The Atlantic City High School football team was one of South Jersey’s biggest surprises last season.
The Vikings finished 7-3.
They won their first playoff game since 2012 and reached the Central Jersey Group V semifinals.
This season, the Vikings won’t be sneaking up on anyone.
Atlantic City returns multiple talented players, most notably junior wide receiver/defensive back Sah'nye Degraffenreidt, one of the state’s top players.
“Everyone knows who we are,” coach Keenan Wright said. “We still have the drive and momentum go deep in the playoffs, and that’s our goal.”
The Vikings built on last year’s success in the offseason.
“Our offseason program really had some juice,” Wright said. “Losing to Lenape by one point (in the Central Jersey semifinals),
gives you that little reminder that if you do an extra rep, you do an extra day working out, maybe it makes a difference. We really had a great July.”
Any talk of the Vikings begins with Degraffenreidt, who got the nickname “Ice Cup” when a youth coach spotted him on the sidelines chewing ice out of a cup.
He caught 51 passes for 894 yards and 11 TDs last season.
He has the speed to run away from would-be tackles and the power to run over them.
He’s especially tough to defend in the red zone, where he can leap over shorter defenders to make catches.
Degraffenreidt also excelled on defense, returning two interceptions for TDs.
Degraffenreidt also excelled on defense, returning two interceptions for TDs.