Expect air show for Atlantic City-Pennsauken

Many football games are won in the trenches.

This one could be won in the air.

Pennsauken and Atlantic City might have the two best receiving corps in South Jersey.

They will square off Saturday when the eighth-seeded Vikings (6-2) visit the top-seeded Indians (7-1) in an intriguing opening-round game of the South Jersey Group 4 tournament.

"We look forward to these types of games," Pennsauken coach Clinton Tabb said of the potentially wide-open nature of the game that matches the No. 4 (Pennsauken) and No. 8 (Atlantic City) teams in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings.

Atlantic City's receiving corps is led by seniors Ishmail Naji and Radi Tolbert as well as junior Jarren McBryde. Naji and Tolbert each have four receiving touchdowns.

Atlantic City is coming off one of its most productive offensive games. In a 27-19 loss to Millville on Nov. 4, Vikings quarterback Kabir McCoy passed for 319 yards, but the team was stymied by two lost fumbles in the end zone and an interception in the end zone.

"We look at them as one of the upper-echelon teams in South Jersey," Tabb said of Atlantic City.

Pennsauken has one of the most productive passing attacks in recent South Jersey history.

Pennsauken senior Manny Cortez is 126-for-203 passing (62 percent) for 2,114 yards with 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Cortez's touchdown total already is the highest in South Jersey in the last 10 years.

The South Jersey record for touchdown passes in a season is 40, set by Holy Cross' Jason Amer in 1999. The No. 2 spot is held by Holy Cross' Brian Obuchowski, who passed for 32 touchdowns in 1998.

One key to Cortez's production has been the depth and balance of the Pennsauken receiving corps.

Senior wide receivers Amar Williams (35 catches, 677 yards, 11 touchdowns), Anthony Sweet (20 catches, 417 yards, seven touchdowns), and Josh Simmons (19 catches, 310 yards) have been complemented by senior tight end Justin Anderson-Copes (15 catches, 330 yards, three touchdowns) and senior running back Tyrik Thomas (16 catches, 180 yards, five touchdowns).