High Point had its quarterback heading into the 2024 season in John Elko. What Wildcats coach Bill Percey needed was a running back.

Oh boy, did he find one in Jerron Martress.

The junior has rolled up 1,573 yards and has scored a school-record 24 touchdowns. Mattress and Elko (66 for 108, 1,099 yards, 12 TDs passing, 86 for 665 rushing, 11 TDs) have given the Wildcats a spectacular 1-2 punch as they head to Glen Rock in the North 2, Group II semifinals Friday night.

High Point (9-1) was 17-28 from 2019-23 but is in the midst of one of its best seasons ever under Percey. 

You want offense? The high-flying Wildcats have scored over 35 points eight times (including over 40 points five times), thanks to the intricate work of offensive coordinator Brian Bird. When Percey came aboard as coach, one of the first things he did was reach out to Bird and bring him aboard to run the offense.  

The Wildcats have taken to Bird. They can run it with Martress or sling it with Elko, who can get to the outside when he decides to keep it. Either way, a talented O-Line of center Ryan Jaick, guards Don Weiss and Cody DiCarlo (6-0, 240), and tackles Alex Conway and Brandon Kent (6-3, 225) have brutalized anything (or anyone) in their path from Day One.

“We’re not overly-sized but the kids are as tough as nails,” Percey said. “Their technique is unbelievable. They are strong kids. In the summer, we changed our offseason program lifting program. (Former Randolph coach and new High Point defensive coordinator) Will Nahan came in and focused more on lower body strength, squats, deadlifts, cleans … certain exercises have kept them healthy. The spring and summer workouts were so beneficial.”

Having the talented Martress around has lifted the entire team. He is already one of the best in school history.

Amazingly enough, he entered the summer wanting to play quarterback. But Percey liked what he saw of Elko last year and needed a runner, so Martress was a perfect fit.

Last year, the coaches caught a slight glimpse of what Martress could do when he broke off a long run substituting for the injured Mason Mericle. Martress lined up at fullback and …. VROOM!! He went 60 yards.

“We kind of saw this coming,” Percey said. “I saw him run at the end of last year. Jerron is our backup QB. He wanted to be the quarterback. He is 6-1, 190. We already had John Elko, a real good athlete, and we wanted both on the field. The rest is history. Jerron broke the school record for touchdowns. He’s a stud, a great kid, captain, a great leader.

“In the summer, right from the start, he was a running back. He has great vision, he’s tough. He is on the relay team in track so we knew he was fast. He is the total package.”

If things keep going, Mattress is on pace to surpass former High Point running back great Chad Mussilli for the school career rushing record (unofficially 2,507 yards from 2015-18).

Elko, meanwhile, is one of the most versatile QBs in Morris-Sussex.

“John Elko is good at everything,” Percey said. “I am the golf coach and he decided to give up baseball last year and he was one of our top three golfers. He was a good wrestler in middle school. He figures stuff out right away. He knows the game of football, he’s quick, has speed, and knowledge of the game. He has a great football IQ. When we ask him to throw, he can.”

The team’s leading receivers are Slade Miller (11 receptions for 306 yards, 7 TDs), Mark Leach (15 for 215, 1 TD), and Dylan Masters (12 for 105, 1 TD).

“In the offseason we met as coaches and discussed things,” Percey said. “Will took the defense, Brian the offense, and I went with the special teams.”

The players, meanwhile, had to undergo a change in mindset. It’s one thing to want to be a winner, but doing the daily things necessary was something that the players had to do. That takes months of day-to-day discipline.

“(Former High Point coach) Jim Delaney changed that,” Percey said. “You need that connection with wrestling. Jim did that. We have some basketball and lacrosse kids.”

There are no magic tricks to the incredible offensive output.  

This is all (OC) Brian Bird,” Percey said. “He brought in multiple formations … Power, Iso, Counters. Jet sweeps. Nothing magical. We always look for weaknesses in a defense and we attack those weaknesses. Nothing has changed. We are run-heavy but we throw the ball out of play-action. We have some Wing-T principles. We run Waggle. We are a big, power team. Different formations have helped. 

“Jerrod to tailback was a huge move. Elko stayed at QB. He has grown and they have been phenomenal.”

The Wildcats overwhelmed Becton in the first round of the playoffs (46-6) and went up at halftime, 32-0, as Martress had three touchdowns and Elko had two.

“Becton was very good,” Percey said. “Their QB was good and they had physical players but we stuck to our plan. We blocked a punt and took it from there. Cody (D-Lineman DiCarlo) had a scoop and score. That created a big splash and that went a long way for our confidence. That is the biggest thing. We have to be confident because we play faster when we are confident.”

The Wildcats are one win away from playing in a sectional final for the first time ever. The 2001 team made the sectional semifinals before losing to Ramapo.

North 1, Group 1

(4) Glen Ridge at (1) Butler

(3) Mountain Lakes at (2) New Milford

Thoughts: The Bulldogs have become a strong favorite to win the section. They do a lot of things well, including passing (quarterback David Smith is 82 for 131 for 1,284 yards, 23 TDs and just 2 INTs), running (Yadi Perez leads a balanced running attack with 418 yards and 6 TDs), and playing defense (Luca Toriello and Peyton Kibburz are dominant up front). P.J. Coffey is one of the best all-around players in Morris County and in Butler’s tradition-rich school history. 

Mountain Lakes overwhelmed most opponents in the state playoffs on the way to winning the state Group I championship last year. This year’s rebuilding club staged one of the most amazing comebacks in the history of New Jersey state playoff football when it beat Lenape Valley last week (17-14). The Patriots took a 14-7 lead with about one minute left. Coach Darrell Fusco’s Herd then staged an incredible hook-and-lateral play for a touchdown to tie it (QB Brett Beierle to receiver Connor Higgins to running back Massimo Corvelli), recovered a Lenape fumble on the ensuing kickoff (Higgins) and then Romano Deconsiliis booted a 25-yard field goal to win the game. 

Underclassmen have risen to the occasion for Mountain Lakes. Sophomore Jack Bronico (whose father was the head coach at Whippany Park back in the day) is a rising star at linebacker and running back. Junior Holden Gillespie, a two-way lineman, is dominant on the D-Line and so is Deconsiliis, a junior. If junior fullback Carson Fitch (839 yards) is healthy, he could be the difference. 

This isn’t one of Fusco’s better teams, but the Herd have plenty of guts and a winning pedigree and have a good shot to win. The Herd have played a better schedule (Weequahic, Hanover Park, Pequannock, Madison) and that could put them over the top.

New Milford looks to standout QB Jerzey Ryan (1,297 yards passing).

North 1, Group 2

(5) Shabazz at (1) Westwood

(3) Pequannock at (2) Bernards

Thoughts: The Golden Panthers hit their stride early in the year with impressive wins over playoff semifinalists Mountain Lakes and Ramsey but then were dominated by Hanover Park (41-9) before losing to Madison two weeks later (21-7). Perhaps coach Mike Moschella and his team got their mojo back in a 28-27 win over Madison as Angelo Cundiff rushed for 193 yards and the team rushed for 284 out of the Wing-T that Moschella learned while playing for Don Smolyn at Lenape Valley. Pequannock has a terrific, veteran senior O-Line (Tyler Frame, Jutin Gryszkin, Henry Struble, Will Irwin) and that comes in handy when the playoff spotlight is on. 

Bernards has become a terrific program over the last few years, going 62-11 under Jon Simoneau, who guided the team to its first-ever sectional championship last year. This year’s squad is 10-0 under the leadership of quarterback Nolan Walsh, a sophomore who is 88 for 140 for 1,661 yards and 16 TDs.

North 2, Group 2

(4) High Point at (1) Glen Rock

(3) Ramsey at (2) Hanover Park

Thoughts: The Hornets have one of their best teams and are bidding for the first sectional title at the school since the 1990 powerhouse. Hanover is not overwhelming in size but is one of the quickest teams around. QB Joey Borrello (89 for 121, 14 TDs) can throw it and run it (102 for 379, 8 TDs). He has a wealth of weapons to throw to, including Joey Tantawi (22 for 349, 7 TDs), Jack Kovacs (24 for 338, 2 TDs), Joey Filippone 16 for 202, 1 TD) and big-play guy Darien Iannacone (7 for 201, 4 TDs). Hanover is a handful of up front on ‘D’ because of its quickness and ability to get into opponents backfields with the standout LB duo of Filippone (2 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 75 tackles) and Hector Lopez (4 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 81 tackles). Nico Malgieri has come on at linebacker (4 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 54 tackles). The team has 16 sacks and 44 tackles behind the line.  

If Ramsey looks familiar to Hanover Park fans, it should. In 2021, the Hornets staged one of the most improbable wins ever in state history. The Bergen County school pummeled the Hornets during the regular season (49-7) on Oct. 8. Just one month later, Hanover coach Dan Fulton engineered a 33-21 stunner over the top-seeded Rams. Hanover, the No. 8 seed, went on to beat No. 4 seed Waldwick (33-21) before losing in the sectional finals to powerful Caldwell (44-14).  

North 1, Group 3

(4) Montville at (1) Pascack Valley

(7) River Dell at (3) Passaic Valley

Thoughts: Montville RB-DB Anthony Feaster, headed for Lehigh, might be the best player on the field, but will that be enough for the Mustangs? Feaster (76 for 475, 9 TDs rushing, 43 for 622 receiving, 4 TDs) has been a do-everything performer for a team that is coming off one of its best performances of the year in a 20-6 win over Sparta in the first round. 

Montville unleashed running back Mike Vito, who was 26 for 191 rushing as the team broke open a scoreless tie with a big second half. Vito had rushed for just 173 yards all season. Montville appeared to be running out of gas with the playoffs looming with back-to-back losses to West Morris (28-6) and Mendham (28-0). Perhaps the Mustangs have found their second wind. Montville is a handful on defense with such players as Sean Elsmore (5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 48 tackles) and Dante Palladino (9 sacks, 18 tackles for loss). Both are a handful up front. Vito (9 tackles for loss, 109 tackles) and Mike Vespi (8 tackles for loss, 4 INTs, and C.J. Tedesco (3 INTs) head the secondary.

Pascack Valley has had a monstrous season with wins over Westwood (21-7), River Dell (35-7) and Old Tappan (27-21).  

North 2, Group 3

(4) Cranford at (1) Old Tappan

(3) West Morris at (2) West Essex

Thoughts: West Morris and West Essex have forged a nice little rivalry over the last few years with the Wolfpack winning a regular-season game three years ago and back-to-back sectional titles in 2021 and 2022. West Essex gained a small bit of revenge in the state Group III semifinal last year.

Both teams run the Wing T. Few teams run it quite like West Morris, whose line and running game has been spectacular this year – and that is without a bone-fide, speedy breakaway threat. Peter Miragliotta (159 for 1,123 yards, 10 TDs, Brady Bentrewicz (86 for 859, 7 TDs, and Jaxon Corkery (104 for 595, 12 TDs) rarely go down on the first hit or get thrown for a loss. The line, which consists of Tom Borgia, Brady Ashburn, A.J. Codella, Blake Parkinson-Gee and Steven Chatfield, has been dominant all year. The Wolfpack have won three straight sectional titles and will be a tough out.

West Essex runs the Wing-T very well but throws a bit more this year, thanks to the combination of quarterback Jake Long (59 for 104, 1,068 yards, 9 TDs, 8 INTs) and dynamic receiver Anthony Drago (34 for 677, 5 TDs).

North 1, Group 4

(4) Mount Olive at (1) Morris Knolls

(3) Ramapo at (2) Ridge

Thoughts: The Mount Olive-Morris Knolls game is shaping up to be perhaps the game of the year in Morris County this year. Knolls dominated their mid-season meeting (27-7), but the Marauders made some changes in their offensive line and been playing terrific football lately, with wins over West Morris (35-28) and Newark Central (40-6) in the first round of the playoffs.  Quarterback Jake Asbury (117 for 179 passing, 1,409 yards, 15 TDs) runs the RPO beautifully with fullback Tyler Cumming (133 for 1,036 yards, 11 TDs).  Two-way lineman James Giammanco (6 ½ sacks, 18 tackles for loss) is a handful in the trenches.

Knolls, meanwhile, has rolled up nine straight wins against a rugged schedule and owns victories over playoff semifinalists West Morris, Bridgewater, and Mount Olive and West Essex.

The Golden Eagles love the running game with quarterback Chris Kaiser (508 yards, 10 TDs) at the helm. The team has rushed for 2,833 yards and 35 yards with Bobby Brickner (145 for 1,064 yards, 9 TDs), Justin Hanson (50 for 628, 7 TDs) and Jayden Koger (32 for 308, 5 TDs) all threats to break off long runs.

North 2, Group 4

(5) Chatham at (1) Phillipsburg

(3) Northern Highlands at (2) Woodbridge

Thoughts: Chatham QB Will Allen has been putting together a strong season. He was in complete control of the game in the Cougars win at Wayne Valley when he was 15 for 25 217 yards and three TDs. He is now 137 for 240 for 1,833 yards and 15 TDs. Receiver Nick Lagunowich is only a sophomore but has given the team a lift from Day One with 52 catches for 728 yards and 6 TDs. Alex McWilliams leads the ground game with 88 rushes for 393 yards and 7 TDs.

Pburg has had a terrific season led by quarterback Jeff Genovese (1,492 yards passing), who loves throwing to Matthew Scerbo (35 for 901 receiving, 11 TDs) and  Felix Matos (30 for 572, 5 TDs). The Cougars will have to dig in and play defense against PBurg, which has scored over 40 points six times this year.

Non-Public, Group B

(12) St. Mary (Ruth.) at (5) St. Thomas Aquinas 

(13) Donovan Catholic at (4) Holy Spirit

(10) St. John Vianney at (7) Notre Dame

(9) Immaculata at (8) Paul VI

(14) Hudson Catholic at (3)-Paramus Catholic

(11) Camden Catholic at (6) Pope John 

Thoughts: Pope John is out of Parochial A (Bergen Catholic, St. Joe’s-Montvale, Don Bosco, Delbarton, etc.) but that doesn’t mean Parochial B will be a cakewalk. The Lions have an excellent shot at advancing here. Pope John has played an incredibly demanding schedule, far better than Camden Catholic, which has played mostly a public-school slate. The Lions have lost to state Top 5 teams DePaul (47-14), Bergen Catholic (63-7), St. Joe’s-Montvale (41-14), and Delbarton (35-34). If the Lions team that almost beat Delbarton comes to this game, they should advance. Tylik Hill (1,485 yards rushing, 16 TDs) will be the best player on the field.