St. Anthony Hoping for a Healthy Roper
St. Anthony has broken several huge stereotypes in its three years of varsity football competition. For one thing, the Friars have shown that youth doesn’t always equal
struggle. In the program’s short existence, it’s already taken two trips
to the state playoffs, and amassed a combined 15-4 record in its second
and third years.
Valley Hopes to Rebound Behind Primerano
Last season wasn’t the type of year Wayne Valley is used to. From 2004 to 2010, Brian O’Connor’s Indians finished with less than five
wins just once, and that was in O’Connor’s inaugural go-around as
Valley head coach. After a 2-0 start in 2011, it seemed they’d further
improve on that statistic.
Joe Moreno & DePaul Won't be Intimidated
With all the talent on the DePaul football
team, it’s hard to believe the Spartans could ever be intimidated by
another group. Yet, one of their top stars admits that on opening day
last season, they may have suffered from some trepidation against one of
its toughest foes.
Gerald Owens Making Name For Himself
September 30, 2011 presented a tough pill to
swallow for Gerald Owens and West Deptford. The Eagles had just dropped
a 31-21 contest to rival Haddonfield, in a game that seemed very
winnable until defensive back Dan Ciemniecki returned a fumble 60 yards
and took over momentum for good.
Pennsville's Cummings Looks to Finish Strong
Dylan Cummings is proof that it’s not only okay to be different, but in some cases, far better. We’ve
seen 3,000-yard passers. We’ve seen successful sophomore
signal-callers. We’ve even seen high-octane offenses. But it’s debatable
if South Jersey has ever seen a young QB leading an offense like
Pennsville’s with such proficiency. And with two years to go in his
prep career, it seems Cummings and the Eagles are poised to get even
better.
Can Phillipsburg Rebound?
DaJuan Lee and his Phillipsburg teammates won’t make excuses
for missing the playoffs last season. But they’d be remiss—and perhaps
overly responsible—to suggest that injuries didn’t play a huge role in
derailing a 2011 campaign that still produced seven wins. Instead, Lee
and the Stateliners are trying to see the positives in their first
non-qualifying year since 1999.
Firsker and Manalapan Hope to Take Next Step
Over the last two seasons, the Manalapan
Braves have just about done it all—just about. They’ve gone 18-5,
qualified for the postseason twice, produced two different 2,000-yard
rushers and won back-to-back Shore Conference Class A-North titles.
Meyers & Pompton Lakes Thinking Repeat
It’s often said that every dark cloud has a
silver lining. For Pompton Lakes football, though, there was—for a
while, at least—a disproportionate amount of darkness back in August.
Not only were the Cardinals coming off back-to-back non-winning seasons
(3-7 in 2010; 5-5 in 2009), but searching for some normalcy after
Hurricane Irene ripped through the tiny community at summer’s end.
Green, Cranford Excited for '12
October 28 was an important night for Cranford football. It
was that Friday that the Cougars were thrashed, 52-21, by a Summit
squad that ultimately made it all the way to the North 2, Group 2
championship game. But, unlike your ordinary blowout, that setback ended
up being just what the doctor ordered for Cougars team that, at the
time, was still learning how to win.
2011 Season in Review: A to Z
A is for
outgoing North Bergen head coach, Vin Ascolese. With 359 career wins and
eight state sectional championships, Ascolese went out in style this
year, retiring after an exhilarating last-second win by his Bruins over
previously-undefeated Montclair.
Bosco Tops Final Gridiron New Jersey Top 20
No
surprises here. The Ironmen rolled through the Non-Public, Group 4
playoffs with a 42-3 semifinal victory over Paramus Catholic and a 42-14
win over archrival Bergen Catholic in the finals, and also crushed St.
Joseph (Mont.), 41-0, on Thanksgiving. Greg Toal’s squad continues to
be the standard in New Jersey high school football, and until anyone
proves they can beat Bosco, the Ironmen will remain #1. They own
the longest active winning streak in the nation (46), and sophomore
running back/cornerback Jabrill Peppers will be back on the field for
Don Bosco next fall.
Championship Weekend Recap
What a weekend of high school championship
football in New Jersey! Just as we’ve come to expect, a slew of new
stars were born, while several already-shining stars added greater
luminescence to their respective legacies.