Glassboro at Paulsboro tomorrow

When third-seeded Glassboro travels to No. 2 Paulsboro for tomorrow's South Jersey Group 1 football semifinal, it will have the feeling of a championship game. And it's not just because both teams are 9-0.

These teams have met the previous three years in the Group 1 final. Glassboro won, 24-7, last year after Paulsboro won the previous two seasons: 20-0 in 2006 and 17-14 in overtime in 2005.

With No. 1 Palmyra eliminated, many are considering this the unofficial title game in Group 1. It must be noted that fans of Penns Grove and Haddon Heights, the other Group 1 semifinalists, likely don't see things that way.

Here is a look at the game:

Records.

Glassboro has won 21 in a row, the longest current winning streak in South Jersey. The Bulldogs have beaten Salem (48-0), Pennsville (48-12), Clayton (51-0), Wildwood (60-0), Schalick (33-0), Gloucester (35-13), Penns Grove (35-6), Pitman (51-0), and, last week, Gloucester (34-0) in the first round of the playoffs.

Paulsboro has defeated Haddon Heights (33-0), Overbrook (34-7), Woodbury (38-13), Lindenwold (37-20), Audubon (35-0), Haddon Township (20-0), Haddonfield (20-0), Gateway (35-14), and Pennsville (50-7) in last week's Group 1 quarterfinal.

Coaches.

These are two of the best in South Jersey. Herb Neilio is in his seventh year at Glassboro with a 62-14 record. Glenn Howard has been at Paulsboro for 22 years and owns a 205-35 record.

Personnel.

Glassboro has outscored its opponents by 395-31. The Bulldogs have one of South Jersey's top receivers in senior Ricky Tunstall, who has 28 receptions for 517 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior James Brown has nine receptions for 206 yards and four touchdowns.

Senior Tim Breaker has completed 54 of 84 passes for 977 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception. Glassboro has three backs who have gained 300 or more yards. Senior Loronday Gaines has 472 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries (12.1 average). Classmate Stephen Davis, who has battled an ankle injury, is returning to form. He has 365 yards and five touchdowns on 30 carries (12.2 average). Fellow senior Chris Baxter has 340 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 carries (9.4 average).

Gaines has a team-high 57 tackles, followed by senior linebacker Joshua Bell, with 56. Sophomore defensive end Christian James has 34 tackles and six sacks.

Paulsboro has one of the best defenses in South Jersey. Many of the points allowed have come when the starters were out and the game was well in-hand.

Defensive back Gerald Hodges is among the top defensive players in South Jersey, even though he gets most of his attention as quarterback. Paulsboro's strength on defense is at linebacker with juniors Zach Greenwald and Maurice Lee. Greenwald has 97 tackles, including 53 solos; Lee has 78 tackles.

On offense, Hodges has completed 24 of 46 passes for 411 yards and seven touchdowns. Also, he has rushed for 649 yards and 12 touchdowns on 68 carries (9.5 average). Seniors Darren Carter and Marcus Gaines have big-play potential. Gaines has 666 yards and six touchdowns on 113 carries (5.9 average); Carter has 596 yards and eight touchdowns on 61 carries (9.8 average).

Key to the game.

Paulsboro does such a great job defending the run that Glassboro will have to get an effective effort from Breaker at quarterback. For Glassboro to be successful, the Bulldogs must find a way to get Tunstall the ball. If the Bulldogs have a successful day passing, they will be difficult to beat. Going against such a strong defense, that won't be easy.

The pick:

Paulsboro 14, Glassboro 13.