By Tom Szieber
Posted: Monday, December 16, 2013 9:00 am
A is for Shawnee running back Anthony DiOrio. In leading the Renegades to a South, Group 4 championship, DiOrio was a true workhorse. DiOrio carried the ball 222 times for 1,321 yards and 16 touchdowns, and was a big part of why Shawnee earned its first sectional crown since 2008.
B is for bookends. That is exactly what Montclair had in seniors Darius Slade and Austin Stevens, who had opposing quarterbacks on the run all season. Slade had 67 tackles and 23.5 sacks for the Mounties, who beat Ridgewood, 33-0, in the North 1, Group 5 title game, while Stevens tallied 55 and seven.
C is for Pennsville quarterback Dylan Cummings. In 2013, Cummings not only became South Jersey’s all-time leading passer in just about every category (finishing his career with 7,695 yards), but showed that he is a multi-dimensional offensive threat. Cummings accumulated 2,323 passing yards and 1,247 on the ground while contributing 55 total touchdowns (31 passing, 24 rushing).
D is for DePaul. The Spartans of Passaic County took down the Spartans from Atlantic County (Holy Spirit), 35-16, to win the Non-Public, Group 2 championship. The title is DePaul’s first since 1992, and comes in a year that might be the greatest ever for its football program. John McKenna’s squad not only beat Don Bosco Prep and Bergen Catholic, but beat North 1, Group 4 champion Pascack Valley as well.
E is for eighty-two. That’s the amount of points put up by Lawrence against Hightstown on Oct. 18, establishing a new Mercer County record. Lawrence running back Semei Mitchell put up Madden-like numbers in the 82-41 win, rushing for 283 yards and six touchdowns on eight carries, while also returning a punt and a kickoff to the house. Oddly, Bergen Tech managed to match that total on Nov. 1, beating Snyder 82-44.
F is for family. Specifically, it was the Rayford family that had a massive impact on the North 1, Group 1 title game, with the brother duo of Adam and Drew Rayford connecting on two touchdowns to lead the Cardinals to a 20-14 victory over Hasbrouck Heights.
G is for the Greyhounds of Pleasantville. The Atlantic County squad made some major strides in 2013, the first by winning a game over Lower Cape May on Oct. 4 for their first victory in 36 games. With back-to-back season-ending victories over Riverside and Ocean City, they also earned their first three-win season and two-game win streak since 2006.
H is for health. Once Hunterdon Central got its collective health in order, it was able to charge toward a Central, Group 5 crown. But midseason injuries stung the squad, particularly at quarterback, as starter Michael Knight and backups James Mania and Bobby Cole were each dinged up on the field. The injury bug infected the team with a four-game losing streak, but the Red Devils eventually righted the ship and won it all by beating Manalapan in the sectional finals.
I is for inspirational. When Brick Township kicker Anthony Starego was granted a fifth year of eligibility in September by the NJSIAA, many supporters saw it as a victory in and of itself. Starego, who has autism, not only took the field for the Central, Group 4 champion Green Dragons this year, but excelled, going 23-of-27 on extra points and 2-of-3 on field goal attempts. Starego certainly made the most of his chance to get back on the field, serving as an inspiration to countless others along the way.
J is for Union running back Jamauri Bogan. Bogan has had an outstanding career for the Farmers, bursting on the scene several seasons ago and overcoming injuries to produce a huge senior year. In 2013, Bogan rushed for 1,514 yards on 231 carries, while reaching pay dirt 18 times. Most importantly, he led his team to the North 2, Group 5 final as well.
K is for St. Joseph (Mont.) head coach Tony Karcich. The legendary leader of the Green Knights led Joe’s to another sectional title, its third straight, as well as the #1 ranking in the final edition of the Gridiron New Jersey Top 20. St. Joe's has won 15 championships since 1995 (14 in Non-Public, Group 3) including this year.
L is for Sparta running back Lucas Faria. The junior back’s 32 touchdowns and 2,171 rushing yards were the primary offensive force for Sparta’s North 1, Group 3 title run. The Spartans beat River Dell, 40-0, in the sectional final.
M is for Glassboro quarterback Mike Maldonado. Running back Ronnie James was Glassboro’s engine this year, but Maldonado was its spark. When Maldonado took over under center, the Bulldogs were 2-5. They proceeded to win five straight games upon Maldonado’s insertion, finishing 7-5 and winning their third South, Group 1 crown in four years.
N is for Westwood wide receiver Nolan Bergerson. Bergerson was the Cardinals’ biggest offensive weapon during their 11-1 campaign that saw them capture the North 1, Group 2 crown. As such, he broke the state record for receiving yards in a single year with 1,889.
O is for West Deptford running back Gerald Owens. A household name for as long as he’s played for the Eagles, Owens got some help in the backfield this year from seniors Devin Bates and Joe Diaco. Together, the three ran for 2,576 yards, 37 touchdowns and led West Deptford to a 9-1 record.
P is for perfection. There were four outstanding teams to finish the season without a single blemish on their records, and all were public schools. Montclair, Mountain Lakes, Ridge and Summit all won sectional titles and went 12-0 on the year.
Q is for Red Bank Catholic offensive tackle Quenton Nelson. Considered the third-best offensive tackle prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, Nelson helped pave the way for RBC star running back Larry Redaelli on offense, while recording 61 tackles and three sacks on defense. The U.S. Army All-American will play next season at the University of Notre Dame.
R is for repeat champions. The 2013 season saw eight teams win at least their second straight sectional championship. Montclair, Hoboken, Summit, Delsea and Paramus Catholic all repeated, while Pompton Lakes and St. Joseph (Mont.) won their third in a row and St. Joseph (Hamm.) its fifth.
S is for Summit. Over the past five seasons, the Hilltoppers have gone 56-2, and haven’t lost a regular season game during that stretch. They’ve also won three sectional titles, in 2009, 2012 and 2013.
T is for Trenton’s turnaround. In just one season under coach Tarig Holman, the Tornadoes went from a woeful 2-8 squad to finding themselves in the championship conversation in Central, Group 5. Despite falling to Middlesex County power South Brunswick in the playoffs, Trenton unquestionably put itself back on the map in 2013.
U is for the United Division of the Big North Conference. It probably isn’t that much of a surprise to anyone that three of the division’s five squads (DePaul, Paramus Catholic and St. Joseph (Mont.)) won sectional titles. The surprising thing is that neither Bergen Catholic nor Don Bosco Prep even got the chance to play for one. Bosco, after a 1-3 start, rebounded to reach the Non-Public, Group 4 semis, but BC suffered through an uncharacteristic 2-7 year.
V is for Rumson-Fair Haven running back Charlie Volker. The 2,100-yard back led the Shore Conference in rushing, and was the catalyst behind the Bulldogs’ run to the Central, Group 2 championship. It was Rumson’s second title in four seasons.
W is for Timber Creek quarterback Dan Williams. The senior quarterback broke a 12-year old passing record for yards in a season this year, tallying 3,540 yards through the air in his final high school season. With the help of stud receivers Adonis Jennings and Cameron Chambers, Williams broke the record of former Somerville quarterback Kevin Carty, who threw for 3,504 yards in 2001. Timber Creek lost to Shawnee in the South, Group 4 championship game.
X is for exacting revenge. OK, we cheated, but what are we supposed to do with the letter X? Several teams won sectional titles by beating a team that had beaten them early in the year, after losing their first meetings with their respective finals opponents, Pompton Lakes, Point Pleasant Beach and Glassboro all got retribution against regular season opponents Hasbrouck Heights (North 1, Group 1), Shore (Central, Group 1) and Penns Grove (South, Group 1).
Y is for Hopewell Valley running back Andrew Yuska. The greatest back in Hopewell’s short history was outstanding during the Bulldogs’ Central, Group 3 title run, churning out 1,844 yards and 22 touchdowns. The championship was the first-ever for the program.
Z is for zero. That number is the one that appeared on the scoreboard for Weequahic’s opponents eight times this year (and actually, it is the amount of points allowed by the Indians’ defense on nine occasions). The Weequahic defense put together one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory, led by talented middle linebacker Sidney Gopre’s eye-popping 170 tackles.
Tom Szieber can be reached by emailing tom@gridironnewjersey.com.