Friday night football: Season begins for most teams on 14th anniversary of 2001 terrorist attacks

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher The 2015 high school football season officially opens tonight with a slate of outstanding games that will be played against the backdrop of the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. Many of the area high school teams that are hosting games tonight have something planned to honor the fallen, the first responders and military personnel. Egg Harbor Township, which hosts Atlantic City at 7 p.m., will have a moment of silence prior to the national anthem, and at Holy Spirit, where the Spartans host Malvern Prep in new head coach A.J. Russo’ first game, American flags adorn all the fencing surrounding the stadium as well as the driveway to the parking lot. The Spartans also will unfurl a large American flag prior to the playing of the national anthem. Ocean City, which hosts Absegami at 7 p.m., has invited military members, veterans and first responders to attend the game for free, and small flags will be handed out to spectators as they arrive at the stadium. In addition, commemorative T-shirts and wristbands will be on sale. As for the games, here’s a quick breakdown of all the Cape-Atlantic League action going on tonight: Mainland Regional at Millville: The Mustangs open up the season on the road against one of the recent powerhouses of the CAL. Head coach Bob Coffey said he has been impressed with his defense in the preseason, and a unit that allowed nearly 30 points per game will have to be much better this year for the Mustangs to make a return trip to the playoffs. Kolin Roberts and the Mainland Regional defense have a tough challenge ahead as they travel to Millville to face the Thunderbolts in the season opener. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “The team is doing well here in the preseason. We did well against Hammonton, Holy Spirit and Delsea. I like our defense. I think it’s a little bit ahead of our offense right now,” Coffey said earlier this week. “We know it’s going to be tough going into Millville. But we’ve gotten to the ball real well this year. We have some new faces, but with guys like Kolin Roberts and Ryan Swenson, they know the defense from last year.” Coffey has gone back to the old Wing-T offense, and Mainland will need to control the ball as much as possible to keep it out of the hands of Millville quarterback Will Polhemus and some of the playmakers the Thunderbolts have. Look for Mainland to try to set the tempo early with its running game. The Mustangs will need to sustain drives in the first half and keep it a low-scoring game to have a shot in the second half. Atlantic City at Egg Harbor Township: Keep Jamir Prevard contained. That is the mantra of the Eagles this week. If they let Atlantic City’s athletic quarterback roam free, it’s going to be a long night. First order of business for EHT will be stopping the running game of Atlantic City. If they Vikings get that going, that opens things up for Prevard. The Eagles have some playmakers of their own, however, as running back Dante Moore and receiver Spencer La Sure both have a lot of experience and a lot of talent. The last couple of years this game has been a shootout. Last season, EHT pulled out a wild, 28-27 win in coach Kevin Stetser’s first game, as Stetser elected to go for two — and the win — late in the game rather than settling for an extra point that would have tied the game and possibly forced overtime. St. Joseph at St. Augustine Prep: A matchup of two of the best teams in South Jersey, these squads combined to win 19 games last year and feature some outstanding athletes as well as some powerful offensive and defensive lines. The Hermits haven’t come close to beating the Wildcats in the last five seasons, and they’ll have to score early to stay in the game. A lot of that falls on the shoulders of quarterback Jose Tabora, a three-year starter. St. Joseph features the Horne twins, A’Laam and Salaam, two of the most dynamic playmakers in South Jersey. Linebacker Jim Brady and his boys will have their hands full in this one. Absegami at Ocean City: The Braves are still smarting over a 19-12 loss to the Red Raiders in last year’s season opener and would love to return the favor. They return nearly two dozen starters, including most of the offensive line, and could be primed for a big year. But Ocean City has improved as well, as Andrew Donoghue has become more comfortable as the starting quarterback. A guy like Owen Naplacic of Ocean City could have a big impact on this game on both sides of the ball. Buena Regional at Bridgeton: A huge game in the CAL National right off the bat. Don’t be surprised if Bridgeton really puts up some points in this one. They were beaten by the Chiefs last year and you know the Bulldogs have had this rematch circled on their calendar since last Thanksgiving. Bridgeton is very tough to beat at home and Buena could have a hard time matching up with their speed and size. Middle Township at Vineland: This is a classic matchup of David vs. Goliath, at least in terms of school size. Middle Township doesn’t have a big roster, but showed a pretty good offense in the preseason. The question is, will they be able to stop Vineland and quarterback Isaiah Pacheco from putting up points early? The Fighting Clan will have to avoid penalties and sustain drives to wear down a scrappy Middle Township defense. Bishop Shanahan (Pa.) at Pleasantville: The Greyhounds get the Chris Sacco era started by facing an out-of-state squad that already has a regular-season game under its belt. Sacco is realistic about his expectations for a team coming off an 0-10 season, and it will be interesting to see how the defense fares to start the season. Malvern Prep at Holy Spirit: The Spartans start the A.J. Russo era with the second year of a home-and-home deal with Malvern Prep, a team that beat up the Spartans a year ago. Russo will have to get creative on offense to give his team a chance to make some plays in space. Trying to continually run the ball up the middle against a team like Malvern Prep probably won’t be a great strategy. The Spartans may need a big play in the return game, from a guy such as Lee Dawson, to have a chance to pull an upset here. Cape Henlopen at Lower Cape May (Saturday, 1 p.m.): The Caper Tigers are still trying to rebuild from a couple of down seasons, and facing a team coming off an 8-2 season isn’t going to be easy. Cape Henlopen has to ride the ferry over, so if Lower can get off to a quick start it may be able to hang around. Bye weeks: Oakcrest, Cedar Creek Contact Dave O’Sullivan: Sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays