Staff Report

The 2024 high school football season is knocking on our door! Here at South Jersey Glory Days, we want to get you primed for each weekend of football with a quick look at the schedule and some games to keep your eye on, and why you should be interested.

BATTLE AT THE BEACH

Thursday (at Ocean City High): West Deptford vs. Manchester, 10am; Mainland vs. Atlantic City, 12:45pm; Ocean City vs. Cinnaminson, 3:30pm; IMG Academy (Fla.) vs. Bergen Catholic, 7pm.

Friday (at EHT High): Schalick vs. Cedar Grove, 9:30am; Washington Township vs. Northern Highlands, Noon; Cherokee vs. Middletown South, 2:30pm; Winslow vs. Montclair, 5pm; Millville vs. Holy Spirit, 7:30pm.

Saturday (at EHT High): Highland vs. Southern Regional, 9:30am; Pascack Valley vs. Rancocas Valley, Noon; Oakcrest vs. Hammonton, 2:30pm; Cedar Creek vs. Camden Eastside, 5pm; Egg Harbor Township vs. West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 7:30pm.

OTHER GAMES

THURSDAY: (5:30pm) Palmyra at Riverside; (6pm) Pleasantville at Timber Creek; Shawnee at Northern Burlington; Eastern at Kingsway; Overbrook at Buena Regional; Cherry Hill West at Triton; Vineland at St. Joseph Academy; Cherry Hill East at Clearview; Florence at Deptford; Collingwood at Clayton; KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy at Gateway.

FRIDAY: (5pm) Lenape at Passaic Tech; (6pm) Donovan Catholic at St. Augustine Prep; Bishop Eustace at Sterling; Nottingham at Paul VI; (7pm) Seneca at Williamstown; Lower Cape May at Bridgeton.

SATURDAY: (10am) Penns Grove at Paulsboro; (Noon) Burlington Township at Absegami; Willingboro at Salem.

KEY GAMES

Millville vs. Holy Spirit: Two of the top teams in the West Jersey Football League go at it, as Holy Spirit returns a quarterback in Ty Costabile, while the Bolts must find a replacement for Jacob Zamot. Spirit has a couple of junior running backs who were impressive last year in Emir Hicks and Christian Surles, and don’t be surprised if you see a bounce back year from 225-pound senior tailback Jahcere Ward. The Spartans also have one of South Jersey’s best place kickers in Mason Forte, should this game come down to a kick. Millville also won’t lack for playmakers, as it has University of Alabama wide receiver commit Lotzeir Brooks, plus the Bolts have a lot of linemen back on both sides of the ball.

Oakcrest vs. Hammonton: Are the Falcons for real? We’ll find out really quickly this season. They are in a very winnable division but have a couple of very tough games to start the year, facing Hammonton at the Battle at the Beach and then going on the road to battle Holy Spirit. Hammonton won’t have star running back Kenny Smith, who transferred to Glassboro for his senior season, but the Blue Devils always have one of the toughest defenses around and they limited Mainland to just 14 points last season.

Pleasantville at Timber Creek: These teams both knocked on the door of sectional championships last year but came up short. They combined for 17 wins a year ago and each team will have some athletes at the skill positions. This game may come down to whoever can be more physical at the line of scrimmage. Look for Timber Creek to bring a lot of pressure with its front seven on defense.

Seneca at Williamstown: Can new (and former) Braves coach Frank Fucetola bring back the magic he had just a few short years ago when Williamstown was one of the best teams in South Jersey? The Braves went 0-9 last year and this season are in a very tough division along with Washington Township, Timber Creek, Kingsway and Delsea Regional, but Fucetola has already started with small culture changes, like revamping the Braves’ locker room. It may seem like a small thing, but little things like that can sometimes make a big difference in the pride players take in their program.