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Don Bosco enters the season ranked No. 4 in the state while St. Joseph comes in ranked No. 6 by Max Preps.
Both teams boast 14 state championships each since 1968. Bosco's last unbeaten season came in 2010. St. Joseph won a state title in 2013 with a 10-1 record.
St. Joseph held on for 10-6 win in a game last year between the teams. After Bosco won eight straight games between the rivals from 2004-2011, the Green Knights have won two of the last three contests.
Don Bosco finished 7-5 last year, while St. Joseph's finished 8-3
Bosco's best returning offensive weapon figures to be running back Malike Bakker, who rushed for 657 yards and nine touchdowns last year, according to statistics from Max Preps.
St. Joseph features running back Brian Kearns, who rushed for 862 yards and six touchdowns last year. The Green Knights also have a multiple threat in John Thomas Giles-Harris, who amassed 742 total yards with rushing, receiving and returns of punts and kickoffs.
Don Bosco's Ironmen won state titles in 1968, 1970, 1973, 1983–84, 1990, 2002–03 and 2006–11. St. Joseph's Green Knights finished on top in 1987, 1988, 1995-1997, from 1999-2005 and in 2008 and 2009.
Greg Toal begins his 12th season at Bosco, while Augie Hoffman begins his second year at St. Joe's.
Both teams participate in the United Division of the Big North Conference, a super conference of 40 public and private high schools in North Jersey. They are rivals in the United Division of the conference.
Click here for the full Don Bosco schedule and here for the St. Joseph schedule.
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