Sideline Chatter v. MCHSS.net

Sideline Chatter & MCHS.Net
Face Off With Weekly Grid Picks

As an added bonus to your reading on sidelinechatter.com and at MCHSS.net, editors Steve Tober of SC and “The Coach,” Vinny Carchietta of Morris’ top-flight site will match wits, knowledge, and perhaps see who’s simply just lucky in his pigskin picks, scholastic style, in regards to games of local interest; again, just for fun and for the love of the high school gridiron campaign that is simply pure Jersey excitement each and every fall weekend. So, without further adieu, here is SC vs. MCHSS for week 1:

Roxbury at East Orange:
The Coach:
I loved the way Roxbury responded to being down to Par Hills in their final game-scrimmage. The Gaels grew stronger defensively as the scrimmage went on. The fast attack offense of Par Hills was a perfect warm up for a potentially explosive Jaguars offense. Roxbury 24-14.
Steve T:
Coach Cosmo Lorusso is a terrific preparation coach, but there is no way to fully prepare for the arsenal of weapons that underrated East Orange will bring to the table in Robeson Stadium. Coach Marion Bell has some talented athletes, led by running back Keion Wade and QB Aasim Cunningham. Jags hang on for the win. East Orange 20-14.

Butler at Passaic Valley:
The Coach:
Coach Jim Matsakis, Billy Bock and the Bulldogs live and breathe the run and shoot. Butler will be ready and you can bet they remember last season's opening loss to the Hornets (41-13) ... it's a new year. Hope they have enough light bulbs in Little Falls for this one. Butler 35-30.
Steve T:
PV is a bigger and more powerful team than Butler will probably see outside of its annual battle with Delbarton and Coach Angelo DeSalvo’s Hornets have enough talent to combine their good skill people with their sturdy line. It should be a good one, but, we like PV at home here.
Passaic Valley 27 Butler 19.

Montville at West Side:
The Coach:
It’s no secret how hard Montville was hit by graduation. The Roughriders will not make it any easier. West Side 27-7
Steve T:
West Side is another of the underrated programs from season to season and with athletes such as linebackers Asim Hicks and Anthony McLeod, who could make it a very long game for the Mustangs. West Side 22-13

Whippany Park at Montclair Immaculate:
The Coach:
Whippany was firing away in the final game scrimmage and Mike Bizzarro and Ray Prostasiewicz add a 1-2 running attack. Whippany Park 35-13
Steve T:
Montclair Immaculate began turning the corner last fall, but Coach Sean Morris will be severely challenged for the week-in, week-out battles against the bigger teams in the Colonial Hills Conference. Stopping the Wildcats’ potent ground attack could prove too much. Whippany Park 27-7

Delbarton vs. St. Peter's Prep:
The Coach:
One thing is for sure ... this is the marquee match up of the day for the Morris Teams. Delbarton may have shocked everyone but themselves last year when they made the run to the state finals. The Green Wave will have their hands full with the offensive power of Pete’s, but Coach Bowers will have his team ready to battle, it just may not be enough. St. Pete's 28-17
Steve T:
Having witnessed last year’s season-opening Kickoff Classic confrontation between the two, it must be said that there is little chance the Green Wave can stop Will “The Thrill” Hill for four quarters no matter how well Coach Bowers’ crew plays. I like Terry White and Delbarton’s big and strong line corps, but Hill and company are still loaded, and ready to pull away in this one.
St. Pete’s 32-16

Morristown at Seton Hall Prep:
The Coach:
Did I say Delbarton was in the Marquee match up of the day? Oh my, oh my ... this is a football game that should be played in December, not week 1. Many coaches have SHP as the favorite to win the IHC-Iron. A few Morris Coaches gave the nod to Mo-town as Morris' #1. Morristown's tenacious defense will give the Colonials offense opportunities to win this game, and all of us in Morris are waiting for an offensive explosion from Morristown.
Morristown 14-10
Steve T:
Seton Hall Prep wants payback after last year’s loss in Mo-Town, and the Pirates are going to be formidable in their comfortable confines of Anthony J. Verducci Field. We know this is a dangerous Colonials’ team with speedy backs like George Bass and Derek Adair, but this SHP team will be a defensive stalwart. It will be very close, but we like the Pirates.
SHP 21-14.

Mt Olive Volleyball preview

What do you do when you have 11 returning players and you know you have the likes of Mendham and Chatham twice on your conference schedule? If you are 7^th year Mt. Olive Coach Lee Clowers, you get your kids as much live court time as possible. Mt. Olive loaded up on their scrimmage schedule and jumped into early tournaments, in hopes of being ready for the tough season ahead.

Of the eleven returning varsity players, Middle Blocker Amber Mosher will bring the most attention. The senior recorded 194 kills, 53 blocks and 175 digs last season and looks to improve those totals in ’07. Senior Setter Tori DeValve (120 assists in ’06) will be handling most of the ball distribution. Adding to Mt. Olive’s middle presence will be junior Kaitlyn Behrens and senior Devon Paffendorf. The Marauders have a nice bit of serving power, spurred by Alex Day (59 aces in ’06), DeValve and Hannah Ensel. Look for Ensel to be a force at the net with a wicked attack and knack for being in great blocking position. Senior defensive specialists Natalie Franco and Beth Perazzo will add to the Marauder back line.

The entire cast: Christine DiFucci (JR, OH); Brielle Scarano (JR, OH); Nicole Cottrell (JR, OH); Kelly Mitchell (JR, DS); Taylor Kobran (JR, OH); Nicole Mueller (JR, RS/DS); Ashley Kopacki (SO, RS/S); Emily Hines(FR, S)

2006 results: 6-17 overall, 3-11 IHC

Pivotal player: Look for Mosher, but that attention will only open up play from Ensel from the right side and provide daylight for the outside hitters.

What to expect: The tough scrimmage schedule gave Mt. Olive a ton of game experience, a good mix of personnel and time to gel. Mt. Olive looked strong in the pre-season and has has a wealth of experience. They can fire the ball at you and get their hands in you face, but with the likes of Mendham and Chatham in conference, a 3^rd or 4^th place finish in conference is more likely. This should be an NJSIAA qualifying year for the Marauders and visit to the final 8 of the MCT is another strong possibility.

The Conference: Mt. Olive, an Iron Division team in most sports, is in the Hills Division in volleyball. They will match up with: Chatham, Hanover Park, Parsippany , Parsippany Hills, Mendham, Summit and West Essex. Mt. Olive will play Randolph (twice) and Morristown from the other side of the conference.

Tournament Time: Volleyball has this great rule where you can enter tournaments and the round-robin play and tournament set up does not affect your record. It makes for great action and better experience while getting your game legs or preparing for the state tournament. Mt. Olive will take parting two, Roxbury and Clifton. Throw in a Quad-game at Hackettstown and the Marauders add a whole lot of extra of court experience to their season.

More Weekend Video Highlights

Boys Soccer: Morris Hills @ Morris Catholic - Scrimmage:



Whippany Park's Game Scrimmage against MKA:




View 88 photos from Saturday's Scrimmage, just click the picture below:

Menham @ Jefferson Game Scrimmage

It’s practice time here for The Coach and this Video-blog software is really giving me a headache. But practice I must … so without further delay, here’s your Mendham @ Jefferson Highlights:

To view all photos, just click the photo below: