Battle at the Beach grows as a summer staple, but what's next for the showcase?

OCEAN CITY – What do a round of mini golf, a tub of Johnson’s caramel popcorn and the Battle at the Beach football showcase have in common?

All have become summertime staples along the Ocean City Boardwalk.

The third edition of the Battle of the Beach at Carey Stadium was the most impressive yet, drawing two of the nation’s premier teams for a showdown broadcast nationally on ESPN, along with another contest pitting two New Jersey state champions against each other.

The showcase has quickly become the official kickoff to the season in the Garden State, a must-see event for football fans deprived of high school football since December.

Interest in the event, which is orchestrated by the West Jersey Football Coaches Association, continues to rise quicker than the Double Shot ride at Castaway Cove.

Pre-sale tickets online hovered around 13,000 for the three-day, 12-game event. The headliner - a clash between St. Joseph’s Prep of Philadelphia and Florida’s IMG Academy on Saturday night – had a crowd of more than 8,000 packed into the seaside stadium and was played before a national TV audience.

Friday’s top game between defending state Group 5 champion Toms River North and Group 4 titlist Millville was one of the most anticipated games of opening weekend.

“We’ve definitely set the bar high now,” WJFC president John Emel said. “I don’t know how we top this year, but we’re already working on it.

“We want to be the premier event in New Jersey, the premier event in the country. We’re building that buzz.”

More: Who was the South Jersey High School Football Star of Week 0? Cast your vote here

What’s next for Battle at the Beach?

The WJFCA doesn’t need a big sales pitch that’s for sure.

“Everybody is always more happy at the shore,” Emel said. “The weather is a lot better in Ocean City  in August than at Rutgers in December. Even though the stakes are higher there, the weather is nicer here and that makes a better fan experience.”

According to Collingswood coach and WJFCA secretary Michael McKeown, schools from across the country were contacting him about playing in next year’s event.

“I woke up (Sunday) morning and had about 130 text messages with about 40 of those from numbers I didn’t know from all across the country,” McKeown said. “There’s a lot of interest from programs to come here and be a part of this event.”

McKeown said that ESPN has already shown interest in coming back to broadcast a game next year. He also said IMG Academy, led by Delran grad Billy Miller, is “100 percent back” and hopes St. Joseph Prep will make a return trip to the shore, too.

The Prep brought the largest fan base in the three-year history of the Battle at the Beach, that wasn’t a surprise to McKeown.

“I’m a South Philly guy, I’m in the Mummers parade, I know how Philly people work and I knew they would come here,” McKeown said. “We’d love to have them back again.”

More: Football 2023: Check out all our content for the South Jersey high school season

While McKeown hinted at a potential rematch between the two programs, he said it’s more likely the teams could highlight the slate on different nights next year.

Next year's Battle at the Beach slate won't likely be confirmed until early in 2024 as teams will await the new cycle of the conference schedule.

Getting matchups isn’t as simple as it might seem McKeown said: “You need two (teams) to tango.”

While getting some big matchups between North Jersey and South Jersey teams are intriguing, McKeown said the WJFCA is to get more rival games like the one that conclude the event on Sunday night when Timber Creek played Highland.

“I think that would bring more juice,” he said.

The Backyard Brawl went to the beach this year as the two Black Horse Pike school district rivals duked it out just beyond the dunes.

“It’s a little weird to be playing our crosstown rival down here, but the kids are excited about it,” Timber Creek head coach Brian Wright said before the Chargers’ 34-6 rout. “They took it out of the backyard, but this event supersedes some of it. To close it out, under the lights, it’s special. Twenty years from now, this is the type of game these kids will still be talking about.”

Highland head coach Brian Leary agreed as the Tartans made a return trip to Carey Stadium.

“It’s a great showcase for South Jersey football,” he said. “It’s just a neat atmosphere down here.”

All of the players weren’t sold on it, though.

“The drive (down here) felt forever,” Timber Creek senior Chase Conway, who was one of the stars of Sunday’s finale with a pair of touchdowns and stellar play at linebacker. “I liked it, but I felt it would have been a lot better at home, a lot more people would have come out, but it was all right.”

Senior two-way lineman Anthony Williams said. “Playing our rival Highland down here, it was everything to me and our seniors. We wanted to come out and show out.”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Battle at the Beach football grabs national attention with ESPN game