Football Game Preview: Long Branch Green Wave vs. Central Regional Golden Eagles + How To Watch

The Long Branch Green Wave will head out on the road to face off against the Central Regional Golden Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Long Branch has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with 11 straight losses, while Central Regional will come in with four straight victories.

Long Branch's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Matawan Regional on Friday. They were outmatched by the Huskies and fell 42-0. While losing is never fun, the Green Wave can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 247th, while the Huskies are ranked 121st).

Meanwhile, Central Regional made easy work of Toms River South on Friday and carried off a 27-7 win. The result was nothing new for the Golden Eagles, who have now won five matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.

Central Regional's win came from a few key players Long Branch will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jacob Halpin, who threw for 327 yards and one TD while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also punched in one touchdown on the ground. CJ Yates also helped out as he racked up 155 receiving yards.

Central Regional didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Zyshun Carroll and Yates. Gustave Copes was another major factor on D, forcing one fumble and making 22 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Long Branch's defeat dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Central Regional, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.

Everything came up roses for Long Branch against Central Regional in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, as the team secured a 49-7 win. Will the Green Wave repeat their success, or do the Golden Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.