St. Anthony's Football Opens New Season

Bergen Catholic faces St. Anthony's in what may be the most significant season opener in the history of  football. 

The Oradell, N.J. football powerhouse enters 2012 as MaxPrep's preseason No. 17 team nationally. The non-league game Friday at 7 p.m. in South Huntington could be a historic win or mark the end of the bull run.

St. Anthony's finished 2011 with a CHSFL Class AAA title and a school-record 29-game winning streak, the second-longest in Suffolk football history. Longtime Coach  won is 211th game in 25 seasons. That ties him with former Bellport icon Joe Cipp Jr. as the winningest coach in Suffolk history.

Bergen Catholic finished 8-3 last fall and ranked 10th in the East by USA Today. Bergen Catholic finished its season with a 42-14 playoff loss to rival Don Bosco, the No. 1 team in the nation. 

The schedule doesn't get any easier for St. Anthony's with a  up next. 

Bergen Catholic and St. Anthony's have never played each other in football, according to Athletic Director Don Buckley. 

The game will be broadcast live by MSG Varsity.

It will be a tale of two quarterbacks. Bergen Catholic's  the Tri-State quarterback skills contest over the summer and passed for 2,300 yards a year ago. He'll air it out.

Friars junior Greg Galligan took over the quarterback job last October to help steady a sputtering offense. But it was defense that helped St. Anthony's win the CHSFL title, a .

The Friars ran for 222 yards in that win and their triple-option attack will need to be that much more dynamic against Bergen Catholic. Galligan has an added year of development while bruising running back Anthony Anderson returns.

Reichert's backfield has plenty of weapons. Will they be enough to extend the program's record win streak to 30 straight? We'll find out under the Friday night lights.

Follow St. Anthony's sports on Facebook