Coach: Bill Wilde, 14th year

Last year’s record: 8-2

Last year’s final ranking: No. 13

Rearview mirror: One of the strangest last-second plays ended New Milford’s 2017 season in rather controversial fashion. A Hasbrouck Heights player threw the ball in the air after the Aviators blocked a potential game-tying field goal to end the North 1, Group 1 semifinal. Knights’ DE Emmett McElroy then grabbed the loose ball and carried it over the goal line, seemingly giving his team the winning touchdown, only to have the officials wave it off as having come after the whistle. New Milford coach Bill Wilde called it a “terrible” way to end the season, but said his group doesn’t want to dwell on the past. The motto this season is “Finish” – from drills to plays to games.

Looking ahead: The Knights turn to senior QB Brian Mackey as they go for their fourth straight winning season. While Mackey won’t have it easy in replacing Ryan Picinic (Stonehill), he’s already impressed this summer with his accurate arm and 6-foot-3 frame. “He’s going to really turn some heads,” Wilde said. Receivers Elian Valdivia and Tyler Picinic should get some targets, and Bart Nativo will be a weapon in the backfield after running for 1,138 yards last season. Expect significant contributions out of seniors Emmett McElroy and Alex Heinemann, both three-year starters on each side of the line. Wilde attributed his program’s consistent play to having a freshman team for 14 years. “That’s huge on the Group 1 level,” he said. “If you can keep those kids in the program for four years, they just step in. The names change, but the performance doesn’t.”

Bold prediction: With a bigger than usual senior class of 24, New Milford goes back to the state final to play for its first title since 1986.