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Schools

Champ Takes Field, While Others Try For 2nd Win

Madison ready for first game after Week 1 bye, while teams like Chatham set to build momentum.

It’s Week 2 of the NJAC football season, and if last week was any indicator, we’re all in for some exciting action again this weekend. Headliners this week include a Madison team beginning its quest to repeat as North 2, Group II champs, tons of division rivals looking to move to 2-0, and a few teams in search of win No. 1.

Madison starts its season at home

Madison got an extra week's preparation at the front end of the season, as it was one of very few teams to not play last weekend. But this week, all of the Dodger fanatics will be filling the seats at Ted Monica Stadium in Madison, as the Dodgers go up against division rival Hackettstown High (0-1) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Last season, the Dodgers ran through Hackettstown, 41-0, , helping them surge to 4-0 on the season. Madison would go on to finish the season 12-0, earning its first state title in a dozen years.

But McHale has graduated–along with a number of other playmakers from 2010–leaving junior from a year ago. Madison will now look to its new crop of upperclassmen to create its own legacy in the Rose City.

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During the preseason, Madison head coach Chris Kubik spoke about the challenge of defending a title, with a very different roster than a year ago.

“[Our mindset] is just to repeat,” he said. “Try to get better, try and put ourselves into a position to repeat. It’s not going to be easy, we lost a lot of good guys, but we also have a lot of good players coming back, so we’re hoping to not be a one-hit wonder and try to push forward.”

Madison isn’t the only team going up against a division rival this weekend, though, as a number of teams look to not only improve on their Week 1 performances, but also maneuver some space in the standings early in the season.

Chatham looking to build on sophomore QB-led win

While Madison is preparing for Hackettstown this weekend, cross-town rival Chatham High––gets set for another division battle of its own, as the Cougars welcome Wallkill Valley to Cougar Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.

One of these teams is going to walk away with its first blemish of the season, as Wallkill comes in at 1-0 after running over Parsippany, 34-0 last weekend.

For Chatham, last weekend went from panic to splendor, as sophomore Thomas Guida–the brother of Chatham 2010 starting quarterback Nick Guida–was handed the reigns of the Cougar offense after starting quarterback Sam Failla went down with an injury.

What could have been a disastrous situation, ended up looking like it was the plan all along, as Guida threw for a touchdown and ran for another, helping Chatham to the 28-14 win over its division rival, putting the Cougars atop the division early in the year.

West Morris, Par Hills look to grab win No. 2

Another pair of division rivals looking to stay perfect early in 2011, West Morris Central and Parsippany Hills High School, face off on Friday night at West Morris Central High School, as both squads are in search in their second win of 2011.

West Morris comes off of a on Friday night that included a five-touchdown performance from the Wolfpack’s three-headed rushing attack of Joe DeBiasse, Jon Ciccone and Jason Mackewicz.

Par Hills earned a 23-3 win over High Point on Saturday night, led by a 239-yard, two-touchdown performance from quarterback Tyler Simms, and an 83-yard, one-touchdown day on the ground for running back CJ Joyce, according to NJ.com.

That's not the only game happening this week that will impact the standings. Here's the breakdown of some important NJAC games:

Friday

  • Morris Catholic (0-1) at Kinnelon (0-1), 7 p.m.–Both of these teams are in search of win No. 1, as Kinnelon looks to rebound from , while Morris Catholic tries to erase a .
  • Parsippany (0-1) at Kittatiny (0-1), 7 p.m.–After losing Week 1 matchups, both of these squads will head into this game with one thing on their minds: Get win No. 1.
  • Vernon (0-1) at Montville (0-1), 7 p.m.–Another group of winless teams matchup in Montville, looking to rebound from l.
  • High Point (0-1) at Jefferson (1-0), 7 p.m.–While Jefferson comes off of a –High Point is looking to forget about a 23-3 loss to Par Hills.

Saturday

  • Morristown (1-0) at Mendham (0-1), 1 p.m.–While Morristown comes off of what may have been the biggest upset of Week 1–a 45-42 win over Seton Hall, led by senior running back –division rival Mendham (0-1) looks to earn its first win of 2011.
  • Delbarton (1-0) at Morris Knolls (1-0), 1 p.m.–Both of these clubs are looking to stay undefeated in 2011, as comes off of a big 45-16 win over Pope John, and Knolls a 38-17 win over Morris Hills.

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