Highland Park put together a complete Friday-night showing, and Marcus Smith was right in the middle of it from start to finish.
The senior quarterback sparked the Rams’ 35-0 win over Metuchen in a Big Central Conference game at Highland Park High School, accounting for three touchdowns, 123 rushing yards on six carries and 38 passing yards. He also chipped in on defense with a sack as Highland Park improved to 8-1.
The night carried extra meaning before the opening snap, too. Highland Park retired the jersey of alum L.J. Smith, who played at Rutgers and in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Once the game began, Highland Park wasted little time taking charge. Smith opened the scoring by finding Ziquan Grier for a 38-yard touchdown pass on the first drive, and Adnan Sumaila’s kick made it 7-0 after the first quarter.
Then came the burst that separated the game. Smith ripped off touchdown runs of 76 and 31 yards in the second quarter, both of them landing like haymakers. With Sumaila adding the extra points, Highland Park carried a 21-0 lead into halftime.
Jacob Quiros handled the finishing work after the break. He scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter and added another from 5 yards out in the fourth, with Sumaila perfect on all five extra-point tries to complete the 35-0 shutout.
Highland Park’s offense leaned hard on the run and got exactly what it wanted. The Rams piled up 221 rushing yards on 21 carries, with Quiros finishing with 67 yards and two scores on 11 attempts and Du’an Fleming adding 28 yards on three carries.
Defensively, Highland Park never let Metuchen settle in. Michael Oliver-Kohler led the way with eight total tackles, while Aj Lee posted six tackles and two tackles for loss. Smith, Fleming, Ioannis Papoutsakis and Leo Dirks Amodeo each recorded a sack as the pressure kept coming.
The result moved Highland Park to 4-1 in Big Central - Freedom Gold play. Metuchen dropped to 3-5 overall and fell to 1-4 in Big Central - Patriot Silver action.
In Other News...
Rutgers Never Recovered From The Start Fans Dreaded
Rutgers spent the afternoon chasing a game it never really got to settle into, and the early damage proved too much to overcome in a 42-14 loss to No. 24 Northwestern. The Scarlet Knights were undone by a rough first quarter and an offense that never found much rhythm, while Northwestern controlled the line of scrimmage and kept building its lead with a balanced attack.
The bigger concern for Rutgers was how little room it had to adjust once things started slipping. The defense had trouble slowing either the run or the pass, and the offense spent most of the day trying to manufacture momentum that never came. Now the Scarlet Knights have to reset quickly with Michigan next on the schedule, and the lesson from this one is hard to ignore: the margin for error disappeared almost immediately. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Just Got Exposed In One Area Fans Feared Most
Rutgers spent much of the day chasing Northwestern after the No. 24 Wildcats burst out to an early lead and never let go, turning a home date into a reminder of how thin the margin can be when the Scarlet Knights fall behind. The offense kept grinding through a strange day under center, with three quarterbacks taking snaps as injuries and performance issues forced constant adjustments, but the ground game did at least give Rutgers something to build on.
Antwan Raymond and Clay Thevenin both gave the Scarlet Knights a real push on the ground, and that was the kind of physical answer Rutgers has been looking for. The harder question was on the other side of the ball, where Aidan Chiles had room to work and made the most of it, throwing for 219 yards and three touchdowns as Northwestern repeatedly found the soft spots Rutgers has worried about most. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Faces A Brutal Test Against A Top 25 Team On Road
Rutgers heads to Evanston, Illinois, coming off a much-needed win over Maryland, but the challenge waiting on the other side looks significantly steeper. No. 24 Northwestern brings a sturdy running game and an offense that has given the Scarlet Knights plenty to think about, and the staff preview around the matchup paints this as the kind of road test that can quickly expose where a team is still vulnerable.
The biggest concern for Rutgers is familiar: the defense has had trouble against the run and against quarterbacks who can make plays with their legs. That makes this trip feel like a particularly tough stylistic fit, especially with Northwesterns offense built to stress those exact areas and the Wildcats positioned as the likelier winner going in. [Read more 🡒]