LINWOOD – John Franchini and Jake Blum said they used to hate playing against each other in junior football when Franchini played for Linwood and Blum for Northfield.
Now teammates at Mainland Regional, the juniors said that hatred has turned into love after Franchini at quarterback found wide receiver Blum for three long-range touchdowns in a 37-6 rout of Hammonton last Friday for the Mustangs’ home opener.
The victory improved the defending Group IV state champion’s record to 2-0 on the season and extended its winning streak to 16 games, the longest current winning streak among New Jersey public schools. That goes on the line this week when Mainland travels to state-ranked Millville for a rematch of the Group IV South Jersey title game last year.
It also extends the Mustangs’ home field winning streak to 12 games, extending back to 2021.
“Growing up, we were always battling against each other,” said Blum, who caught touchdown passes of 79, 69 and 50 yards from Franchini last Friday. “But we always knew once we got into high school and we became teammates that we would have something special.”
The game marked an evolution for Franchini’s passing game – and Mainland’s offense as well. Franchini threw for 274 yards, the best single-game total in his career and one of the highest totals any signal caller has thrown for since Mainland coach Chuck Smith has led the program.
It marked a reversal of strategy for the usually run-happy Mustangs, which used its running game last year to bulldoze its way through the competition. With Hammonton putting all 11 players defensively within five yards of the line of scrimmage, Franchini made them pay with accurate passes to Blum and other teammates downfield.
“It was a big accomplishment for me to throw for over 200 yards and to do it at home was a big deal,” said Franchini, who celebrated his 16th birthday on Sunday. “Yeah, Jake and I used to hate each other but now we’re best buds and brothers. I trust him with every single ball I throw to him. I know he’s going to come up with it.
“Knowing that we can run and throw the ball effectively is a big deal for our offense. It’s a lot for a defense to have to account for in our offense and that will make us harder to stop.”
Franchini’s deep balls to Blum all where the receiver could run to them allowed Blum to build a head of steam after the catch. The 79-yard touchdown grab on Mainland’s second possession gave the Mustangs a 7-0 lead.
That came after Hammonton opened the game with an 11-play drive that ended on the Mainland 10. A Blue Devil fumble led to the missed Hammonton field goal. After dodging that bullet, the Mainland defense looked solid throughout the contest.
“Our defense was swarming for the most part and we really tightened up after that first drive where they marched down the field and missed that field goal,” Smith said of his squad’s performance.”
Mainland took a step forward in preparing for that big contest with a sharper victory over Hammonton, keeping the Blue Devils off the scoreboard until late in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.
“I thought we played faster and played with a lot more confidence tonight than last week,” said veteran offensive and defensive lineman Dan DeFeo, comparing Mainland’s season-opening 30-18 victory over Atlantic City in the Battle at the Beach contest in Ocean City to last Friday’s victory.
“We had one of our best weeks of practices before the game, so we put the work in. We just got locked in, persevered through it and got the job done.”
Smith said with Mainland’s brutal schedule, his team will have to throw the ball much more than in the past to set up its running game. He said they have the luxury of moving Blum around to multiple positions on offense. Blum said he likes versatility.
“I think it’s great for John knowing he has a receiver he knows he can throw to,” Blum said. “Hopefully, it will open up a lot for our run game and open up things for everybody else. Tonight, Johnny and I had it clicking but on other nights when they have me covered, that will open up our run game or leave someone else open.”
But Mainland can still run the ball. Rocco DiBiaso and Chase Hoag both scored rushing touchdowns to round out Mainland’s scoring.
That will be put to the test this Friday when Mainland travels to state-ranked Millville. The Mustangs upset the defending 2022 Group IV state champions last year on Mainland’s way to their own state title in 2023.
Millville, which returns Alabama-commit Lotzeir Brooks at wide receiver, is ranked No. 1 by NJ.com in Group IV this year and is a consensus pick to return to the state title game. Mainland humbled Millville 35-13 last year in South Jersey Group IV title game in Millville last year.
The Thunderbolts will enter the game 2-0, ranked No. 1 after reeling off impressive victories over Holy Spirit and Atlantic City.
“We’re all looking forward to next week,” DeFeo said. “We’re going to put in a good week of practice in and we’re aiming for a victory.”
Blum said his team took positive steps to address the challenges it faced against Atlantic City so the Mustangs should be better prepared against Millville.
“I was impressed with our defense,” Blum said. “It wasn’t our best outing against Atlantic City but our defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs looked solid throughout against Hammonton. In getting ready for Millville, we’re going to have to grind it all week in practice.
“We’re really going to have to know all of our keys and roles against Millville to stop them and make sure we execute on offense and defense.”
In the end, it’s hard to ignore when the winners of the past three Group IV state championships playing each other during the regular season, in a contest most of the state will be keeping their eyes on.
“We had to concentrate on these two games first but now it’s here,” Smith said. “We know they’re a great team. We know they have a lot of talent and have done a great job getting that program back on its feet. They are a perennial power and we’re going to have to play our best game to have a chance.”
– By CLYDE HUGHES/For the Sentinel