Morris Knolls
The 2024 season will be a huge change for the Golden Eagles, as it will be the first season without longtime head coach Bill Regan. Bryan Gallagher will take over for the 49-year head coach after his stint at Boonton High School for the past 13 years.
Under Reagan, Knolls ran the classic veer offense, and as the great Herman Boone once said, “It’s like Novocaine; just give it time, and it always works.” The big question now is what kind of offense will Gallagher bring to his new team. Big State’s Zack Smolen caught up with Coach Gallagher at the SFC Media Day:
Last year, Morris Knolls finished with a record of 6-4, which was good for third place in the stacked Liberty White Division. Two of the Golden Eagles’ losses were to the teams ahead of them in Mount Olive and Roxbury. Look for seniors Justin Hanson and Jayden Koger to lead the offense and Bobby Brickner to be the leader on defense.
Morristown
The Colonials got off to a fast start last season, winning their first three games (two on the road). However, the season started to go south after the offense failed to get anything going against Mount Olive, losing 13-7, with the lone score coming on a pick-six.
Morristown dropped six of their last seven games to finish 4-6, with five of those six losses coming to Liberty White opponents. In a tough division, the relatively young Colonials held their own.
While last year had some growing pains, Morristown has a majority of its team leaders returning for the 2024 season. Juniors James Dzikowski and Reed Donegan will try to lead the Colonials to a winning season and perhaps a chance to advance in the state playoffs. Casey Flynn reflected on past years and what he expects for the 2024 season at SFC Media Day:
Mount Olive
The Marauders are coming off an electric 11-2 season and were just one touchdown away from heading to the state finals down in New Brunswick. One of the first games I had been to last year was the thriller at “The Ship” on September 19th between Roxbury and Mount Olive.
Jake Asbury and the Marauders offense couldn’t complete the comeback drive that night but got their revenge six weeks later, topping the Gaels on the road in the Sectional Championship. Coach Brian O’Connor’s team had just about as good of a season as anyone can expect but they are absolutely gunning for that state title in 2024.
The Marauders will have a majority of their starters returning on offense, including QB Jake Asbury and RB Tyler Cumming. Asbury threw for 1,667 yards in 2023, while Cumming rushed for 1,467 and found paydirt 14 times to lead the team.
Randolph
Dave Albano inherits a squad that finished the 2023 season with a 5-5 record, but three of those losses came within the division. The Rams had issues on both sides of the ball, scoring 209 points on the season (only Morristown was worse) and giving up a division-worst 281 points.
Despite both numbers being near or at the bottom of the division, there’s something to be said about ending the year with a .500 record. Randolph rattled off three straight wins against Morristown, Livingston, and West Morris late in the season before getting bounced by Northern Highlands in the state playoffs.
Jackson Magley returns under center after a solid year at the helm in 2023. The main question for the Randolph offense will be who lines up behind Magley in week one as the team’s lead back.
Roxbury
In his first year as head coach, Ryan Roumes led the Gaels on a magical run that will be talked about in Roxbury for years to come. After two close wins to start the year, the Gaels went into Randolph and rolled to a 34-0 victory. The statement win that showed the county this team was the real deal came on the road in a hostile environment against Mount Olive.
Roxbury’s defense made huge stops all season long, and their 5-0 record on the road showed their mental and physical toughness. The stat that jumps out is the defense, allowing just 136 points all year long in one of the best divisions in the state. The Gaels season was cut short after their heartbreaking loss to the Marauders in the Sectional Finals.
We are going to see a much different squad in 2024, as most of last year’s historic team has graduated. While they enter the season with an unknown and younger roster, the players returning now have the experience and taste of what it’s like to be in that state title hunt. Senior Connor May should be in line to lead this young defense along with junior Nick Edelman, who is also the only receiver returning from last season.
West Morris
The Wolfpack are coming off a Jekyll and Hyde-type 2023 season. Their seven overall wins were good for third-best behind Mount Olive and Roxbury; however, four of their six losses came within their own division, dropping them to 5th in the Liberty White. What stands out even more is their record on the road.
West Morris was 5-1 at home in 2023 but only 2-5 on the road while giving up a total of 218 points on the year. With all of those stats, there was enough potential with such a young team to say the Wolfpack are a team to watch this season.
Senior Jaxon Corkery could have a breakout year and become a leader on offense along with junior quarterback Stephen Braccioforte.