Players to Watch: South Jersey Boys Finals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The South Jersey boys finals are set for Saturday with champions in Groups 1-4 being crowned. Here's a look at the match-ups and players in each game to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Group 4 Championship - Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m., Washington Township vs Toms River North</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington Township is led by two first-year high school players in seniors <strong>Drew Heil</strong> (Real Jersey FC) and <strong>Anjani Dwyer</strong> (FC Delco). Both have taken high school by storm this fall in leading a talented Minutemen squad. Heil is technical and quick with the ability to carve defenses apart both with the ball at his feet and his soccer IQ. Dwyer is pacy and physical and when his finishing is there is hard to stop. Washington Township also has a core of talented sophomores in <strong>Ayden Anderson</strong>, <strong>Sean Tarsatana</strong>, <strong>Landon Heil</strong> and <strong>Robbie Finnegan</strong> and a strong defensive presence in the middle of the field with senior <strong>Mark Simmons</strong> and junior goalkeeper <strong>Pete Louvaris</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Toms River North's attack is led by senior <strong>Anthony Ruggiero</strong>, a crafty midfielder who is good on the ball, likes to take defenders on 1v1 and is a strong finisher in the final third. Juniors <strong>Christian Caso</strong> and <strong>Josh Brazier</strong> are also regular contributors to the Mariner attack. Senior defender <strong>Jack Eubanks</strong> helps to anchor the back line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Group 3 Championship - Saturday, Nov. 4, 2 p.m., Clearview vs Shawnee</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clearview has already won the South Jersey Coaches Cup with an upset over Washington Township. While it's debatable whether spray-painting a big yellow trophy on the field to celebrate that win was a good idea they've made it all the way to the South Jersey final with a chance for more hardware. They'll face perennial power Shawnee in a game that should be a back-and-forth battle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior forward <strong>Seamus Watson</strong> is coming off a hat trick in the semifinal win over Cherry Hill West but he's one of several attacking weapons in the Pioneers' arsenal. Senior <strong>Tyler Puckett</strong> is a playmaker who creates chances going forward, senior Michael Errico is dangerous on set pieces and crosses and junior forward <strong>Matt Gahan</strong> is a handful to defend. The defense is led by senior <strong>Tyler Vagner</strong> who is a sturdy defender and a danger when he makes runs forward and is close to the goal on set pieces. Senior goalkeeper <strong>Connor Bowers</strong> was the hero of the South Jersey Coaches Cup final, which they won on penalties. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shawnee is led by junior midfielder <strong>Sean McFadden</strong>, who has a nose for goal and a knack for popping up in the right places and punishing teams in transition. Juniors <strong>Aiden Santamaria</strong> and <strong>Jacob Santamaria</strong> are like having duel Swiss Army Knives in head coach Ryan Franks' pocket. He can move both players around multiple positions depending on what the game calls for. Junior <strong>Anthony Carabasi</strong> also contributes to the attack. Sophomore defender Darrin Doyle will be tested along with senior goalkeeper <strong>Braeden Hurley</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Group 2 Championship - Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m., Delran vs West Deptford</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Delran is built for another run at a state tournament with senior midfielder and Bucknell commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='157018' first='Drew' last='Roskos']</strong> leading the way with a collective of players that are battle tested playing arguably the most challenging schedule of any team in Group 2. Depending on the day players like senior <strong>Willyam Viego</strong>, juniors <strong>Matheus Pinto</strong> and <strong>Gokdeniz Mollahansanoglu</strong> or seniors <strong>Nikolas Grello</strong> and <strong>Gabriel Moura</strong> will step up to deliver for the Bears. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Deptford has a number of attacking weapons of their own with senior attacker <strong>Mason Quinton</strong> a constant threat and junior midfielder <strong>Nick Hartman</strong> (pictured above) a crafty and technical player. Sophomore <strong>Riley Yearicks</strong> has emerged this season as another attacking threat. Senior <strong>Joseph Kueny</strong> and junior <strong>Ryan Kueny</strong> help lead a stingy back line that has yet to concede in the sectional tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Group 1 Championship - Saturday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m., Schalick vs Palmyra</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schalick has a young team that is heating up at just the right time riding a eight-game winning streak into the South Jersey final. Their last loss was a blowout one to Group 4 finalist Washington Township (7-1) but they've conceded just once since that game. Sophomores <strong>Michael Nelson</strong> and <strong>Anthony Sepers</strong> have combined to score game-winning goals in 1-0 wins over Pitman and defending champions Haddon Township while sophomore <strong>Evan Sepers</strong> has recorded clean sheets in all three sectional playoff games. Schalick also has a Sepers in 11th grade with <strong>Louis Sepers</strong> also contributing to the attack. Sophomores <strong>Steve Chomo</strong> and <strong>Bradford Foster</strong> and freshman <strong>Luke Price</strong> have all contributed to the attack. Junior <strong>Kolby Sickler</strong> anchors the back line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Schalick is on the young side with mostly sophomores and juniors leading the way, Palmyra is very much heavy on seniors. Seniors <strong>Anthony Santoro</strong>, <strong>Richie Butler</strong>, <strong>Luke Cannuli</strong>, <strong>Jase Jennings</strong> and <strong>Abdulazeez Iyiola</strong> have all put up numbers while sophomore goalkeeper <strong>Deakon Haines</strong> has limited chances for opponents and sophomore <strong>Kian Briant</strong> has chipped in. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->