Cape-Atlantic League Previews and Picks

It’s Week 8 of the Cape-Atlantic League season, and playoff positioning and conference titles are on the line in just about every game.

Many teams are battling for conference titles and playoff positioning this week with St. Augustine in control of the American Conference, the National Conference is still up-for-grabs.

Friday night it’s Countdown to Kickoff starting at 6pm with Cole Raring and Pete G, then Mike Gill and Ken Mosca call all the action from Millville at Atlantic City at 7pm. Cole and Pete have scores and highlights at halftime and the post-game show til 10pm.

Here are the week 8 games and picks for this week: (Last week's record 7-1)

Mainland (2-4) @ Absegami (2-4), 7pm

Both of these teams have slim playoff hopes, but the winner stays alive in the Group IV playoff race - the Braves are ranked ninth, the Mustangs are ranked 10th. Mainland quarterback Sam Jackson has eight passing touchdowns on the season, which ranks third in the Cape-Atlantic League. His top receiving threat is Justin Bishop who has five of those scores. For Absegami, sophomore quarterback Andrew Marcucci has two of the top 10 wideouts in the CAL with Austin Shiner and Vinny Nelson, who have combined for 31 catches, 439 yards and four touchdowns.

Pick: Mainland 28, Absegami 18

Millville (3-3) @ Atlantic City (1-5), 7pm {Listen-97.3 FM}

Millville is currently the eighth seed in the group V field, Atlantic City would need to win this game and next week's game against Absegami to have any shot to make the field. The Thunder-Bolts look to rebound after last week's loss to Bridgeton, they depend the fourth best defense in the CAL, giving up just 15 points per game. It's been a disappointing year for the Vikings, who had high expectations this season, quarterback Jamir Prevard has been in-and-out of the lineup all year. When he plays, he is one of the best in South Jersey, but that hasn't been the case much recently, for a variety of reasons.

Pick: Millville 29, Atlantic City 27

St. Augustine (7-0) @ Vineland (3-3), 7pm

St. Augustine is the top seed in non-public IV and the leader, the CAL American Conference leader and the top team in the CAL Fine Football 5. They face a Vineland team who has gotten better, knocking off Absegami for the first time in 12 years last week. This game will feature the top two running backs in the league with Kyle Dobbins of St. Augustine, who has 1189 yards and 15 touchdowns. Vineland's Daivon Seymore has rushed for 772 yards and nine scores.

Pick: St. Augustine 42, Vineland 12

St. Joseph (5-2) @ Egg Harbor Township (3-3), 7pm

This is a big game for EHT's playoff chances in Group V, they are currently the ninth seed in the eight team field - but facing St. Joe's a week after falling 56-0 to St. Augustine won't be easy. The Silver Eagles have dropped three in a row, and will need to feed running back Dante Moore, the eighth leading rusher in the CAL with 463 yards. The Horne brothers have been very good in recent week, they have combined for 1165 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.

Pick: St. Joe's 42, EHT 12

Holy Spirit (3-3) @ Lower Cape May (1-5), 7pm

If the playoffs were to start today, the Spartans would not be in the new look Non-public II field, but should be in good shape after facing Lower Cape May. The Spartans feature running back Reggie Jean Charles, who has rushed for 439 yards this season.

Pick: Holy Spirit 35, Lower Cape May 12

Oakcrest (4-2) @ Bridgeton (4-3), 7pm

Might be the most interesting game of the week, Bridgeton entered this week's CAL Fine Football 5 with an impressive shutout win over Millville. Oakcrest is the seventh seed in Group III - so a win here would really help their chances. Falcons running back Terrance Smith is the fourth leading rusher in the CAL with 703 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bridgeton gives up just 11.3 points per game.

Pick: Bridgeton 25, Oakcrest 14

Caravel (DE) Academy (4-4) @ Buena (6-1), 7pm

Buena has won five straight since their opening night loss to Cedar Creek. They are the four seed in Group II and average 30.6 points per game. Last week they got by without running back Sammy Crouch, and could be without him again, but they are one of the best rushing teams in the area and should be fine either way this week.

Pick: Buena 34, Caravel (De) Academy 14

Saturday
Middle Township (2-4) @ Cedar Creek (5-1), 1pm

The No. 3 seed in the Group II field and National Conference co-leaders, Cedar Creek is an explosive offensive bunch scoring 30.3 points per game. The Pirates are also the top defensive team in the CAL, giving up just 7.7 points per game. They face a Panthers team that features running back Shawn Scott, who has 400 yards and four touchdowns.

Pick: Cedar Creek 42, Middle Twp 8