Week 8 of the high school football season is in the books and it was another week of outstanding performances.
Read about the Top 15 (plus one late entry) here and cast your vote for who you think had the best week below. Voting will be open until Thursday morning.
Woodstown’s Garrett Leyman was the winner of last week’s poll, earning 42.8 percent of the over 14K votes recorded. Paul VI’s Austin Bailey and Burlington City’s Donte Davis rounded out the top three vote getters.
Top performers
Lotzeir Brooks, Millville. The senior added another record to his resume as he became the state’s all-time leading receiver during Friday’s 27-21 loss at St. Augustine. Brooks made five catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, raising his career receiving yardage total to 4,243.
KaRon Ceaser, Penns Grove. The sophomore found the end zone three times during a 27-0 win over Salem. He rushed for two touchdowns and caught a pass for the third score. He has six TDs in his last two games.
Xavier Cocci, Egg Harbor Township. The sophomore quarterback completed 12 of 14 passes for 215 yards and two scores while also rushing for 85 yards and two more touchdowns to highlight the Eagles’ 42-13 win over Atlantic County Tech. The QB has thrown for eight touchdowns and rushed for 10 scores this season.
Benjamin Cohen, Buena. The senior rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns and had a team-best 10 tackles during Buena’s 30-0 win over Wildwood. For the season, Cohen has 768 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on offense along with 87 total tackles from his linebacker spot.
Brody Deiter, Rancocas Valley. The senior scored three touchdowns in a pivotal third quarter, including two in a span of 90 seconds, as the Red Devils posted a 42-21 win at Lenape. Deiter sandwiched a pick-6 around a pair of touchdown catches. He has 54 catches for 1,032 yards and 15 touchdowns this fall.
Cole DeNick, Kingsway. The sophomore running back rushed 16 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns as the Dragons finished the regular season with a 7-2 record. DeNick leads Kingsway with 11 rushing TDs, including eight over his last five games.
Tommy DiPietro, Kingsway. The outside linebacker racked up 12 tackles, including one for a loss, during the Dragons’ 35-7 win at Williamstown. The senior has over 200 career tackles and broke the old mark of 178 set by his older brother DJ.
Jake Hasson, Seneca. Pressed into duty when the starting quarterback was sidelined with an injury, Hasson made the most of the spot start as he completed 8 for 11 passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns during the 19-18 win at Willingboro. He took the second handoff on a double reverse and fired the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Reilly Hoffacker, Cedar Creek. The senior quarterback led the Pirates on a 99-yard drive, culminating with 26-yard touchdown pass to Jahmir Campfield in the final minute for a 7-0 home victory over Ocean City. He finished with 173 passing yards and extended his TD streak to six games.
Ryan Morley, Triton. The senior made four catches for 70 yards and three touchdowns as the Mustangs galloped to their third straight win with a 27-6 triumph against Deptford. Morley also rushed for 42 yards and had a tackle for a loss on defense.
Jalen Parker, Winslow. The key cog to the most potent offense in the region, the sophomore quarterback threw for 218 yards and four touchdowns as the Eagles soared to a 44-0 win over Cherokee on Saturday, clinching the WJFL American Division outright title. Parker has thrown for 19 touchdowns over the last five games and has 28 TD passes for the season.
Zach Salsbery, Cherry Hill East. The senior quarterback threw for two touchdowns as the Cougars finished the regular season with an 8-0 record and clinched the WJFL Memorial Division title with a 35-14 win at Bridgeton. Salsbery has thrown two TD passes in four games this season and has 10 for the season.
Mekhi Simmons, Bishop Eustace. The senior became the Crusaders’ all-time leading rusher during Saturday’s loss to KIPP Academy. Simmons surpassed the 4,400 mark, eclipsing Mike DiMaggio’s old mark of 4,322 set in 2006.
Kenny Smith, Glassboro. The senior rebounded from a rough start to make a huge statement in the Bulldogs’ 20-7 win over Woodstown. He rushed 17 times for 158 yards and a touchdown and iced the game with a 45-yard pass reception as Glassboro finished the regular season undefeated and clinched the Diamond Division title.
Trey Tinges, Pitman. The senior delivered on both sides of the ball, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown on offense while producing three takeaways, including a pair of fumble recoveries, on defense during the Panthers’ 44-0 win at Gateway.
Julian Turney, St. Augustine. The Navy-bound Turney was a workhorse with 31 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns during the Hermits’ 27-21 win over Millville. Turney raised his career rushing total to 3,149 yards, which ranks third on St. Augustine’s all-time list.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Best South Jersey high school football players of Week 8 of 2024
