In what has the makings of a bounce-back season, the Robbinsville football team has a chance to beat a perennial Mercer County power for the first time.
The Ravens will host Hopewell Valley in their home opener Friday at the Steven J. Mayer Athletic Complex. It’s only the third meeting between the schools, with the Bulldogs winning both last season and in 2006.
But Robbinsville comes in as the slight favorite this time after a season-opening overtime win at South Brunswick by the score of 41-34, while Hopewell lost at home in overtime to Montgomery, 35-28.
Across the area, Princeton, Trenton and Hightstown also won their “Week Zero” season openers.
Here’s what to watch for in Week One.
Thursday
Princeton (1-0) at Allentown (0-1), 6 p.m.
Princeton got off to a good start with a 20-7 win against a Lawrence team that had a good amount of returning varsity experience. Allentown lost 27-20 to Trenton in a flag-filled game. The interesting matchup here is Princeton’s rushing attack against Allentown’s run defense. The Tigers rushed for 213 yards against Lawrence, while Allentown allowed 3.0 per carry vs. Trenton. Princeton hasn’t beaten Allentown since 2005.
Ewing (0-1) at Delran (1-0), 6 p.m.
Ewing caught a tough break in Al-majid Hutchins’ head coaching debut as the Blue Devils lost a receiver to a leg injury and then lost to Burlington City, 30-25. Delran opened with a 34-7 win against Bridgeton. The Bears had a balanced offense with 135 passing yards and 163 rushing yards in that game, so this will be another challenging test for Ewing’s defense.
WW-P (0-1) at Cherry Hill East (1-0), 6 p.m.
Not much went right for West Windsor in its 41-0 loss to Monroe. The co-op program gets a bit of a respite with Cherry Hill East, but the Cougars do look improved this year with a 26-23 win over Eastern so far. Stopping the run will be the key for West Windsor to compete.
Friday
Hopewell Valley (0-1) at Robbinsville (1-0), 6 p.m.
Robbinsville would seem to have the advantage because although Hopewell is a bit bigger up front, in their openers, the Ravens flashed a record-setting pass attack against South Brunswick and the Bulldogs struggled to contain Montgomery’s spread offense. But turnovers and penalties will be critical as well in this game.
Lawrence (0-1) at Maple Shade (1-0), 6 p.m.
Lawrence won the meeting between these schools last year, 25-6, but Maple Shade looks improved following a 27-0 win over Wildwood in its opener. The Cardinals had a disappointing start against Princeton but have a chance to bounce back if they can finish drives. They rushed for 197 yards last week despite scoring only seven points (which came from the defense).
Timber Creek (0-1) at Notre Dame (0-1), 6 p.m.
Notre Dame got pounded on the ground in a 35-20 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan last week. The Irish will now look for revenge against a team that defeated them on a 98-yard touchdown pass at the very end of last year’s meeting. The Chargers fell 34-8 to Paul VI last week. Expect another close, relatively high-scoring game.
Nottingham (0-1) at Burlington Twp. (1-0), 6 p.m.
Nottingham struggled to get its rushing attack going in a 19-14 loss to Northern Burlington last week. Burlington Township has dominated this matchup over the past three seasons, so look for the balanced Falcons to win again at home here after rolling past Passaic Tech in their opener.
Saturday
Cherry Hill West (1-0) at Steinert (0-1), 11 a.m.
Steinert had a tougher opponent in its 27-6 loss to Central Regional, so this game will provide a better indication of what’s to come this season with the Spartans, who beat Cherry Hill West by three touchdowns last year. The Lions won last week against Haddon Heights, 24-7. Look for a battle of strong rushing offenses this week.
Trenton (1-0) at Hightstown (1-0), Noon
A day after Trenton hung on late to beat Allentown, Hightstown knocked off Matawan, 9-7, with a dramatic 33-yard field goal as time expired. This should be a fun defensive battle with Trenton as the slight favorite. Hightstown might have to cut down on the turnovers it committed last week to pull out a victory.
East Brunswick (0-1) at Hamilton West (0-1), 2 p.m.
Hamilton blew a fourth-quarter lead in its opening 16-14 loss to Pemberton. East Brunswick, which is not part of the WJFL, fell to South Plainfield, 9-7. The Bears coasted to a 34-14 win in this matchup last year, but this contest should be closer. Hamilton has a fighting chance to respond with a win if it can clean up penalties and turnovers.
