High School Football: Games to Watch, predictions, schedule for Week 5

Believe it or not, it's time for October football.

After saying so long to September, the first week of October will present another crucial weekend for teams making a push toward the postseason.

Here's the schedule and games to watch for Week 5:

Season records for our prognosticators through three weeks: Tom McGurk (36-14) and Tom Rimback (34-16). Both went 7-3 in Week 4.

Games to Watch

Shawnee (3-2) at Cherokee (2-3), Friday, 6 p.m.

Cherokee has won the last four meetings in one of Burlington County’s best rivalries, including last season’s 23-0 victory. … Shawnee snapped a two-game losing streak with a 28-14 win over crosstown rival Lenape last week. … Cherokee enters the game saddled with a three-game losing streak, all setbacks against teams ranked in the top 10 in South Jersey.

Prediction: Rimback-Cherokee; McGurk-Cherokee.

Burlington City (3-2) at Burlington Township (5-0), Friday, 6 p.m.

It’s the first meeting between these two programs since 2009 when the Falcons soared to a 35-7 win. … Burlington City looks to complete a three-game road swing with its third straight win. … Burlington Township is 5-0 for the first time since 2020. The Falcons have yielded 17 points over those five games, including three shutouts.

Prediction: Rimback-Burlington Township; McGurk-Burlington Township.

St. Augustine (4-1) at Holy Spirit (4-1), Friday, 6 p.m.

If you like tough, defensive-minded football, this will be your type of game. The Hermits have won five of the last eight meetings dating back to 2016, including last season’s 14-0 decision. … St. Augustine has held opponents to 23 points over the first five weeks of the season. … Holy Spirit has won four straight games, including two by shutout, and has surrendered just 26 points over the stretch.

Prediction: Rimback-Holy Spirit; McGurk-St. Augustine.

Washington Township (4-1) at Lenape (1-4), Friday, 6 p.m.

It’s the first meeting for these squads since Lenape earned a first-round upset in the South Jersey Group 5 playoffs with a 24-21 overtime win against top-seeded Washington Township. … After playing three straight home games, the Minutemen head out on the road to Medford, seeking their second win in a row. … Lenape’s lone win came on its home turf, a 29-7 decision over Eastside on Sept. 21.

Prediction: Rimback-Washington Township; McGurk-Washington Township.

Ocean City (4-1) at Mainland (3-2), Friday, 6 p.m.

OC travels inland where it will try to keep the Mustangs at bay. The Raiders already surpassed last year’s win total before the calendar even flipped to October. A balanced running attack has produced over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns while senior quarterback Walker Bailey has thrown for 352 yards and four touchdowns. Ocean City had won four straight over Mainland before last year’s 35-0 loss. … Mainland looks to rebound after a 21-3 loss at St. Augustine. Junior quarterback John Franchini is quickly closing in on his second 1,000-yard passing season.

Prediction : Rimback-Mainland; McGurk-Mainland.

Atlantic City (3-2) at Vineland (3-2), Friday, 6 p.m.

Atlantic City heads into this contest looking to strengthen its grip on a home playoff game, while Vineland needs a win to keep its postseason hopes alive. … Atlantic City has rattled off three straight wins, including an 18-15 decision against Cherokee last week. The Vikings’ Sah’nye ‘Ice Cup’ Degraffenreidt is one TD catch away from tying the Atlantic County record held by Holy Spirit’s Elijah Steward (31 career TD catches). … Vineland celebrated a lopsided win with its home opener last week as the Fighting Clan clobbered Clearview 54-0 at Gittone Stadium.

Prediction: Rimback-Atlantic City; McGurk-Atlantic City.

Camden (4-1) at Winslow (5-0), Friday, 6 p.m.

The last time these two teams met, the game wasn’t decided until overtime when Winslow won 22-20 in 2021. Don’t be surprised if another thriller goes down in this matchup. … Camden, which gets its opportunity to knock off South Jersey’s top-ranked team, has posted 30 or more points in all four of its victories. … Winslow’s offense is electric, but its defense carries just as much star power. Senior Jasiah Bullock has three of the team’s takeaways.

Prediction: Rimback-Winslow; McGurk-Winslow.

Riverside (3-2) at Bishop Eustace (5-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Riverside will look to halt a two-game losing streak when it travels to Pennsauken. Senior Xavier Powell leads the team with 485 rushing yards and junior quarterback Dean Potts has a team-best five rushing touchdowns. … Bishop Eustace is off to its best start in a decade under first-year head coach Sal Racobaldo. Senior Mehki Simmons is approaching the 4,000-yard mark for his career, a total only 45 players have achieved in South Jersey history. Simmons has 764 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

Prediction: Rimback-Bishop Eustace; McGurk-Bishop Eustace.

Haddon Heights (1-3) at Camden Catholic (4-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Haddon Heights hits the final stop on a three-game road trip with a journey up Cuthbert Boulevard. The Garnets polished off their first win of the season with a 28-13 decision over Moorestown last week. Sophomore Cinque Matthews had his first career 100-yard rushing game and scored twice against the Quakers. … Camden Catholic is off to its best start since 2017. The Irish have posted 147 points and close to 1,200 yards of total offense over their first four games. Sophomore Nymir Daily has rushed for 402 yards and seven touchdowns.

Prediction: Rimback-Camden Catholic; McGurk-Camden Catholic.

West Deptford (3-2) at Haddonfield (3-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

West Deptford won for the third time in four weeks with a 42-3 rout at Audubon. The Eagles play away from their home nest for the fifth time in six games. The team has averaged 31.6 points per game and pounded out close to 1,200 yards on the ground. … Haddonfield snapped a two-game losing streak with a 21-8 victory at Pleasantville last week. Junior quarterback Van Lefakis has thrown for 660 yards with seven touchdowns.

Prediction: Rimback-Haddonfield; McGurk-West Deptford.

Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 3

Buena at St. Joseph, 6

Woodbury at Gateway, 6:30

Friday, Oct. 4

ACIT at Absegami, 6

Northern Burlington at Allentown, 6

Burlington City at Burlington Township, 6

Shawnee at Cherokee, 6

Florence at Cinnaminson, 6

Sterling at Collingswood, 6

Bridgeton at Cumberland, 6

Hightstown at Delran, 6

Deptford at Glassboro, 6

Notre Dame at Highland, 6

St. Augustine at Holy Spirit, 6

Seneca at Hopewell Valley, 6

Washington Township at Lenape, 6

Pitman at Lindenwold, 6

Egg Harbor Township at Lower Cape May, 6

Ocean City at Mainland, 6

Delsea at Millville, 6

Cedar Creek at Oakcrest, 6

Maple Shade at Palmyra, 6

Willingboro at Timber Creek, 6

Atlantic City at Vineland, 6

Camden at Winslow, 6

Riverside at Bishop Eustace, 7

Haddon Heights at Camden Catholic, 7

West Deptford at Haddonfield, 7

Kingsway at Hammonton, 7

Princeton at Holy Cross, 7

Steinert at Moorestown, 7

Penns Grove at Pennsville, 7

Bordentown at Robbinsville, 7

Rancocas Valley at Williamstown, 7

Pleasantville at Woodstown, 7

Saturday, Oct. 5

Clayton at Overbrook, 11

Schalick at Paulsboro, 11

Keansburg at Pemberton, noon

Eastside at Pennsauken, noon

Middle Township at Salem, noon

Trenton at Eastern, 1

Ewing at KIPP Cooper Norcross, 2

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: High School Football: Games to Watch, predictions, schedule for Week 5