Week 5 of the high school football season is in the books and it was another week of outstanding performances.
Read about the Top 15 performances here and cast your vote for who you think had the best week below. Voting will be open until Thursday morning.
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Glassboro’s Mekhi Parker was last week’s winner in our reader’s poll, garnering 56.1 percent of the 2.5K votes recorded. Highland’s Zion Brockenbrough and Triton’s Jaylen Morris rounded out the top three finishers.
More: Football 2025: Check out all of our content for the South Jersey high school season
Top Performances from Week 5
Trey Alexander, Williamstown. The sophomore rushed for a season-high 114 yards and a pair of scores, including the decisive TD in the third quarter, as the visiting Braves shocked Rancocas Valley, 21-18, on Friday. Alexander leads Williamstown with seven rushing touchdowns on the season and won the team’s MVP award in the Border Bowl against Washington Township in the previous game.
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Khalil Bangura, Bordentown. The senior had one of the best defensive games in recent memory, picking off four passes and returning one for a touchdown, during the Scotties’ 27-7 win over Robbinsville on Saturday. Bangura opened the scoring with a pick-6 from 82 yards and added a second 82-yard score with a run late in the first quarter.
Charles Barbour, Lindenwold. The senior set a South Jersey record for receiving yards in a game, catching 10 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-22 loss to Pitman on Thursday. Barbour’s record, surpassed the old mark of 290 set by Holy Cross’ Isaac Irby in 1999. The total also is the fourth highest in state history.
Mason Beck, Cedar Creek. The senior defensive linemen recorded 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and nine total tackles during the Pirates’ 35-6 win over Oakcrest on Friday. The sacks and total tackles were career-highs for Beck.
Marvin Burroughs, Atlantic City. The sophomore quarterback fired a school-record six touchdown passes in a 55-10 win over Vineland on Thursday. It’s the first time a former Cape-Atlantic League school’s QB had six TD passes in a game. Burroughs finished with 297 passing yards in the game, raising his season total to 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns.
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Cooper Burti, Cherokee. The junior quarterback completed 12 of 17 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a team-high 66 yards and a second score as the Chiefs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 22-21 victory over Shawnee on Friday. Burti, a Tennessee commit for baseball, has produced over 850 yards of total offense this season.
Terry Cook, Eastern. The junior shined on both sides of the ball, catching a pair of TD passes while picking off two throws on defense during the Vikings’ 35-7 win at Trenton. Cook finished with six grabs for 105 yards, the second time he has topped the century mark in three games. He also has four picks on the season.
Kevin Clark, Haddon Heights. The senior quarterback fired four touchdown passes as the Garnet polished off their first win of the season with a 35-6 home triumph over Camden Catholic. He completed 9 of 13 passes for 201 yards in the game. Clark has thrown six TD passes this season and has 10 for his scholastic career.
Jonathan Fernandez, Lower Cape May. The senior rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns while catching three passes for 50 more yards during the Caper Tigers’ 34-6 win at Egg Harbor Township. It was the first 100-yard rushing game for Fernandez and helped lead Lower Cape May to its fifth win in six games.
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Nolan Figueroa, Audubon. The junior running back made the most of his five carries as he rattled off 144 yards and three touchdowns during the Green Wave’s 58-0 victory at Gloucester Catholic. It was Audubon’s first win of the season and Figueroa’s first three TDs of his scholastic career.
Londyn Johnson, Burlington Township. The junior linebacker picked off a pair of passes to highlight the Falcons’ 8-0 win over Burlington City in a battle of unbeatens on Friday. It was Township’s first shutout of the season.
Mike Keenan, Haddonfield. Sparking the Haddons’ 29-14 win at rival West Deptford, the junior provided a pair of scores with a 21-yard pass reception and a long 76-yard run.
Daniel Leahy, Camden Catholic. The senior stuffed the stat sheet on both sides of the ball with seven catches for 100 yards and a touchdown on offense along with seven tackles from his linebacker spot on defense during the Irish’s 35-6 loss to Haddon Heights.
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Jaiden Moore, Triton. The senior defensive tackle created all kinds of havoc during the Mustangs’ 28-21 win over Cherry Hill West. Moore racked up 2.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, 12 total tackles and a forced fumble as Triton earned its third straight win. Moore has 6.5 sacks and 46 tackles for the season, including double-digit tackles in two straight games.
Jalen Parker, Winslow. The junior quarterback threw for three touchdowns, leading the Eagles to a 26-8 win at Camden on Saturday. Parker completed 23 of 35 passes for a season-best 318 yards. In his last two games, the QB has seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Parker has 78 career TD throws, a mark only five quarterbacks in South Jersey history and eight in state history have reached.
Dale Thomas, Woodbury. The junior rushed for three second-half touchdowns as the Thundering Herd rumbled to a 32-21 home win over Gateway on Saturday. Thomas has seven rushing touchdowns on the season, all in Woodbury’s two victories.
Aidan Upham, Pitman. The senior scored a touchdown in all three phases of the game on Thursday night as the Panthers won their fourth in a row with a 27-22 victory over Lindenwold. Upham caught a pass for a touchdown, returned a punt for a TD and recorded a pick-6 in the game. He has 14 total TDs on the season, including seven touchdown catches and two interceptions returned for scores.
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Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by 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: Best South Jersey high school football players of Week 5 of 2025
