The First Full Week of Football

On a night more reminiscent of one for strolling the boardwalk, sipping a cocktail outside or watching fireworks.

31 shore area high school football teams will be in action on Friday night. Tomorrow, which will feel like a beach day in July another twelve teams will face one another.  Welcome to the first full week of the season when all 43 football-playing schools in the Shore Conference take the field not only worrying about the team on the other side but things like heat exhaustion, dehydration and muscle cramps.  Some of those same teams may be playing in early December where heat will be the last thing on their minds.

The season as always brings changes with eight new head coaches, among them Tom Tarver (Donovan Catholic), Kyle Sandberg (TR East), Matt Ciliento (Point Boro) and Frank Edgerly (RBC).  There’s also division realignment including Lacey and Central swapping spots in Class A and Class B South.

Change of course is constant but expect big seasons from traditional powers like Middletown South, Toms River North, Manalapan and Jackson Memorial.

In terms of local rivalries you have the battle of Jackson tonight between the Jaguars and Lions and Brick tomorrow afternoon as the Green Dragons visit the Mustangs.

For a complete football preview, including our Blue Ridge Heating & Cooling Football Picks visit shoresportsnetwork.com and look for our 96-page football preview this weekend at all Jersey Mike’s Subs locations as well as Super Wawa’s in the shore area.

A non-football note in that the Central Regional Athletic Department will hold a food drive tomorrow to benefit the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

The Golden Eagles will host rival Lacey in a girls/boys soccer doubleheader beginning at 4pm with the school’s girls’ volleyball teams to meet at 1pm.  In field hockey Central will host Henry Hudson at 11am and during all games there will be collection bins for non-perishable food items.