Hackettstown

The Hackettstown Tigers are coming off a disappointing season. They finished last season with a 1-8 record in the old American Blue Division. The Tigers’ lone win last year came on the road at North Warren in a 42-32 slugfest. 

The main issue for Hackettstown last year was their inability to put up points due to offensive struggles. Other than the 42 points they scored in that North Warren game, the Tigers failed to score more than 20 points in any other game all year, being shut out three times.

While last year did not pan out well, this Tigers team is primed to be a force this season, with many starters returning on offense. Senior Matt Guenther will be looking to build off last year’s success. Guenther led the team with 683 total yards (378 rushing and 305 receiving) and led the Tigers with 8 TDs on the year.

Christian Copen caught up with Tigers head coach Mike Arakelian at the SFC Media Day earlier in the week:

High Point

The Wildcats are moving from the American White Division to the new Super Football Conference and should benefit from the switch. High Point was 3-6 last year, but five of the six losses came within their old division.  

One of the team’s three wins came against their new division opponent, Kittatinny, in a 13-7 win at home over the Cougars.

The Wildcats were a young team last year and will have plenty of starters returning on both the offensive and defensive ends, and on the coaching staff. Bill Percey returns to take over as head coach for his second stint.

Coach Percey and Nick Boyle were on the Dan Cleary Call-In Show on Big State Sports this week:

   

Kittatinny

The Cougars are coming off a 5-5 record last season, finishing 4th in the American Blue Division. After a huge road win at Hackettstown to open up the season, Kittatinny dropped five straight games, bringing them to a 1-5 record midway through October. 

They bounced back with an offensive outburst, winning their last four games, including the NJSIAA Regional Consolation North Group 1 Final. The offense was led by running back Jake Savage, who had 11 touchdowns and 786 rushing yards.

With Savage now graduated, the Cougars will look to juniors Jack Brex and Kevin O’Keefe to provide the spark on offense. Niko Martinez returns to lead the defense coming off a two interception and 24 tackle Sophmore season. 

Lenape Valley

The Pats ended the 2023-2024 season with a 4-6 record. However, they finished above the aforementioned Kittatinny Cougars due to a better record in the American Blue division. After winning three out of their first four games to open the season, Lenape Valley secured just one win the rest of the way.

With the team’s offensive leaders all graduating, the new wave of seniors will have to lead the way for this group to achieve success. Tanner Gaboda will look to pace the Patriots on offense and defense as he enters his senior year. 

It will be tough to tell how the Pats will fare this season but they do have the benefit of facing some familiar foes. Lenape Valley routed Kittatinny and edged out Hackettstown at home last year while falling to Newton and Sussex Tech. 

The Patriots will open up their season under the lights in Knnelon at 7:00 pm on August 30th. 

Newton

The defending American Blue division champs may have lost some firepower with last year’s seniors graduating, but they have more than enough to repeat this season. After falling to Warren Hills in their season opener, the Braves rattled off six straight wins, with five coming against division opponents. 

Newton’s season ultimately came to an end after falling to the eventual North Section 1 Group 2 Champion, Westfield, in the state tournament. 

Quarterback Matt Ellsworth returns for his Junior year after throwing for 520 yards last year with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions. Ellsworth also rushed for 228 yards and found paydirt three times on the ground. Senior Anthony Tudda is another name to watch after rushing for 458 yards and finding the endzone three times in 2023.

The Braves will travel to Sussex Tech on September 7th to open their 2024 season.

Sussex Tech

The Mustangs scored plenty of points last season en route to their 7-4 record and second-place finish in the American Blue. The losses last season all came when Sussex Tech gave up points in a hurry. 

Quarterback Brian Gruber returns for his senior year after rushing for over 1,000 yards as a junior. While Gruber did throw five picks last year, with a few being returned for six, he has the opportunity to become a full dual-threat weapon for Sussex Tech this season.

Junior Gavin Mericle comes in as another key player, leading the team last season with five sacks, four tackles for loss, along with an interception. Mericle is also the team’s tight end and will be a receiving target for Gruber during the season. 

The Mustangs and Braves are almost as good as it gets on opening weekend when September roles around. While the game will not be under the lights, there are sure to be plenty of storylines and fireworks that will take place at Sussex Tech on September 7th.