Football: Look back at Millville-AC

Millville went to 8-0 and clinched its first Cape American title since 1989 with a 27-19 victory over Atlantic City in a great game Friday night at Wheaton Field.

A big crowd saw a back-and-forth game filled with big plays. It finally ended when AC lost a fumble on the Millville 1-yard line with 31 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

It was the second fumble that AC lost in the Millville end zone. The Vikings also threw an interception in the Millville end zone.

That's no way to win a showdown with the division title and maybe a playoff berth on the line.

AC dropped to 6-2. The Vikings still have a good shot to get into the SJ 4 tournament, but they'll need a little help in the power-points department based on how things play out this afternoon.

AC quarterback Kabir McCoy was 17-for-31 for 319 yards and two TDs. He also had the three turnovers.

This team has very talented WRs in Ismail Naji, Radi Tolbert and Jarren McBryde, plus big-play men in Dayshawn Reynolds and Keyshawn Reynolds.

They don't run the ball. At all. And their defense looked a little vulnerable to the run (but that might have more to do with Millville). But AC will be a tough out in the tournament, if they get in.

Millville is a fascinating team. Despite their history, they are new to the SJ 4 scene and now they are the lone unbeaten in the field. They should get a seed somewhere around 2 or 3 and maybe get a pair of home games.

Alquann Jones is one of the best backs I've seen this season. He's just 5-8, 165 but he runs hard between the tackles and he's got explosive speed. He went for 267 yards and two TDs against AC.

Most impressively, he went for 55 yards and a TD -- making a dynamic cut in the secondary -- on his final carry with a little more than two minutes left in the game.

Millville's OL is solid, led by Nick Tyndal. I thought those guys did great work all night. And this team has other playermakers such as Rashon Sorrell, Zubir Boyer and Shaq Lee.

One area of concern: If Millville faces a passing team (like Pennsauken or Southern) in the tournament, and the weather is decent, the Bolts could be in big trouble. Because their pass defense looked very suspect as AC had receivers running free all night.

But maybe that was just a function of not seeing a lot of passing offenses this season, and not expecting that much passing from AC. In the week before a playoff game, they surely would prepare for a passing attack.

Final note: Great atmosphere at historic Wheaton Field. Big crowd (Millville's bleachers were filled, and AC brought a nice following, too) on a cool, clear night. Great game that lived up to the hype.

-- Phil Anastasia