adjustments vs. Raritan's triple-option attack and keep the Rockets out of the end zone the rest of the way.
Senior defensive back Colin Steimle had a key fumble recovery late in the first half when Raritan was deep in Central territory and senior free safety Dominick Fraulo had an interception in the fourth quarter that led to the game's final touchdown. Junior defensive end Logan Brennan recorded a team-high 14 tackles with two tackles for loss, Fraulo made nine tackles, Steimle had seven tackles and senior linebacker Anthony Musso had seven tackles with one sack to spearhead the defensive effort.
Through four games, Central has the No. 2 scoring offense in the Shore Conference at 36.3 points per game and also the No. 2 scoring defense at a paltry 3.5 points per game.
There is no time for the Eagles to rest on their laurels, though, with another huge game looming on Friday night. Central will welcome fellow undefeated team Marlboro (3-0) to town for a massive Liberty Division game that will likely decide the division championship. Marlboro will look to win the title outright while Central can clinch at least a tie by knocking off the visiting Mustangs.
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