Battle at the Beach's opening day back in Ocean City, will feature IMG vs. Bergen Catholic
The Battle at the Beach is headed back to Ocean City’s Carey Stadium in August.
And the season will kick off with a battle of national powers.
West Jersey Football Coaches Association president John Emel made the announcement on Tuesday that IMG Academy will play New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic in the headline game at “The Beach House” on Thursday, Aug. 29.
“We’re pumped up, we really excited to be back in Ocean City with a monster game,” Emel said. “We never really wanted to leave Ocean City. This puts us in a position to duplicate what we’ve built in the first three years of this showcase event.”
National power IMG Academy, of Manatee County in Florida, made the trip to the Jersey shore last summer and played Philadelphia’s St. Joseph Prep in a battle of two nationally ranked teams. The game, won by IMG 17-14, was broadcast on ESPN and highlighted the third annual showcase.
Emel said IMG and Bergen Catholic have signed a two-year deal to play at the Battle at the Beach and this year’s game will likely be broadcast on ESPN’s family of networks.
All four of Thursday’s showcase games will be played in Ocean City. Last month, the event was scheduled to move to Atlantic City High School because Carey Stadium had already had a contract for Labor Day Weekend with the Philadelphia Catholic League.
The West Jersey Football Coaches Association announced on Monday the final two days of the showcase will be played at Egg Harbor Township.
"We are super excited to keep the event down the Shore! Egg Harbor Twp. Facilities are second to none. We want to thank everyone involved in making this happen," the association posted on X.
Opening day of the Battle at the Beach will also feature West Deptford vs. Manchester Township at 10 a.m., Mainland vs. Camden and Ocean City vs. Cinnaminson capped by the IMG Academy vs. Bergen Catholic at 7 p.m.
Other games that weekend will be:
Millville vs. Holy Spirit
Washington Township vs. Northern Highlands
Winslow vs. Montclair
Schalick vs. Cedar Grove
Willingboro vs. Oakcrest
Eastside (Camden) vs. Irvington
Rancocas Valley vs. Pascack Valley
Glassboro vs. George Washington (Pa.)
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter 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 to feature IMG Academy against Bergen Catholic
