WILMINGTON, DEL. – The road toward Mainland Regional High School’s appearance in a third straight state championship game isn’t going to be smooth. The Mustangs found that out in Wilmington, Del., Aug. 29 against Atlantic City High School.
Atlantic City led from its opening possession and never relinquished the lead as the Vikings stunned the Mainland Mustangs 25-8. The game was part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic which brought schools from around the region to kick off the 2025 football season.
Receiver Jaylen Day had a huge game with 240 receiving yards and set the tone for Atlantic City on the very first play on offense. Day caught the ball at the 10-yard line and broke free for a 90-yard touchdown to start the game.
The Mustangs found themselves on the back foot in an instant and could not get into a consistent rhythm throughout the game.
Despite Mainland’s defensive line forcing him out of the pocket, Vikings quarterback Kevin Entress stayed alive with his legs. His throws on the run and scrambles on third downs kept the Mainland offense off the field. Entress eventually scored on a tush-push like play from the one-yard line to extend Atlantic City’s lead to 13-0 at halftime.
Atlantic City slowed down in the second half as the Mustangs rushed Entress and forced him into a couple close interceptions. After avoiding the turnovers, Entress put Atlantic City up by three possessions with a touchdown pass to Don’Taye Thompson.
Down by 19 points in the fourth quarter, senior quarterback John Franchini and the offense put together their best-looking drive of the game.
They finally got on the board in the fourth quarter thanks to senior Jake Blum, who broke multiple school records last year. Franchini ran for a first down while a couple of penalties on Atlantic City set up the Mustangs in the red zone. Blum took the handoff over to the left side of the formation and hit the edge faster than the Viking defense for the Mustangs’ first touchdown of the season.
The two-point conversion was successful after Franchini’s pass to Liam Kennedy to cut the deficit to 19-8 in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs’ offense has some experienced players who are back for one more ride in the saddle.
Last season, Blum became the first Mustang to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving and broke the school record for most touchdowns in a season. He is joined by fellow seniors Kennedy and Chase Hoag, who have been major contributors to the team since they got to Mainland.
The leader of the offense has been Franchini in each of the last three years as he first started varsity games as a freshman. Each season he has grown alongside his skill position players and gotten better.
Down two possessions with only nine minutes left Mainland needed a quick stop on defense to have a chance at a comeback. The Mustangs nearly forced an Atlantic City three-and-out, but Entress broke containment and just made the first down marker. On the next play, Day drove in the final nail with a 67-yard touchdown catch to add on to his monster day and hand Mainland the 25-8 loss.
The Mustangs have a lot of work to do and room for improvement. Luckily the entire season is still ahead.
Mainland will look to bounce back on the road at Hammonton High School on Sept. 5. Hammonton won its week one matchup and will look to avenge last year’s 37-6 defeat at the hands of the Mustangs. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Mainland’s first game at home in front of the Mustang Corral will be on Sept. 12 against Millville.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTO by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
