St. Joe’s to play three out-of-state opponents in 2014

St. Joe’s has plans to play three-out-of state opponents in 2014. With a new coach in former assistant Augie Hoffman, the Green Knights are slated to play two more out-of-state teams than they did in 2013. St. Joe’s only 2013 clash with a team out-of-state came during the I-95 Classic on September 7, when the Green Knights absolutely manhandled DeMatha (Maryland) with a 42-14 victory. With a bye in week three, The Green Knights will play their first three games in 2014 vs. out-of-state teams. Here’s some info about each opponent: 

Week 1: at McDonogh (Ownings Mills, MD):  McDonogh faced four out of state teams in 2013 from Virginia and Pennsylvania. They finished 11-0 last season. McDonogh was ranked as the number 2 team in Maryland behind DeMatha by MaxPreps and NationalHSfootball.com.

Week 2: at St Edwards (Lakewood, Ohio): St. Edward has established itself as a tough team in Ohio with its regular Division 1 playoff appearances. The Eagles finished 11-2 in 2013, where they went 3-0 vs. opponents outside of Ohio. Since 2011, St. Edward has gone 7-1 in games vs. out-of-state teams. That one loss came to Don Bosco in 2011 at Fordahm University. The Eagles return several Division 1 recruits including Shaun Crawford (Michigan commit), David Dowell, and Andrew Dowell. St. Edward should be toughest matchup for St. Joe’s out of its three out-of-state opponents. 

Week 4: Home vs St Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia): The Hawks are coming off a 13-3 season which helped them win the 2013 PIAA Championship.*** This is a team that got destroyed by Don Bosco last year. The Eagles normally play their first two games each season vs. teams outside of Pennsylvania. In 2013, they defeated Dallas Jesuit (Texas) before losing to Bosco. The Hawks feature a handful of 2015 Division 1 recruits Jon Runyan (Michigan commit), John Reid, and Olimade Zaccheus. I can’t help but think that St. Joe’s (Montvale) will blowout St. Joseph’s Prep (Philly). 

***St. Joseph’s Prep competes in Class AAAA which hosts the largest public and private schools throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

This is the first time St. Joe’s (Montvale) has plans to play three out-of-state teams since 2006, when they defeated Poly Prep (NY), Newburgh Free Academy (NY), and Xaverian Brothers (MA). With a new outlook in 2014, things could be changing for the parochial school from Montvale. St. Joe’s brings back more than a handful of starters from their 2013 season in which they defeated their one and only out-of-state opponent vs. DeMatha (MD). In 2012, the Green Knights lost in week 1 at Good Council (MD) by a score of 13-7 at the Naval Academy. If St. Joe’s can go undefeated vs. all three out-of-state opponents, it should help them maintain their status as a national power. It seems like the further away the opponent is the more credibility a team gets. St. Joe’s has yet to see a team from Ohio and should be tested in week two at St. Edward. 

An additional game vs. an out-of-state team should help St. Joe’s prepare for the remainder of their schedule vs. DePaul, Bergen Catholic, PC, and Bosco. Maybe St. Joe’s toughest opponent could come against a New Jersey opponent like this season.

Only time will tell.