Week 7 of the high school football season is in the books and it was another week of outstanding performances.
Read about the Top 15 performances here and cast your vote for who you think had the best week below. Voting will be open until Thursday morning.
Schalick's Gary Simonini was last week's top vote getter with 83.5 percentage of all votes recorded. Seneca's Anthony Tirico and Millville's Amir Roberts rounded out the top three.
This feature is presented by Premier Orthopaedic Associates.
South Jersey Top Performers - Week 7
Noah Battillo, Audubon. The senior hauled in six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown as the Green Wave earned their fourth straight win with a 27-6 decision over Collingswood on Homecoming. Battillo has 10 catches for over 200 yards and four touchdowns in two October games.
Taj Boaten, Cherry Hill East. The senior put up season-bests in carries (17), rushing yards (220) and rushing touchdowns (five) during the Cougars’ 40-21 win over Lenape on Friday. Boaten has 541 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in four games with East this season.
Marvin Burroughs, Atlantic City. The junior quarterback completed nine of his final 12 throws for 192 yards and three touchdowns at the Vikings won their third straight with a 35-14 home triumph over Millville. Burroughs surpassed the 4,000-passing yard mark in the game and raised his season TD passing total to 16.
Abdul-Azeem Carrington, Holy Spirit. The freshman did everything except carry the water cooler on the field during the Spartans’ 35-7 upset win over Ocean City. Carrington rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns on offense and recorded four sacks and a pass defended on defense. Five of his eight rushing TDs have come in the team’s last two games – both victories.
Lucas DeBiaso, Mainland. The senior rushed for three touchdowns, including the decisive score in the fourth quarter, as the Mustangs earned a 27-20 home win over Cedar Creek, snapping the team’s six-game losing skid. DeBiaso’s three TDs matched his total from this previous seven games.
Iziah Guzman, Eastside. The freshman rushed for a season-best 167 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers earned their sixth straight win with a 40-10 victory at Cinnaminson. Guzman is thriving in his rookie season, topping 100 rushing yards in six of seven games and has 14 rushing TDs.
Ibby Hudwell, Gloucester. The senior racked up a career-best 220 rushing yards and scored three times as the Lions roared to a 47-0 win at Cherry Hill West – the team’s sixth consecutive victory. Hudwell has five rushing TDs over his last two weeks and is two rushing yards shy of his second straight 1,000-yard season.
Mark Klusman, Northern Burlington. The Greyhounds rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second half with 29 unanswered points and the junior running back played a major role in the comeback that completed a 29-21 win at Williamstown. Klusman scored twice in the second half, including the clincher on a fourth-down catch off a deflected pass.
Ryan Mallon, Lower Cape May. The senior found the end zone three different ways on offense during the Caper Tigers’ 28-7 win at Hammonton on Saturday. Mallon rushed for a TD, threw a pass for another score and capped his trifecta with a touchdown reception.
Zay Mears, Paulsboro. The senior rushed for a touchdown, caught a pass for another score and picked off a pass as the Red Raiders earned a 36-12 home win against Overbrook on Saturday. Mears tipped another pass on defense which resulted in an interception for a teammate.
Zach Merhar, Rancocas Valley. With five touchdown passes, the junior quarterback set the program record for TD throws in a season (28) during the Red Devils’ 52-16 win at Pleasantville. He completed 10-of-17 passes for 252 yards, his second highest total of the season, and raised his season total to 1,545.
Gabe Palaganas, Washington Township. The senior lineman racked up a career-best four sacks to spark the Minutemen’s 42-17 win over Winslow on Friday. The four-year starter has eight sacks this season, just shy of his top mark of 9.5 as a sophomore. He boasts 28.5 sacks for his scholastic career.
Cole Paskiewicz, West Deptford. The senior rushed 24 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns as the Eagles extended their unbeaten streak to eight with a 44-21 win over Delran on Friday. Paskiewicz has a pair of 200-rushing yard games in three October game and topped the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season.
James Redd, Timber Creek. The senior eclipsed the 100-yard mark both rushing and receiving in the Chargers’ wild 34-29 road win over Bridgeton. Redd ran 23 times for 117 yards and caught five passes for a career-best 152 yards. He topped the century mark in rushing yards for the fourth time in the last five games while Timber Creek has won six straight.
Carlton Thomas, Vineland. Thomas hit even bigger numbers in an already monster season, running 17 times for 254 yards and four touchdowns, adding a sack on defense, in a 35-20 win at St. Joseph Academy on Thursday. He has over 1,100 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, including six in the last two games.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 40 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email tmcgurk@usatodayco.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: POLL: Who was the South Jersey High School Football Star of Week 7?