Matchups to Look Out For in Week 1 Pt. 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are finally here. After a long offseason, Week 1 of New Jersey high school has arrived. All of the hype we have built and all of the predictions we have made will come to an end, and everything we discuss will be the results and performances of some of NJ's best football players. In week 1 alone we are blessed with matchups that we could have only dreamed of starting the season with. And with that, I bring you three of the top matchups in New Jersey for week 1. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Thursday 8/29</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Atlantic City vs. Mainland (Battle at the Beach)</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atlantic City started the season of fast last year, as they went on a 6-1 run before ending the season with a 6-5 record. Atlantic City suffered their first loss of the season to Mainland last year and they will look to not succumb to that again in 2024. Atlantic City will need to rebuild around their talented senior class if they want to get past Mainland this season. This team lost their leading rusher and QB from a season ago. With Rutgers commit Sah'nye Degraffenreidt returning as one of the top targets in the state, Atlantic City will have to lean on him heavily if they want to be successful. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1547066' first='Raul' last='Cabrera'] (4 sacks, 1 interception, 1 FF) and Yamdry Hernandez (4 sacks 1 FF) will need to dominate upfront to continue to bring the pressure on Mainland's talented QB. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of Mainland, their junior QB, [player_tooltip player_id='855776' first='John' last='Franchini'], is returning after leading his team to a 14-0 record and a state championship. Mainland absolutely dominated nearly every opponent they went up against, including Ramapo in the state championship. A lot of that has to do with John's prolific performance throughout the season (1240 passing yards and 20 touchdowns). Mainland is losing their top 2 leading rushers and their top receiver through graduation and wll need to fill those voids. [player_tooltip player_id='1002362' first='Rocco' last='DeBiaso'] will step up as WR1 in 2024 as he put up 306 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns last season. Rocco was also a focal point of Mainland's defense last season as he racked up 99 tackles and 6 sacks as a linebacker. Mainland is also losing a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball that made them so dominant this past season. Be prepared for this game to be a true battle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Friday 8/30</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Montclair vs. Winslow (Battle at the Beach)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Montclair's talented QB from a year ago, Bubba Lewis, is now down in Florida for his senior season, leaving a big hole in Montclair's offense. The team went 8-4 in 2023 and lost to Passaic Tech in the section finals. While they are losing talent at a critical position, they are also returning enough talent to make them very competitive in 2024. Leading the rushing attack is [player_tooltip player_id='1043550' first='Ja-khi' last='Chance']. The leading rusher from a year ago for Montclair, Ja-khi ran for 679 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2023. On the receiving end of the new quarterback is Jace Auletta. Jace found the end zone more than any other receiver on the roster last season as he caught 9 touchdowns from Bubba Lewis. He also lined up on defense as a DB and lead the team in interceptions as well (3). Helping out on defense is [player_tooltip player_id='1214397' first='Jarius' last='Davis'], who put up 4.5 sacks and forced 3 fumbles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winslow is one of the most talented public schools in the state. They finished 2023 with 10-3 record and a loss to Mainland in the semifinals, but there is good reason to believe they will take it all the way this season. Why is Winslow an early favorite to win it all? It really all centers around arguably the most prolific passing unit in the state. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='910875' first='Jalen' last='Parker'] is returning for his sophomore campaign with a ton of experience behind him. Last season, Jalen torched defenses for 1511 yards and 21 touchdowns. What is hard to believe is Winslow is returning with two of their top receiving targets from a year ago as well. Cam Miller, the Wisconsin commit, was near impossible to cover in 2023 as he caught 1334 yards and 15 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='402235' first='Nyqir' last='Helton'] is the next great receiver to come out of Winslow, as he balled out last season for 606 yards and 7 touchdowns. We should see some fireworks between these two teams Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Weequahic vs. Mountain Lakes</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going 10-1 in 2023 and losing to Butler in the semifinals, Weequahic is in a tough position to repeat the same success they had a year ago. There are a big openings in the lineup, but luckily there are a few key figures that could carry Weequahic back to similar success this season. Paul Jones III, the talented starting quarterback from 2023, lit up the field with 1333 yards and throwing 20 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions. Offensively, a lot of the weight is going to be carried by Paul. He is returning as the leading rusher as well, as Weequahic not only lost their top rusher but also are not returning a single underclassman receiver that played a part in the team's offense last year. Defensively, the unit will really have to hold its own against Mountain Lakes. The team will have to rely on players like Ja'Shyne Hayes to make as big of an impact as possible. A year ago, Ja'Shyne performed well as he accumulated 1 sack, 4 interceptions, and returned two of those interceptions for a touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second state champion on the list for this week, Mountain Lakes will look to continue their winning ways right into 2024. Finishing 2023 with a 11-2 record, Mountain Lakes has a few holes to fill but traditionally does an exception job at doing so. The new RB to keep your eyes on is [player_tooltip player_id='1087585' first='Carson' last='Fitch'], a truly talented RB that is quick and powerful and played a huge part in the team's rushing attack last season. Rushing for 821 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, Carson is just hitting his stride. However, the defense may have to take control of this game as their pass defense and secondary may be the best defense against Paul Jones III. Bradley Rodgers picked the ball off 3 times last season, and talented defensive back Connor Higgins is coming back with 4 interceptions under his belt as well. Mountain Lakes will have to rely on these two players if they want to slow Weequahic down. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->