Dover

The Dover Tigers finished fourth in the Ivy Red Division in 2023 behind first-year head coach Bill Goble. The Tigers now enter the new Patriot Red Division with five new division rivals to take on. 

Dover came out on fire in their first two games last year, defeating Bergen Tech and Hopatcong by a combined score of 86-16. After back-to-back losses, they bounced right back with back-to-back wins but ultimately finished 5-4. Four of their wins, however, were against their own division, which shows that they get up for big games.

The Tigers will have some key players returning in 2024, like Anthony Lazaro, Emilio Mendez, and Anderzon Daza, to name a few, but in a new division facing new teams, it’s hard to predict where they will finish. 

Jefferson

While the Falcons had a down year in 2023, even with the Seniors they had, many underclassmen were able to see some playing time. Jefferson and the following four schools moved over from the American White to the Patriot Red, with Dover replacing High Point as the only different school from last year. 

With a 3-7 record overall and a 1-4 record in their division, that one win came to High Point, which now calls the Patriot Blue Division home. The most alarming stat is that they were outscored 130-20 in those four losses and will now have to go up against the same teams this year with a young team.

Don’t sleep on the young Falcons, though. Their youth movement can turn some heads this year. Look for Juniors Jason Post and Steven Cruz to be leaders on both ends of the ball, and perhaps this Falcons team can make some noise.

Lakeland

The Lancers finished just short of the American White Division Title last year, matching Vernon with eight overall wins but going 4-1 in their division, with that one loss coming against the Vikings. The one constant that was evident last year was in the games they lost; they failed to put up points.

Lakeland fans should be excited for the upcoming season, with some promising talent returning to the roster. Senior quarterback Colin Sabric looks to build on his 2023 performance, which saw him throw for 1597 yards and ten touchdowns while also rushing for four on the ground. 

Jeremey O’Hernandez returns after his team-leading 11 scores last year to give the Lancers the potential for the best offense in the division this year. Brennan Stocker, Greg Ehrmann, and Brodie McCormack return as the leaders, giving the defense a front seven that can wreak havoc on opposing teams.

Sparta

The Spartans finished the 2023 season at 4-6 (2-2 in the division), but Frank Marchiano should be proud of his squad’s performance. After starting the year 0-4, the Spartans won four of their last six games and made it to the Section Semifinal. 

While the offense scored 181 points last year, Sparta’s weakness was the defense, which allowed 266 points. In all six of the Spartans’ losses last season, they allowed 21 points or more to opposing teams. Coach Marchiano has made this a point of emphasis during training camp, and they will improve on that this year.

Junior quarterback Shane Hoover returns after throwing for 1,146 yards with 12 TDs as a sophomore last year. Lucas Brown will be the name to watch in his Senior year as the team’s projected lead running back, coming off a seven-touchdown season as a Junior. 

Hunter Chlodnicki will lead the Spartan defense after his team-leading 62 tackles, with 11 of them being tackles for a loss.

Vernon

The path was all laid out for the Vikings last season to make a run for a state title. After falling to Warren Hills to open their season, Vernon went on a dominant 8-0 run heading into the sectional round of the playoffs against Passaic Valley.

The PV defense completely shut down the normally electric Vikings offense, and the game headed into overtime tied at seven. Vernon couldn’t shake Damien Kribs as the Hornets’ star player made plays on defense to set up the game-winning drive, where he scored to upset the Vikings.

The Vikings will still be a team to beat this season, even though Logan Pych has graduated after leading the team with 17 touchdowns a year ago. Stepping into Logan’s spot will presumably be his younger brother Gavin, who found pay dirt three times last season. 

Aiden Karwaski returns under center this season after a solid Junior year, so look for the Vikings to be one of the teams to beat in the Patriot Red Division.

West Milford

The Highlanders’ 2024 season turned out to be a tale of two halves, similar to Sparta, but in reverse order. West Milford held a 3-1 record heading into a big game at Lakeland after beating High Point on the road on September 15th. The next time the Highlanders would get back in the win column wouldn’t be until over a month later with a 33-0 win against Jefferson. 

While the team struggled down the stretch last year, there is every reason to believe they will bounce back this season and could be a dark horse in the division. While the defense is losing key seniors Ryan Tartarilla, Tyler Genardi, and Brett Provenzano, a majority of last year’s team returns in 2024 for a redemption tour.

Aydin Deane will be under center after throwing for 1,424 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. He will also have Chase Tyburczy to hand the ball off to. Tyburczy led the Highlanders with 464 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, giving West Milford a one-two punch. This year is just the beginning of what West Milford can be. Let’s see what head coach Steve Maslanek’s squad has in store for us.