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St. Joseph’s Prep, Archbishop Wood football travel to play North Jersey foes

Also, West Catholic faces Hudson Catholic, and Imhotep Charter visits Montvale's St. Joseph.

Offensive lineman Luke Stengel (64) and Archbishop Wood will play high-powered Bergen Catholic (N.J.) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Rutgers.
Offensive lineman Luke Stengel (64) and Archbishop Wood will play high-powered Bergen Catholic (N.J.) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Rutgers.Read moreTHOMAS CAIN / For The Inquirer

Four Southeastern Pennsylvania football teams will play games in North Jersey this weekend. Three of the contests will be played at Rutgers.

West Catholic (1-1) faces its second straight Garden State foe when it squares off against Hudson Catholic at 6 p.m. Friday at Rutgers. The Burrs edged Paramus Catholic, 18-16, last Friday.

Imhotep Charter (1-1) looks to rebound from a 27-8 loss to DeMatha Catholic (Md.) when it visits Montvale's St. Joseph Regional at 2 p.m. Saturday at DiNallo Stadium.

The Battle of the Banks, involving Archbishop Wood (0-1) and St. Joseph's Prep (0-0), is set for Saturday at Rutgers. Wood takes on Bergen Catholic at 4 p.m.; St. Joe's Prep meets St. Peter's Prep at 7 p.m.

St. Joe's Prep's opener vs. St. Frances Academy (Md.) last Friday at the University of Maryland was halted by lightning in the third quarter.

Hudson Catholic (0-1) fell to host Cardinal O'Hara, 14-6, last Saturday. Hawks quarterback Jonathan Bates completed 21 of 32 passes for 206 yards against the Lions.

Another player for West Catholic to keep an eye on is halfback Jaheir White, who carried 11 times for 78 yards against O'Hara.

Hudson Catholic's defense has a pair of solid linebackers in Stephon Payne (12 tackles vs. O'Hara) and Hasan Dominick (eight).

St. Joseph Regional (0-1) lost to Florida's American Heritage, 20-17, last Saturday at the Freedom Bowl in Georgia.

The Green Knights are sparked on offense by dual-threat quarterback Michael Alaimo, wide receiver Gavin Sharkey, and running back Howard Cross. Alaimo, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior, is a four-star prospect with multiple Division I scholarship offers.

St. Joseph Regional will be without head coach Augie Hoffmann. The former New Orleans Saints offensive guard was suspended for the first two games of this season due to a bench-clearing brawl following a NJSIAA Non-Public Group 3 semifinal win over Pope John Paul XXII last December.

Bergen Catholic (1-0) is ranked No. 5 in the country in USA Today's most recent Super 25. The Crusaders topped Georgia's Grayson, 34-22, last Saturday.

Wood defeated host Bergen Catholic, 27-21, in Week 3 last season and went on to win its fifth straight PIAA state crown. The Crusaders posted a 10-2 last year and won the Non-Public Group 4 title.

The Crusaders' top players include defensive end Aeneas DiCosmo, QB/cornerback Jordan Morant, and offensive lineman Bryan Felter (6-3, 300). DiCosmo has narrowed his choices to Michigan and Stanford.

St. Joe's Prep, which is ranked No. 15 by USA Today, turned back St. Peter's Prep, 28-21, last year at Widener. The Hawks lead the head-to-head series, 6-4-1.

One of the St. Peter's Prep key contributors is R.J. Oben, 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end and Duke recruit.

Also in the mix for the Marauders is QB Maasai Maynor. The second-year starter and Navy recruit threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 21 TDs last season.