Staff Report

Normally, South Jersey high school football fans have to wait until late October or November for the biggest games of the year, but tomorrow night features one of the biggest showdowns in years in the Holly City. Millville — perhaps the best public school team in South Jersey — plays host to St. Augustine Prep, which has its share of Division I-caliber talent.

Millville last played on Sept. 10 because its last opponent was shut down due to Covid and nobody with an open date wanted to play the Thunderbolts, and for good reason. Syracuse University commit LeQuint Allen has been a one-man wrecking crew this season, and in the Bolts’ 49-39 win over Shawnee all he did was rack up six touchdowns! And Millville also has a capable quarterback in Nate Robbins and a darn good freshman receiver in Lotzeir Brooks, who continues to gather NCAA Division I offers each week it seems.

Millville is 3-0 and has beaten two very good teams in Union and Shawnee, combining to score 80 points against them. St. Augustine Prep won 6-of-7 games to close out last season, and this year, after suffering a season-opening loss to Archbishop Spalding of Maryland the Hermits have ripped off three straight wins, including victories over traditional powers Williamstown and St. Joseph Academy.

Quarterback Trey McLeer has already thrown for more than 350 yards and tailback Kanye Udoh has a whopping 644 yards and seven touchdowns on just 77 carries. As a team, Prep has rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in its first four games.

So, if you’re a fan of high school football in South Jersey, get on over to Wheaton Field on Friday at 6 p.m. for what is sure to be a heavyweight matchup!

FLYING HIGH: The Egg Harbor Township field hockey team is off to a 6-0 start and has the third-best goals against in the Cape-Atlantic League behind St. Joseph Academy and Ocean City. The Eagles have outscored opponents 30-6 this year, and have scored wins over Mainland, Ocean City, Cedar Creek  and Millville — teams that have combined for 15 wins. Sophomore Jenna Gray has been leading the way with five goals and nine assists, and Junior Kara Wilson has a team-leading six goals to go along with five assists. Senior goalie Rebecca Macchia has notched 33 saves so far. The Eagles face a tough test Monday at home against Hammonton and also have some big rematches coming up against Mainland and Ocean City.

UNBEATABLE? The Ocean City girls soccer team hasn’t lost a game yet this season, and it’s been a while since the Red Raiders have. Last year the Raiders went 11-0-1, tying Middle Township, and in 2019 they went 24-1-1 en route to a Group 3 state championship. Ocean City’s last loss came against Rancocas Valley, 2-1, on Sept. 16, 2019. That’s a span of nearly 740 days.

BLUE DEVIL BLITZ: Don’t look now, but the Hammonton boys soccer team is off to a 5-1 start and in first place in the Cape-Atlantic League American Conference standings. The Blue Devils lost their season opener, 3-2, to Millville, but since then have ripped off five straight wins, including four via shutout. Included in that stretch was a 2-1 win over Egg Harbor Township, one of the best Group 4 programs in South Jersey. Junior Tyler Lowe is leading the way with six goals and sophomore Marco Schiano has a team-high five assists. Senior keeper Chris Volk has stopped 33 shots in six games.

GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND: The Cedar Creek football team gets a chance to prove it’s for real on Saturday when the Pirates host Woodrow Wilson at noon. … On Saturday night, Oakcrest gets a chance to bounce back from consecutive losses to EHT and Delsea when the Falcons travel to Pemberton at 6 p.m. … On Saturday morning, Mainland is hosting the girls soccer JV Jamboree.