The marquee game of the “Battle at the Beach” high school football showcase will return to Ocean City in 2024.
National high school football powerhouses IMG Academy and Bergen Catholic will meet at Ocean City’s Carey Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 29. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Before that game, Ocean City High School will play Cinnaminson at 4 p.m. Event organizers are still working to confirm dates and locations for the rest of the Battle at the Beach.
Last year’s event featured 11 games at Carey Stadium at Sixth Street and Boardwalk from Aug. 26 to Aug. 28 – the weekend before Labor Day Weekend. But a change in regulations for New Jersey scholastic football does not allow for games before Aug. 29 this year. Carey Stadium has long been home to a full slate of Pennsylvania Catholic League games on Labor Day Weekend, and the move to a Thursday allows at least some Battle at the Beach games to return to Ocean City.
“I’m happy to see the Battle return to Ocean City,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. “Carey Stadium is an exceptional facility, and it’s a chance to showcase Ocean City in front of a national audience and to help local businesses.”
