High school football season kicks off this weekend
Both local high school teams face tough

FARRAH MAFFAI North Brunswick starting quarterback Billy Carrol shows off his arm during a recent practice at North Brunswick High School, while defensive lineman Marcel Rodriguez follows the ball during a defensive drill.

Week No. 1 opponents

The high school football season is upon us, and the local gridiron stars at both North Brunswick and South Brunswick high schools are anxious to get the campaign under way.

The North Brunswick Raiders open their season tomorrow night when they travel to Edison to take on J.P. Stevens at 7 p.m.

Head coach Sal Mistretta’s squad is expected to be one of the top teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s White Division once again with a number of quality players returning from last year’s 5-5 squad.

North Brunswick will be tested early this year, with tough games against Sayreville (away), Colonia (home), Bishop Ahr (away) and Monroe (home) over the next four weeks. The Raiders, as is the case most years, are expected to battle for the division title, but will face a tough challenge from teams such as Colonia, New Brunswick, and Monroe, where coaches are talking about the best Falcon team in the school’s history.

But with players like quarterback Billy Carroll, running back Justin Roony and Marcel Rodriguez leading the way, North Brunswick will not be overlooked by anyone, particularly a year removed from not earning a playoff berth. Look for the Raiders to make a return to prominence this year.

At South Brunswick, expectations are just as high, as the Vikings look to carry over some of the late-season momentum they built last year.

The Vikings have a new coach this season in Tony Maglione, and are excited about the prospect of challenging for a GMC Red Division title.

South Brunswick returns a strong group of players from last season’s 5-5 squad, including several players on what became an excellent defensive unit by the end of last season. The offense will be led by junior quarterback Brad Casalvieri, who came on strong toward the end of the year

But the Vikings feature returning players throughout both sides of the ball, and will look to take advantage of the experience they gained last year. They should be competitive against every team on their schedule and are capable of making a run at a Red Division title.

The Vikings open up with Perth Amboy tomorrow night in their home opener, and will follow that with a game against Piscataway next week.

It should be an exciting year of high school football for local fans at both schools, and it all kicks off tomorrow night.