Few teams in the state have been as dominant as Lacey Township, No. 2 in The Press Elite 11. The Lions are trying to win their fourth South Jersey title and their first since 2006.
Lacey has allowed 33 points all year. The Lions have beaten five playoff teams and won every game by at least 20 points. Lacey gave its most impressive performance last Saturday when it beat Middletown South, the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group III, 27-7.
Timber Creek comes off a 35-0 win over Highland. Damiere Byrd, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.2 seconds and is headed to the University of South Carolina, rushed for 117 yards.
Key players for Timber Creek: Damiere Byrd, WR/RB, 16 touchdowns; Kevin Potter, RB; Dan Bednarik, WR; Tyler Krusch, WR; Calvin Lowe, QB, 11 TD passes.
Key players for Lacey Township: Craig Cicardo, QB, 1,0017 passing yards, 14 touchdown passes and 14 rushing touchdowns; Jake Dabal, RB/DB, 92 carries for 762 yards; Jarrod Molzon, RB/DB/K, 50 carries for 550 yards, also five touchdown catches; Zach Torrell, WR, 16 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns; Matt Uveges, LB, 65 tackles; Dylan Joslin, OL/DL, five sacks.
Keys to victory: Lacey just needs to keep doing what it's done all season. The Lions will try to control the ball with the run and mix in timely passing. On defense, Lacey will focus on Byrd and try to prevent him for using his speed to make a big play.
Game details
Who: Eighth-seeded Timber Creek (5-3) vs. top-seeded Lacey Township (9-0)
What: South Jersey Group III quarterfinal
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Lacey Township
Admission: $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and students
What's next: Winner advances to next weekend's semifinals against the winner of Saturday's other quarterfinal between fifth-seeded Moorestown and fourth-seeded Winslow Township.
