Pads are a popping! What Shore football coaches are talking about as scrimmage season starts
The high school football scrimmage season began Wednesday – the first day under NJSIAA rules teams can scrimmage.
The scrimmage season will be short because the regular season landscape has changed. The final scrimmage date is Aug. 25 - next Friday.
The schedule is so tight that many teams won't be able to fit in a scrimmage after this week.
This is different than it was for many seasons, when most teams had three or four scrimmages before their opener and the regular season began later on the calendar.
More: High school football summer snapshots: 2023 Shore season previews, players to watch
For years the season did not begin until late September. It was then moved up to the second week in September.
This year, the regular season begins for many teams Aug. 25.
Some of those teams holding off for their first regular season games on Labor Day Weekend will be able to get three scrimmages in. Those who begin next weekend will get at most two scrimmages in, and in some cases, just one.
Scrimmages are practice games that don't count in the regular season standings.
Expanded NJSIAA playoffs impacted football scrimmages
The expansion of the NJSIAA public school playoffs to overall group state championships is part of the reason for the shortened scrimmage schedule.
“We fought for years to get the extra playoff games, but now that we have them, there had to be a little give and take,’’ Middletown South coach Steve Antonucci said. “From our perspective, we knew we’d be starting earlier and have less time to get really prepared.
“I think this is what we all were seeing the future being anyway. I don’t necessarily have a problem with it. I’m not a huge fan of long preseasons.’’
Middletown South, which will be one of the contenders in South Group 4, will have two scrimmages. It scrimmaged Notre Dame on Wednesday and will face Piscataway on Saturday morning before its season-opener Aug. 25 against Rumson-Fair Haven.
Antonucci said the Notre Dame scrimmage was a controlled one. He said he would like the Piscataway one to be more of a "game scrimmage."
“Here comes the other problem: Piscataway doesn’t have an Aug. 25 game. In essence, it’s their second scrimmage,’’ Antonucci said. “We need more from that scrimmage than they do, so we have to do some things that they may not be ready to do because we have a game (the following week).''
Rumson-Fair Haven will also have two scrimmages. It scrimmaged at Central on Wednesday and will scrimmage powerful St. Peter’s Prep Saturday morning.
Toms River North High School makes adjustment on football scrimmages
Powerful Toms River North, the defending NJSIAA Group 5 champion, had its only scrimmage Wednesday against a solid Matawan team at Matawan. The Mariners won the varsity portion of the scrimmage five touchdowns to none over three quarters.
Mariners’ head coach Dave Oizerowitz said he and his coaching staff opted for just the one scrimmage after they had two last season – a quad scrimmage against Point Pleasant Boro, Matawan and Brick Memorial and then one against Donovan Catholic.
“We kind of looked at it in retrospect and felt like we were putting ourselves in danger by scrimmaging twice in three days,’’ Oizerowitz said.
For the second straight season, Toms River North will begin its season in Week 0 in the Battle at the Beach showcase in Ocean City. It will play defending Group 4 state champion Millville Aug. 25 in what is probably the featured game in that showcase.
Last season, Toms River North’s closest game was its 28-21 win over Washington Township in the Battle at the Beach.
“Off of last season, we felt like we were fatigued and all beat up after our ur second scrimmage.'' Oizerowitz said. “We’re trying to stay fresher going into our Week 0 game.’’
Neptune High School has packed football scrimmage schedule
Meanwhile, Neptune will have three scrimmages in a seven-day span from Wednesday-Aug. 22.
The Scarlet Fliers had a controlled quad scrimmage against Holmdel, Red Bank and Ewing on Wednesday, where there were periods for each team to scrimmage the other for a series of 10 plays on offense and 10 on defense. They are at Manasquan Saturday in a game -like scrimmage for a half. They will also have a half a scrimmage against Keansburg on Aug. 22.
“Two years ago, we only had one scrimmage. Then, we had Central in Week 1 and we kind of looked at that as a scrimmage and that kind of hurt us, I think,’’ first-year Neptune head coach Michael Seber said. “The more reps, we get, it’s better.’’
What problems are caused by shortened football scrimmage schedule?
The shortened preseason does make coaches wonder how smooth things will be when the season opens, especially since the weather in late August and early September still tends to be hot.
“There’s more unknowns going into the first game, even the first two games,’’ Oizerowitz said. “I look at this way: Week 0 and Week 1 are basically still (scrimmages) that count. They are games where you’re vulnerable. The one thing is it’s a level playing field. Sometimes, you will see some things that wouldn’t happen later in the year.’’
Antonucci said it becomes complicated for coaches since NJSIAA does not allow teams to practice in pads and helmets or conduct tackling drills until the second week in August. Teams can workout in shorts until early August.
“It makes things a lot harder. Antonucci said. “But, I don’t know if I want to be practicing four or five days a week in June and July. I guess, it’s a good problem and a bad problem.’’
“I think, like many of the colleges do, maybe we should be opening up with nonconference games, Not a pancake game, but get a game under your belt before you go and play a Rumson or go and play a conference game that is going to have meaning down the road.’’
The Middletown South-Rumson game is a Shore Conference American Division game.
Knowing Millville is extremely talented, Oizerowitz said starters were expected to see significant playing time in the Matawan scrimmage. Matawan also has a Battle at the Beach game Aug. 27 against Cedar Creek. It will scrimmage Red Bank Regional on Saturday.
“You have to have a game scrimmage to see where your team is at going into that first game,’’ Oizerowitz said.
What's next for Toms River North after 14-0 season and four more thoughts about the Shore high school football season
1. It is no secret, Toms River North, with many of the key players back from last season's 14-0 team that won the NJSIAA Group 5 championship, is primed for another big run. The Mariners were very physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage against a talented Matawan team.
2. Matawan, even though it struggled Wednesday, should also be primed for a solid season with many key players returning from last season's 6-3 team. The Huskies will likely not face a team as physical or as talented as Toms River North during the regular season or in the the NJSIAA playoffs.
More: High school football summer snapshots: 2023 Shore season previews, players to watch
3. Wall will be a team of interest during the regular season. The Crimson Knights, in the second season after a hazing scandal late in the 2021 season that resulted in player and coach suspensions and the cancellation of the final two games of their season, have definitely made progress in their second season under coach Ed Gurrieri. However, the won-loss record could suffer due to being in the brutal Shore Conference American Division. Wall would likely be a major contender in any other division.
4. The Shore Conference Consitution Division has an interesting mix of teams in Group 3 Manasquan, Ocean and Holmdel, Non-Public A St. John Vianney and Group 1 Shore and Asbury Park.
Do Shore and Asbury, which are both traditional Group 1 powers, have the depth and size to compete week and week out with that schedule?
5. There are now so many Week 0 games around the state. It may be time to stop calling it Week 0 and just call it Week 1.
Some teams will have played six regular season games by the end of September, where as for many seasons, they would have played just one.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore football scrimmage season opens. What are coaches saying?
