Egg Harbor Township finds itself in the most talented and deepest public school bracket in the state.
The top four seeds - Cherokee, Egg Harbor Township, Toms River East and Williamstown - are undefeated.
Egg Harbor Township is the No. 2 seed and No. 5 in The Press' Elite 11. The Eagles come off a 23-19 win over previously undefeated Hammonton.
This is EHT's second straight playoff appearance. The Eagles lost to Cherokee 34-18 in last year's quarterfinals. EHT hasn't won a playoff game since it beat Ocean City 7-3 in the 2001 South Jersey Group III semifinals. EHT will be without standout linebacker Dominic Moody, who is suspended under state rules for one game for being ejected from last Friday's win over Hammonton after committing a personal foul.
Shawnee is no run-of-the-mill seventh seed. The Renegades have won five of their last six games and average 28.1 points.
Few teams in the state have equaled the Renegades' postseason success this decade. Shawnee won the South Jersey Group III championship in 2007-08.
Shawnee and EHT met in the 2002 South Jersey Group IV quarterfinals. The Renegades physically dominated EHT and won 26-0.
Seventh-seeded Shawnee (5-3) vs. second-seeded Egg Harbor Township (8-0)
What: South Jersey Group IV quarterfinal
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Augustine Prep
What's next: Winner advances to next weekend's semifinals against the winner of tonight's quarterfinal between third-seeded Toms River East and sixth-seeded Washington Township.
Key players:
Shawnee: Ben Schwing, RB, 148 carries for 953 yards and 15 touchdowns; Dillon Lucas, LB; Andre Hutchinson, RB, 54 carries for 445 yards; Vince Corbi, QB, 29-of-65 for 433 yards and two touchdowns; Brian Garganio, K, four field goals, 25-of-30 extra points.
Egg Harbor Township: Tejay Johnson, RB/DB, 81 carries for 583 yards; Scott Miller, QB/DB, 45-of-75 for 638 yards and five touchdowns, 79 carries for 545 yards and eight touchdowns; Zach Agostino, RB/LB, 83 carries for 357 yards; Stephan Thomas, RB/LB; Mark Capetola, DL.
Keys to victory: Shawnee likes to run. The Eagles' defense needs to use its quickness to shed Shawnee blockers and get to the football as quickly as possible. On offense, EHT needs get the ball to Miller and Johnson in open space. The two are tough to tackle one-on-one.
Contact Michael McGarry:
609-272-7185
