Battle at the Beach 2026 Day One Recap

St. John Vianney's Noah Fitzpatrick (left) and Cedar Creek's Da'San Collier (right) pose with West Jersey Football Coaches Association president John Emel (middle) with their Player of the Game awards after St. John Vianney defeated Cedar Creek, 29-28, in overtime in the sixth annual Battle at the Beach Classic at Ocean City High School in Ocean City, New Jersey on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Dahmir Hart for D2 Sports Network

OCEAN CITY (N.J.) - The Battle at the Beach kicked off for the sixth year in a row at Ocean City High School on Thursday morning. A slate that features a pair of last year's state champions, the host school, schools from New York and Pennsylvania, previous participants, and even new teams entering the fold kicked off their seasons down by the Atlantic Ocean. The first day featured four bouts that did not disappoint.

History Repeats Itself

Just a year ago at Rowan University, Cedar Creek started its state championship-winning season with a 21-7 loss to Old Bridge at the Battle at the "Beach". The Pirates then ripped off seven straight wins before being upended by Ocean City in the regular season finale via a walk-off field goal as time expired. Creek picked up the pieces and achieved postseason perfection for the school's first state title in a 34-7 trouncing over Old Tappan at MetLife Stadium.

Fast forward about a full year, the Pirates find themselves in the same spot after dropping a heartbreaking overtime loss, 29-28, to St. John Vianney in Ocean City. Junior quarterback Cole Landicini found the end zone once through the air and once on the ground. Landicini's aerial partner, Sandy Thomas, scored on a play where he made almost the entire secondary miss a tackle before waltzing into the end zone. Lenhart Taylor and Da'San Collier proved to be a dynamic duo that can help fill the gigantic hole at running back that now Main Black Bear Aamir Dunbar left behind in his time as a Pirate.

I Think I Got My Swagger Back

The Washington Township High School football team picked up right where it left off last season with a season-opening win over Pope John XXIII in Ocean City. The Minutemen improved their record to 2-2 in their participation in the annual showcase. After finishing a perfect 14-0 last year, including a dominating 31-12 triumph over Passaic County Tech in the Group 5 final at MetLife Stadium, Township extended its streak to 15-straight wins in a 14-6 slugfest on Thursday morning.

Gabe Palaganas collected a pair of sacks and lived in the backfield despite the Lions' best efforts to triple and double-team the senior lineman. Elliott Seibert found himself in the endzone on both sides of the ball as well. Seibert caught a touchdown on offense and also recovered a fumble in the endzone on defense to nix a Pope John offensive drive. The Washington Township defense held its opponent to just 160 total yards in the contest, holding Pope John to just a pair of Christian Severinsen field goals.

Home Field Advantage

For the sixth-straight season, the Ocean City High School football team has opened its season at home as part of the annual Battle at the Beach showcase held on its home field. The Red Raiders upped their record in the event to 5-1 with a convincing win over Mercer County product Princeton.

The host got out to a quick start as Jackson Becker linked up with Michael Marczyk from three yards out to start the scoring. Becker then scooted into the end zone for a touchdown, and Cole Garreffi also found the end zone on the ground in the first quarter. The Red Raider dominance continued on defense too, with senior edge rusher Jake Chapman racking up four tackles for a loss, two-and-a-half sacks, and a few quarterback hurries, making his presence felt in the Princeton Tiger backfield.

So Close Yet So Far

For the second time in three seasons, the Atlantic City High School football team found itself participating in the annual Battle at the Beach tournament, and yet again, the Vikings were oh so close to victory until it slipped from their grasp.

A late acrobatic punt return by Don'Taye Thompson gave Atlantic City a late lead over Shabazz with about 10 minutes left to play. The Vikings then let Shabazz rumble back thanks to a few broken plays kept alive by Kerriem Coston and Faheem Ausbon, who powered the offense, combining for all five of the team's scores. The speedy Atlantic City offense did have a few shining moments, such as Marvin Burroughs connecting with Kenai Austin on a big catch-and-run for six, where Austin fooled nearly the entire Bulldog secondary.