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Archbishop Hannan does not have a home stadium yet, and Northlake Christian School’s new facility is not quite ready so the Hawks and Wolverines will square off tomorrow at Lakeshore High on Highway 1088 in what can be called a neutral site.

Hannan, a Class 1A club, features six seniors, while NCS, which finished 6-5 last year and made the playoffs, competes in District 8-2A.

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NCS was unable to participate in a jamboree last week because the St. Martin’s jamboree was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Wolverines’ head coach Tony Agresta said his club would have loved to have gotten the jamboree in, but with an experienced team it shouldn’t be too much of a factor playing this week.

“The jamboree is a final dress rehearsal and its important, but our experience level should be able to overcome the lack of playing time,” Agresta said.

Agresta said based on the geographic proximity of Northlake Christian and Archbishop Hannan you can’t help but consider it a built-in type rivalry.

“It is just too close not to become a rivalry. The kids know each other and we play them in other sports,’ Agresta added.

The Wolverines open the season with senior quarterback Tyler Clark running the offense after moving from starting offensive guard/linebacker last year. NCS features senior running back Derek Williams, a 1,000-yard rusher last season, who produced 13 TDs.

Seniors Micah Agresta and Dylan Paquette will share time at fullback depending on the offensive set.

Agresta said he likes where his club is offensively.

“I think we are slightly ahead of last year’s team offensively when it comes to preparation and installation of the offense. We will run some two tight end formations, but we will also attempt to spread the field utilizing multiple sets,” Agresta said.

The Wolverines’ defense will employ a 4-3 scheme interchanging into a 3-4 under first-year defensive coordinator Ricky Porter.

“Ricky brings a high level of experience. He focuses on the details, which will help make our players that much better,” Agresta said.

“We have good continuity on the defensive side of the ball. Most of our players have played together for the past three years as we return eight defensive starters,” Agresta added.

Junior Mallery Mele, a key two-way performer, starts at free safety and will also line up in various offensive positions depending on the formation.

“Mallery is a great all-around athlete. He has good speed and knows how to close on the ball,” Agresta said.

Agresta praised the improvement of senior Cody Hughes.

“Cody has made big strides on both sides of the ball during the last two years so we will be counting on his ongoing contributions,” Agresta said.

Agresta said his team must be prepared tomorrow, facing Hannan.

“They are well coached with a talented young quarterback (freshman Korey Zeigler). Those two factors give us a reason for concern heading into the opener,” the NCS mentor said.

Hannan came away victorious in both False River Jamboree games last Friday. Hannan blanked the host False River Gators 7-0 on senior David DeHarde’s 40-yard punt return. The Hawks duplicated things in the second contest, shutting out the Ascension Episcopal Blue Gators 7-0. Freshman quarterback Korey Zeigler hooked up with fellow freshman Jacob Brooks for a 74-scoring strike. Zeigler went a collective 4-of-9 passes for 115 yards in both games.

Pat Lambert in his first year as the Hawks’ head coach after serving as an assistant two years ago, said his team played pretty well defensively in last week’s False River Jamboree.

“Defensively, I felt we played pretty descent with guys flying to the ball. Unfortunately, we lost both starting defensive ends,” Lambert said.

Junior Philip Kranz and sophomore Anthony Caronna are probably out this week due to injuring ankles in the jamboree.

Lambert said he wants his team to be able to compete.

“Defensively, we need to be in the right place to make tackles. We are still learning on both sides of the ball. We did some things wrong in the jamboree, but hopefully we have identified those mistakes and can continue to improve,” Lambert added.

Lambert said a key for his club is to have each of the six seniors be able to hold up playing on both sides of the ball.

“They will be counted on to play both ways and will also see time on special teams.”

Lambert praised the play of senior offensive guard Mark Morel, one of his seniors, who also saw time at linebacker. This week Morel will be switching to defensive end due to the ends being out with injury.

“Mark had a very steady jamboree and we will need another consistent performance from him,” Lambert said.

Lambert said his defense will be tested by Northlake Christian’s running game.

“No. 9 (Derek Williams) is a physical runner, who has quickness. Their new quarterback (Tyler Clark) can run the ball and is a capable passer,” Lambert added.

Lambert said he and is players are looking forward to playing on the turf field at Lakeshore High.