Countdown to Kickoff: St. Augustine

(Another in a series of South Jersey football previews)

St. Augustine

Conference: WJFL Continential.

Group: Non-Public 4.

Last year: 9-1 overall, 8-0 and first place in the Cape-Atlantic American.

Coach: Mark Reardon (33-8 entering his fifth season).

Last five years: 9-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-2, 4-6.

Schedule: Malvern Prep, Atlantic City, at Williamstown, at Millville, Bridgeton, at Holy Spirit, at Egg Harbor Twp., St. Joseph, Vineland.

Outlook: The Hermits have developed into one of South Jersey's top programs in four years under Reardon and his top assistant, former Holy Spirit coach Chalie Roman. For St. Augustine, the challenge remains the same: Improving to the point of consistently competing with the North Jersey superpowers such as Don Bosco Prep, Paramus Catholic and Bergen Catholic. Last year, St. Augustine was the No. 1 seed with an 8-0 record entering the NP 4 tournament but lost 28-0 at home to No. 8 seed St. Joseph of Montvale in the first round. The game wasn't as lopsided as the score but the result underscored the gap between those North Jersey teams and the best in South Jersey.

SA should again be among the best in the area, with explosive playmakers such as junior RB Kyle Dobbins (5-10, 170) and senior all-purpose Zeke Ennis (5-7, 150). The team also has a young quarterback to watch in junior Josh Zamot (5-10, 160), who will replace three-year starter Jose Tabora. Zamot showed top athleticism in a recent scrimmage against Cherokee. His feel for the passing game is likely to improve over the course of the season.

SA has some key seniors such as LBs Dean Kolonich (6-0, 200) and Tim Dolan (5-10, 200), WR Tim Jurasik (6-4, 170), TE/LB Josh Daids (6-0, 220), DL Athanasios Mertis (6-0, 196) and OL Paul Meduri (6-0, 300), among others. Younger players to watch include junior DB Shamere Collins (5-11, 170), a leader of the secondary who had six INTs last season, along with junior WR Xavier File (6-0, 175), junior DB Sean Mulhern (5-10, 175), sophomore RB True Robinson (5-8, 170) and sophomore OL Chris Mayo (6-3, 280).

Schedule analysis: The Hermits open so-called "Zero Week" with a game Sept. 2 vs. Malvern (Pa.) Prep. "They're kind of like our sister school," Reardon said of Malvern Prep. In the original WJFL schedule, SA was supposed to play Trenton in a cross-over game. But both teams agreed to drop the game, giving SA the opportunity to schedule Malvern Prep. In the first year in the WJFL, SA faces an interesting challenge in a visit to Williamstown, a perennial SJ 5 contender. SA also has cross-over games with the two other non-publics from the Cape-Atlantic League, Holy Spirit and St. Joseph. Both of those games loom as two of the more competitive on the Hermits' regular-season slate.

Player to watch: Dobbins was a first-team All-South Jersey selection, no small feat for a sophomore running back. He was that good, gaining 1,619 yards and scoring 19 TDs with a smooth stride, great vision and deceptive acceleration. Dobbins is likely to be a workhorse back for the Hermits this season, especially since Zamot is likely to experience some growing pains in his first season as a varsity starter at QB. Dobbins also is a top receiver out of the backfield, a quality that makes him an even more intriguing prospect to college recruiters. He has an offer from Temple and is likely to pick up several more. The game at Williamstown Sept. 16 will be especially interesting for Dobbins as he's from Monroe Twp. and played youth football with several members of the Braves' program.

Fast fact: St. Augustine has won 17 games in a row against South Jersey opponents.

The last word: "Our enthusiasm," senior LB Dean Kolonich said of the best thing about the 2016 Hermits. "We get so excited in practice, playing so hard. We can't wait for this season."

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

-- Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter

Click HERE to read more Jersey Side Sports posts.