Vol. 3/Issue 2 - vs. Ocean City

Transcription

Aug.
28
2015
Vol. 3/Issue 2
PAGE 2
Glory Days staff
Publisher: Dave O’Sullivan/609-788-4294/
[email protected]
Managing Editor: Giuseppe Ungaro/
609-788-4294/[email protected]
Director of Advertising: Bill Lynskey/
609-788-4294/[email protected]
Advertising: 609-788-4294/
[email protected]
Graphic design: Amy D’Adamo/
[email protected]
Cover photography: Dave O’Sullivan
(Cedar Creek senior Ahmir Mitchell)
have a story idea?
At Glory Days Magazine we love doing stories on quality, inspiring people who are making a difference for
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Website: acglorydays.com
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Twitter: @GDsullysays, @GDgisepu
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
About the cover
Ahmir Mitchell has been
known as Doowop’s little
brother for most of his life.
That’s about to change, if it
hasn’t already, as the Cedar
Creek senior has made a name
for himself as one of the best
and most highly recruited
wide receivers in the nation.
Damon “Doowop” Mitchell,
currently a redshirt sophomore
at the University of Arkansas,
was a star in the opening days
of Cedar Creek football. As
a quarterback for the Pirates,
he passed for more than 2,000
yards his senior year and threw for 22 touchdowns. He also rushed for another 1,000+ yards and
scored 21 touchdowns on the ground.
When you have an older brother with those kinds of skills, you better find a way to keep up.
Ahmir has done that, establishing himself not only as a great athlete, but as a great student and
teammate as well. He carries a grade-point average above 3.5 and will be graduating early from
Cedar Creek to attend either Ohio State or Michigan. (He was set to announce his decision on
August 27, two days after this edition of Glory Days Magazine was sent to press.)
While a big-time college football future is ahead of him, and as media and fan attention has hit
a frenzy surrounding the recruiting process, Ahmir remains focused on his final season of high
school football. He hasn’t let the hype get to him, and for now he says he is taking it day by day.
He wants to leave his mark with the Pirates and get them back to the state playoffs. If quarterback
Jesse Milza can get the ball in his hands enough and if the offensive line and defense can come
together, Cedar Creek should have another oustanding season.
— Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
PAGE 3
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u Enjoy extensive photo galleries
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about various promotions we have throughout the year. So go ahead
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on twitter
Follow Publisher Dave O’Sullivan: @GDsullysays.
Sully keeps you informed on scores and higlights from
games he covers, and also posts his “Star of the Game”
afterward. You can also follow Managing Editor
Giuseppe Ungaro: @GDgisepu.
Boardwalk Honda
Bunting Family Pharmacy
Cumberland Green Apts.
Mario’s Uptown Grill
Vic’s Subs
D’Arcy Johnson Day
Join Together Atlantic Co.
Jersey Shore Sports Med.
Juliano’s Pub & Grill
Ivy Rehab
Think Ink
Hi Point Pub
Golden Nugget Tavern
GMS Law
Batteries + Bulbs
Paragon Bar & Grill
PAGE 4
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
Commentary
I
The ‘boys of fall’ are back again
f you want to get fired up for an upcoming high
school football season, all you have to do is que
up Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall” video
on YouTube. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping
through your veins a little bit faster, well, there isn’t
much that will.
Heck, I didn’t even play high school football and
when I see that video I want to strap on a jersey and
shoulder pads and go tearing out of a locker room.
High school football will never change, and
perhaps that’s why it is so popular. It’s something
that holds communities together through the good
times and the bad. For decades, teenage boys have
strapped on the pads and knocked heads, and they
will do so for years to come. The cheerleaders, the
bands, the parents, the snack stands, the pep rallies,
the pageantry. There is nothing like it.
I wish I would have played high school football at
Lacey Township in the late 1980s. I’m not sure what
stopped me, other than the fact that as a freshman I
was about 5-foot-1 and 125 pounds. That, and the
idea of getting run over by future NFL player Keith
Elias at practice on a daily basis wasn’t all that appealing.
Looking back on it now, at age 43, and going out to cover games every Friday night, man,
it really is something special. It’s a huge event in
little towns all throughout this country. Even for
those who don’t play on the team or who aren’t a
cheerleader or a member of the band, high school
football is something you
can support, and those
Friday nights or Saturday
afternoons watching the
games from the stands
can be just as memorable.
New Orleans Saints
coach Sean Payton says
it best in the beginning
of the Kenny Chesney
video: “I would give
anything tonight to jump
in one of these uniforms
with you guys tonight.
That feeling goes away. It
goes away, and it doesn’t
come every Friday night.
... you’re going to miss that more than anything in
the world.”
He goes on to give a very poignant message to the
team he is addressing in the video: “You have plenty
of time for tomorrow, but these tonights, they are
Dave
O’Sullivan
going by fast. You focus on tonight.”
For the seniors entering this coming school year,
this is your last shot. Your last chance to make that
great play, to win a playoff game, to be a local hero
if only for a moment. Savor that chance and live it
to the fullest.
I have my 25th high school reunion coming up
this fall, and it doesn’t seem like nearly that long
ago that I was a high school athlete. When you are
17 years old you get sick of older folks telling you
how much you are going to miss these days once
they are gone, but it really is true. Four years goes
by in what seems like a heartbeat, just ask any of
your buddies who graduated in June.
With each passing day, the anticipation builds
as we inch closer to another high school football
season. It’s the best time of year at any area high
school. Hopes and dreams are fresh, a new beginning, new players will get their chance to leave their
mark in their school colors.
It’s an exciting time in your life. And yes, you are
going to hear it again from a guy who would love to
relive his Glory Days. These are your Glory Days.
Leave it all out on the field.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: [email protected]
on Twitter @GDsullysays
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
PAGE 5
PAGE 6
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
Cape-Atlantic League weekly schedule
(All games at 7 p.m. unless
otherwise noted)
September 4
Cedar Creek at Cedar Grove
September 11
Lower Cape May
at Pleasantville
Holy Spirit at Middle Twp.
Cedar Creek at Bridgeton
Oakcrest at Buena
St. Joseph at St. Augustine, 6
Middle Twp. at Vineland, 6
Malvern Prep (Pa.) at Holy Spirit
Buena at Bridgeton
Mainland at Millville
Absegami at Ocean City
Atlantic City at EHT
Bishop Shanahan (Pa.) at
Pleasantville
October 3
Cape Henlopen (Del.) at
Lower Cape May, 1
October 10
September 12
September 18
Ocean City at Vineland, 6
Bridgeton at Holy Spirit
Cedar Creek at Buena
St. Joseph at Absegami
St. Augustine at Millville
Atlantic City at Mainland
EHT at Lower Cape May
Pleasantville at Middle Twp.
September 19
Oakcrest at East Orange, 1
September 25
EHT at Vineland, 6
Pleasantville at Oakcrest
Buena at Middle Twp.
Bridgeton at River Dell
St. Augustine at Atlantic City
Ocean City at Mainland
Vineland at St. Joseph, noon
October 9
Mainland at St. Augustine
Millville at Absegami
Buena at Holy Spirit
Ocean City at EHT
Pleasantville at Bridgeton
Lower Cape May at Oakcrest,
7:30
St. Joseph at Mount St. Joseph
(Md.), 1
Atlantic City at Vineland, 2
October 16
Absegami at St. Augustine, 6
Millville at Ocean City
Buena at Mainland
Cedar Creek at Oakcrest
Pleasantville at Holy Spirit
Bridgeton at Lower Cape May
Middle Twp. at Bristol (Pa.)
October 17
Atlantic City at St. Joseph, noon
Bridgeton at Lower Cape May, 1
October 23
Millville at St. Joseph, noon
Holy Spirit at Cedar Creek, 1
Buena at Pleasantville
Oakcrest at Middle Twp.
St. Joseph at Mainland
St. Augustine at EHT
Ocean City at Atlantic City
Vineland at Absegami
Millville at Bridgeton
Ocean City at St. Augustine, 6
Absegami at EHT
Lower Cape May at
Cedar Creek, 1
September 26
October 2
October 24
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Vinnie Nelson and the Absegami Braves have a tough test early,
as they will face St. Joseph of Hammonton in the second week of
the season. St. Joseph comes into the season as one of the top
10 teams in the nation, according to MaxPreps.
October 30
St. Augustine at Vineland, 6
Millville at Atlantic City
Holy Spirit at Lower Cape May
Mainland at Absegami
Oakcrest at Bridgeton
Caravel (Del.) at Buena
October 31
EHT at St. Joseph, noon
Middle Twp. at Cedar Creek, 1
November 6
Cedar Creek at Pleasantville
Absegami at Atlantic City
St. Joseph at Ocean City
Holy Spirit at Oakcrest
EHT at Millville
Vineland at Mainland
Bridgeton at Middle Twp.
Lower Cape May at Buena
November 12-13
Playoff and consolation games
November 26, Thanksgiving
(All games at 10 a.m. unless
otherwise noted)
Cedar Creek at St. Augustine
Mainland at EHT
Pleasantville at Ocean City
Holy Spirit at Atlantic City
Oakcrest at Absegami
Pleasantville at Ocean City
Middle Twp. at Lower Cape May
Vineland at Millville, 10:30 a.m.
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
PAGE 7
Cape-Atlantic League team schedules
Absegami
Sept. 11 at Ocean City
Sept. 18 vs. St. Joseph
Oct. 2 at Egg Harbor Twp.
Oct. 9 vs. Millville
Oct. 16 at St. Augustine Prep, 6
Oct. 23 vs. Vineland
Oct. 30vs. Mainland
Nov. 6 at Atlantic City
Nov. 13-14 Consolation/Playoffs
Nov. 26 vs. Oakcrest, 10 a.m.
Atlantic City
Sept. 11 at Egg Harbor Twp.
Sept. 18 at Mainland
Sept. 25 vs. St. Augustine Prep
Oct. 10at Vineland, 2
Oct. 17at St. Joseph, noon
Oct. 23vs. Ocean City
Oct. 30vs. Millville
Nov. 6 vs. Absegami
Nov. 26 vs. Holy Spirit, 10 a.m.
Bridgeton
Sept. 11 vs. Buena
Sept. 18 at Holy Spirit
Sept. 25 at River Dell
Oct. 2 vs. Cedar Creek
Oct. 9 vs. Pleasantville
Oct. 16at Lower Cape May
Oct. 30vs. Oakcrest
Nov. 6 at Middle Twp.
Buena Regional
Sept. 11 at Bridgeton
Sept. 18 vs. Cedar Creek
Sept. 25 at Middle Twp.
Oct. 2 vs. Oakcrest
Oct. 9 at Holy Spirit
Oct. 16 at Mainland
Oct. 23at Pleasantville
Oct. 30vs. Caravel (Del.)
Nov. 6 vs. Lower Cape May
Cedar Creek
Sept. 4at Cedar Grove
Sept. 18 at Buena Regional
Sept. 26 vs. Holy Spirit, 1
Oct. 2 at Bridgeton
Oct. 16at Oakcrest
Oct. 24vs. Lower Cape May, 1
Oct. 31vs. Middle Twp., 1
Nov. 6 at Pleasantville
Nov. 26 at St. Augustine, 10 a.m.
Egg Harbor Township
Sept. 11 vs. Atlantic City
Sept. 18 at Lower Cape May
Sept. 25 at Vineland, 6
Oct. 2 vs. Absegami
Oct. 9 vs. Ocean City
Oct. 23vs. St. Augustine
Oct. 31at St. Joseph, 2
Nov. 6 at Millville
Nov. 26 vs. Mainland, 10 a.m.
Holy Spirit
Sept. 11 vs. Malvern Prep
Sept. 18 vs. Bridgeton
Sept. 26 at Cedar Creek, 1
Oct. 2 vs. Middle Twp.
Oct. 9 vs. Buena
Oct. 16vs. Pleasantville
Oct. 30at Lower Cape May
Nov. 6 at Oakcrest
Nov. 26 at Atlantic City, 10 a.m.
Lower Cape May Regional
Sept. 12 vs. Cape Henlopen (Del.), 1
Sept. 18 vs. Egg Harbor Twp.
Oct. 2 at Pleasantville
Oct. 9 at Oakcrest
Oct. 17vs. Bridgeton, 1
Oct. 24at Cedar Creek, 1
Oct. 30vs. Holy Spirit
Nov. 6 at Buena
Nov. 26 vs. Middle Twp., 10 a.m.
Mainland Regional
Sept. 11 at Millville
Sept. 18 vs. Atlantic City
Sept. 25 vs. Ocean City
Oct. 9 at St. Augustine Prep
Oct. 16vs. Buena
Oct. 23vs. St. Joseph
Oct. 30at Absegami
Nov. 6 vs. Vineland
Nov. 26 at Egg Harbor Twp., 10 a.m.
Middle Township
Sept. 11 at Vineland, 6 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Pleasantville
Sept. 25 vs. Buena
Oct. 2 vs. Holy Spirit
Oct. 16at Bristol (Pa.)
Oct. 23vs. Oakcrest
Oct. 31at Cedar Creek, 1
Nov. 6 vs. Bridgeton
Nov. 26 at Lower Cape May, 10 a.m.
Millville
Sept. 11 vs. Mainland
Sept. 18 vs. St. Augustine Prep
Sept. 26 at St. Joseph, noon
Oct. 9 at Absegami
Oct. 16at Ocean City
Oct. 23at Bridgeton
Oct. 30at Atlantic City
Nov. 6 vs. Egg Harbor Twp.
Nov. 26 vs. Vineland, 10:30 a.m.
Oakcrest
Sept. 19 at East Orange, 1
Sept. 25 vs. Pleasantville
Oct. 2 at Buena
Oct. 9 vs. Lower Cape May
Oct. 16vs. Cedar Creek
Oct. 23at Middle Twp.
Oct. 30at Bridgeton
Nov. 6 vs. Holy Spirit
Nov. 26 at Absegami, 10 a.m.
Ocean City
Sept. 11 vs. Absegami
Sept. 18 at Vineland, 6
Sept. 25 at Mainland
Oct. 2 at St. Augustine, 6
Oct. 9 at Egg Harbor Twp.
Oct. 23at Atlantic City
Nov. 6 vs. St. Joseph
Nov. 26 vs. Pleasantville, 10 a.m.
Pleasantville
Sept. 11 vs. Bishop Shanahan (Pa.)
Sept. 18 at Middle Twp.
Sept. 25 at Oakcrest
Oct. 2 at Lower Cape May
Oct. 9 at Bridgeton
Oct. 16at Holy Spirit
Oct. 23vs. Buena
Nov. 6 vs. Cedar Creek
Nov. 26 at Ocean City, 10 a.m.
St. Augustine Prep
Sept. 11 vs. St. Joseph, 6
Sept. 18 at Millville
Sept. 25 at Atlantic City
Oct. 2 vs. Ocean City, 6
Oct. 9 vs. Mainland, 6
Oct. 16vs. Absegami, 6
Oct. 23at Egg Harbor Twp.
Oct. 30at Vineland, 6
Nov. 26 vs. Cedar Creek, 10 a.m.
St. Joseph
Sept. 11 at St. Augustine
Sept. 18 at Absegami
Sept. 26 vs. Millville, noon
Oct. 3 vs. Vineland, noon
Oct. 10at Mount St. Joseph (Md.), 1
Oct. 17vs. Atlantic City, noon
Oct. 23at Mainland
Oct. 31vs. Egg Harbor Twp., noon
Nov. 6 at Ocean City
Vineland
Sept. 11 vs. Middle Twp., 6
Sept. 18 vs. Ocean City, 6
Sept. 25 vs. Egg Harbor Twp., 6
Oct. 3 at St. Joseph, 1
Oct. 10vs. Atlantic City, 2
Oct. 23at Absegami
Oct. 30vs. St. Augustine, 6
Nov. 6 at Mainland
Nov. 26 at Millville, 10:30 a.m.
PAGE 8
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
Football 2015
Breaking down the CAL schedule
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Publisher
When high school football teams
starting thinking about what type of
season they will have, it all starts with
looking at the schedule. Things kick off
this year on Sept. 4 with Cedar Creek
traveling up to Cedar Grove, then most
teams get started on Sept. 11 with the
first full weekend of gridiron action.
And what a weekend it is shaping up
to be!
Check out these Week 1 matchups:
St. Joseph, a top 10 team in the nation
according to MaxPreps, travels to parochial rival St. Augustine Prep; Holy
Spirit hosts Malvern Prep of Pennsylvania in the second year of a homeand-home deal; Mainland has to go on
the road for an early test against a Millville team that usually has a ton of great
athletes and big linemen; Pleasantville
starts the Chris Sacco era by welcoming in Bishop Shanahan, another Pennsylvania school; Absegami travels to
Ocean City; Buena Regional heads to
Bridgeton to face a Bulldogs team that
will be looking for some revenge from
last season; Middle Township gets
started at Vineland; and Atlantic City
travels to Egg Harbor Township in a
matchup of teams that hope to contend
in the Cape-Atlantic League American
Conference.
That’s not a bad lineup for the first
week of the season.
The following weekend features a
matchup that could have huge implications in the CAL National, as Cedar
Creek travels to Buena Regional. Last
season, Buena topped the Pirates 16-6
Austin Smith and the Egg Harbor Township Eagles better be
ready once October rolls around. In that month they face Absegami, Ocean City. St. Augustine Prep and St. Joseph.
in the second week of the season. Cedar Creek then lost two weeks later,
27-13, to Bridgeton, and despite winning four straight games after that loss,
those two defeats left the Pirates on the
outside looking in when it came to the
South Jersey Group 2 playoffs despite
a 6-2 record at the cutoff date.
Cedar Creek will have perhaps even
a tougher road this year, as the Pirates
try to make up for the loss of more
than a dozen seniors. Of their first five
games, three are on the road, at Buena,
Bridgeton and Oakcrest, which is looking to contend for the conference title
after putting up a 6-4 season a year ago.
St. Joseph has steamrolled its way to
21 straight victories, but the wins might
be a little tougher to get this year. Aside
from that road game at Prep to open the
season, the Wildcats take on Millville
at home on Sept. 26 and travel to Mt.
St. Joseph in Maryland on Oct. 10.
Egg Harbor Township, a team that
went 5-5 a year ago and is looking to
build into a contender under secondyear head coach Kevin Stetser, will
have to do well at home if it hopes to
make the playoffs. The Eagles face Atlantic City, Absegami, Ocean City and
St. Augustine Prep at Silver Eagle Stadium before the playoffs cutoff date.
The weekend of Oct. 9-10 stands out
as an interesting weekend that could
see some upsets. On Friday, Oct. 9,
Millville is on the road at Absegami.
The Braves have a ton of starters back
and traditionally play well at home.
This could be a huge game for Absegami, depending on how much business
the Braves can take care of in September. They start out with Ocean City,
St. Joseph and Egg Harbor Township
before facing Millville, and if they can
get off to a 2-1 start then pull an upset
over Millville, the Braves could be the
surprise team of the CAL heading into
a Week 5 game against St. Augustine.
Winning two out of those three first
games won’t be an easy task for Absegami, however. Ocean City has some
up-and-coming talent and they have to
face EHT on the road.
Halloween weekend features some
really good matchups in the CapeAtlantic League. On Oct. 30, Millville
travels to Atlantic City to take on the
See Schedule, page 9
AUGUST 28, 2015
Schedule, from page 8
Vikings while Mainland will head up
to Galloway to battle Absegami, and
Oakcrest has a huge showdown at
Bridgeton.
The Falcons want to be a contender
for the CAL National this year, and
beating Bridgeton on the road would
be a signature win for this group of
players. Also, Buena Regional welcomes in Caravel of Delaware. The
following day, on Halloween, EHT has
a big game at St. Joseph while Cedar
Creek will get tested at home with a
visit from an always scrappy Middle
Township team.
The Panthers typically don’t have
huge numbers in their program, but
the usually have some very good athletes at the skill positions, the kind of
guys who can turn a game around with
an interception or a punt return for a
touchdown.
The final week of the regular season
prior to the start of playoffs and consolation games should be a barnburner,
too. On Nov. 6, Absegami travels to Atlantic City, Holy Spirit visits Oakcrest,
EHT has to go on the road to take on
Millville, and Vineland travels to Linwood to take on Mainland Regional,
among other games.
We should find out by the middle
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
of October whether or not Holy Spirit
can be a contender in the CAL American under new head coach A.J. Russo.
The Spartans start off with that home
tilt against Malvern Prep, a team that
thumped them in the season opener last
year, then they host Bridgeton before
traveling to Cedar Creek.
From there, it’s three straight home
games, against Middle Township, Buena Regional and Pleasantville.
Atlantic City has an interesting
schedule. The Vikings start out with a
pair of road games, at EHT and Mainland, before games against St. Augustine and St. Joseph sandwich a 2 p.m.
Saturday game at Vineland on Oct.
10. If you want to see some outstanding quarterbacks, head over to Atlantic
City High on Friday, Sept. 25 as the Vikings take on St. Augustine.
Atlantic City features senior stud
Jamir Prevard, but the Vikings’ defense
will have its hands full with Hermits’
standout Jose Tabora, also a senior.
These are two of the most athletic
quarterbacks in South Jersey. Prevard
also is a very good basketball player,
while Tabora is one of the region’s top
wrestlers.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan:
[email protected];
PAGE 9
senior leaders
Austin Forvour, OL, Oakcrest
“I’m a hard-working athlete and I like
to push people to their limits, and I like
people pushing me. The line is going to
be solid this year. I think we are going to
have a really good season. We are going
to have tough games, but I feel like we
can work through that because we have a
lot of heart. We have a chance to win the
CAL this year and maybe even a state
title. I really believe that we will be a strong contender.”
Edwin sierra, TE/LB, Pleasantville
“It’s a good thing to be a leader and work
hard. We have to keep our effort up. I’ve
always looked up to the leaders ever
since my freshman year, and I’ve always
wanted to be a leader.”
View extensive football photo galleries on our
Facebook page, facebook.com/acglorydays
PAGE 10
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
10 burning questions
1. How will Cedar Creek get the ball to Ahmir Mitchell? Offensive
coordinator Mike Isgro is going to have to get creative with the kind
of attention Mitchell is going to be drawing from DBs and linebackers.
Look for a lot of quick stuff, hitches and slant routes where QB Jesse
Milza can get the ball into Mitchell’s hands in a hurry and let him use
his open-field skills to make big plays.
2. Will defensive coordinators facing Atlantic City get any sleep?
Probably not much. QB Jamir Prevard creates a host of matchup
problems for opposing defenses. He is tall and can sit back in the
pocket and pick defenses apart, but he’s also agile and fast, which
means if he breaks containment and gets to the outside, watch out.
3. Can Oakcrest be a legit contender in the CAL National? Yes.
This is the year coach Chuck Smith has been pointing to as the Falcons’ breakout year. They are experienced at the skill positions and
have a lot of talent, and the guys on the line have really been committed to getting stronger this offseason.
4. Can anyone beat St. Joseph? Not likely, with the kind of talent
the Wildcats have. Then again, that’s why you play the games.
5. Who has a chance to be a breakout star in the CAL? Watch
out for Bo Melton of Cedar Creek. With Mitchell drawing double-team
coverage, Melton will have a chance to make big plays on a weekly
basis. Also keep an eye on Lee Dawson, younger brother of former
Holy Spirit star A.J. Dawson. He has size and blazing speed, and
could be a huge factor in the return game.
6. Is St. Augustine Prep long snapper Kris Morgenweck the best
long snapper in South Jersey? Check the video on Twitter. You tell
me.
7. Was Buena Regional’s 2014 season a flash in the pan, or a
sign of things to come? More likely the latter. The Chiefs have a
solid program, and last year’s 10-1 mark has them wanting even
more, coach Jonathan Caputo said. Don’t be surprised to see them
win another CAL National title.
8. Will Mainland Regional make the playoffs again? They have a
shot. If the Mustangs can stay healthy and get good production from
the offense, they will be in the thick of things. And coach Bob Coffey
is going back to the ol’ Delaware Wing-T. Always a tough offense to
stop.
9. Who will step up for EHT? With a new QB under center, RB
Dante Moore and WR Spencer La Sure need to be the go-to guys.
Coach Keven Stetser says they are ready for that role.
10. Who has the best helmet? The ones St. Augustine wore last
year are sweet, and Millville’s look a little like the Sand Diego
Chargers from the old days, but I have to go with Absegami going
with the white helmet and brown Florida State logo. It’s a hot look.
Reminds me of the University of Wyoming.
— Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
senior leaders
James geisel, OL, cedar creek
“I like to teach the young guys if they are
struggling with stuff, teach them the
importance of the weight room and teach
them how to be leaders. We just try to
teach everyone the right things to do,
whether it is being young men or being
football players.”
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
games to watch
Week 1: St. Joseph at St. Augustine Prep, Sept. 11, 6 p.m.: This
is a great matchup to start the season. The visiting Wildcats carry the
Cape-Atlantic League’s longest winning streak (21 games) into the
season, and they went 11-0 en route to winning another state title last
year. Prep finished right behind them at 8-2 overall and 7-1 in the CAL
American, and return QB Jose Tabora for his senior season. There
should be plenty of intensity surrounding this game.
Week 2: Cedar Creek at Buena Regional, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.: The
Pirates are smarting about a loss to the Chiefs last year that pretty
much wrecked their playoff hopes. They will be after some payback,
and have perhaps the state’s best player in Ahmir Mitchell on their
side. The Chiefs better wrap up if they hope to contain this explosive
playmaker.
Week 3: St. Augustine Prep at Atlantic City, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.: Huge
road test for the Hermits. Atlantic City usually plays well at home, and
this game will feature two of the best QBs in South Jersey in Prep’s
Tabora and A.C.’s Jamir Prevard.
Week 4: Oakcrest at Buena Regional, Oct. 2, 7 p.m.: The visiting
Falcons want to prove they are for real. Well, here’s your chance,
boys. Take down the defending CAL National champs and people will
take notice.
Week 5: Millville at Absegami, Oct. 9, 7 p.m.: Absegami has a ton of
returning players and will be looking to make the playoffs this season.
Facing a tough squad like Millville will give the Braves a barometer of
where they are at.
Week 6: Cedar Creek at Oakcrest, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.: The Falcons are
fired up for this one. This group of seniors has never beaten Cedar
Creek. They want that to change.
Week 7: Millville at Bridgeton, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.: There will definitely
be some helmet paint traded in this one. Both teams are known for
big, sturdy lines and speedy athletes on the outside. This could be a
barnburner.
Week 8: Mainland at Absegami, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.: A Halloween weekend showdown of area rivals who each would love to get a late-season
win. Both teams have a bunch of multi-sport athletes who can make
big plays. The turnover margin could play a huge role in this one.
Week 9: Absegami at Atlantic City, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.: When these
schools get together, throw out the records and prepare yourself for
an entertaining game. Two years ago when the Braves visited Atlantic
City it was a wild, high-scoring game that saw Absegami’s comeback
attempt fall short. There should be plenty of points this time around,
too.
Vineland at Millville, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 10:30 a.m.: One
of the nation’s oldest rivalries is also one of its most intense. Last year,
Millville scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to wipe out a 28-13 deficit, then scored eight in the fourth to come from behind for a 44-40 win.
senior leaders
Anthony dobronte, OL/lb, holy spirit
“Being a leader to me is to show the
younger kids what to do and how to do it.
When I was a freshman, it was all about
school spirit. The older kids brought me in
and showed me what to do at practice.
I try to teach them how to work hard and
never give up.”
PAGE 11
PAGE 12
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
coach speak
Sacco looks to build winning foundation at Pleasantville
(In each issue throughout the fall,
Glory Days Magazine publisher Dave
O’Sullivan talks with an area head
football coach about the season and
the state of his program. For this issue,
Sully caught up with new Pleasantville
skipper Chris Sacco)
Sully: How did you become the head
coach at Pleasantville? Was that a job
you had been interested in for awhile?
Sacco: It’s definitely something
that I’ve kept my eye on over the last
couple of years. There was a chance I
might go there and coach with the previous coach, and ever since then I’ve
kept my eyes on the program and the
coaching staff. Coming from two pretty good programs myself (Hammonton
and St. Joseph), I had the ambition to
help rebuild a program, and (Pleasantville) was one I’ve always looked at as
a potential landing spot. When it came
open I figured I would put my name
in the hat and see if it worked out. It’s
definitely somewhere I want to be. We
have a good group of kids who are
hungry and eager, and I’m happy to be
here.
Sully: What was your reaction when
you did become the head coach? Obviously, you were elated, then probably
about 20 minutes later you were like,
OK, I have to get to work here.
Sacco: Obviously in any coaching position you have a lot of work
ahead of you. I was just trying to find a
coaching staff put together. A couple of
people on the staff I was familiar with
New Greyhounds coach Chris Sacco brings a championship pedigree to Pleasantville from his days coaching with
Hammonton and St. Joseph.
prior to this, and a couple of people
who were on the staff from last year,
a couple guys who were familiar with
the youth programs in that area. Just
putting together the coaching staff was
the big thing, then putting together the
summer workouts and generate some
positive interest in the program and get
kids to want to come out and be a part
of something new.
Sully: How much have you reached
out to the Jokers program, the young
kids? I know that is a pretty successful
program and they get a lot of interest
among the kids, how do you translate
that to the high school level?
Sacco: I’ve been in contact with a
couple of coaches down there. I went
there a few weeks ago to speak with the
taxi through the varsity programs and
introduce myself. I brought some play-
ers with me. We really want to have a
positive relationship with their coaching staff and the players down there
because we want them to funnel up
through high school, stay together and
keep that talent together. It gets more
difficult as the years go by because
there are a lot of options with school
choice and the catholic schools, but we
definitely want to keep them together,
and having a positive relationship with
the youth coaches is definitely the way
to build.
Sully: How much time have you
spent with these kids at Pleasantville in
terms of the mental side of things and
getting their confidence up and trying
to inspire them?
Sacco: It started by getting in the
weight room this summer and doing
some team-building activities. We’re
trying to get these kids to trust in each
other and rely on each other, and trying
to build their confidence as individuals but also as a team. I thought they
competed pretty well in the summer.
We went to Oceanside gym two times
per week and we lifted in our gym.
We’re just trying to get the kids acclimated to each other earlier in the year,
before football starts, so that we can hit
the ground running in August. And the
kids have been very receptive to it. Has
it changed overnight? No. But we have
seen tremendous strides from June until now. Our practice habits get a little
bit better every day, and that’s what we
want to build on. Build on the positives
and let them see that they do have potential. All the cards are in their hands.
As a coaching staff, we can put a plan
into place, but they hold all the cards. If
they want to be successful it’s there for
them if they put the work in and work
together as a team.
Sully: How much of this season will
be getting back to basics and real fundamental football? This is a program
that maybe can’t afford fancy equipment, but it seems to me that when you
take over a program like this you have
to start from the bottom up. Is that sort
of the philosophy, like let’s get down to
a blue-collar attitude and get to work?
Sacco: Football comes down to the
fundamentals: blocking well and tackling well. And that’s what we are trying
See Sacco, page 13
AUGUST 28, 2015
Sacco, from page 12
to focus on, and building from there.
The way we put it is, we don’t have
maybe everything that we would like,
but it’s a process. You’re not going to
get everything overnight. All we can
do is worry about what we have and
not worry about what we don’t have, so
let’s focus on the positives. Ultimately,
if we can continue to build and turn this
program around, maybe some of those
things will come down the road. We are
content with the things we do have. We
have a good group of kids, and I will
take that any day over fancy uniforms
or equipment. We have a coaching staff
that is hungry, and hopefully that combination will translate into some success for this program.
Sully: What has been the reaction
to the players about you coming on
as head coach? I know we were talking in preseason about how kids want
something to believe in no matter what
school they are at. It seems like they
have a really good attitude. What has
the transition been like to you as the
head coach?
Sacco: I think the kids have been very
receptive. Their attitude has been very
positive. Coming to a new school, you
never know what the reception is going
to be, but I think the coaching staff and
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
myself have been very pleased with the
reception from the students and players. We are hoping that the more time
we spend with them they will realize
we are not just football coaches. We are
also there to help them with whatever,
college, career choices, whatever they
need. Hopefully, the more they see that
the more they will understand that it’s a
relationship we don’t want to have for
just the four years they are here. That
goes a long way.
Sully: What would you consider a
successful season when you look back
in December?
Sacco: I don’t know as far as wins
and losses. Obviously, we want to win
games. But as far as a number, I don’t
know. The goal for me would be to
see these kids continue to get better in
practice every day and in the games. If
we can play four hard quarters and see
what happens, I would be happy with
that. I want to see these kids compete
and not quit on each other, really pick
each other up when things aren’t going
well and stay humble when things are
going well. If we can do that this year
and continue to roll that over year after
year, I think we’ll have a good structure for the program in place.
[email protected];
PAGE 13
senior leaders
jake alton, OL, atlantic city
“I take (leadership) really seriously.
Our coach always tells us to do things
the right way, so I’m always trying to get
the guys going during practice. You can’t
have a bad day of practice. I’m always
trying to keep the guys up, always
trying to stay focused on what’s ahead
so we can go out and get the win on
Friday nights.”
garrett jones, wr/db, ocean city
“Being a leader means a lot, having
everyone looking up to you. I try to lead
with a positive attitude and hard work.”
Follow our coverage all year at acglorydays.com
PAGE 14
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
Football 2015 - vic ’ s subs cover story
Believe the hype
There’s a reason
Ahmir Mitchell is one
of the top recruits in
the nation — he gets
the job done on and
off the field
Publisher
buntu. It’s a word not many
people have ever heard of,
yet it is printed on the back
of the Cedar Creek High School football team’s 2015 season T-shirts, as in
#ubuntu. It’s a South African philosophy that translates roughly to mean the
belief in a universal bond — sort of a
cooler way to say “one for all, all for
one.” The back of the T-shirts say “I
am because we are” #ubuntu.
With senior wide receiver Ahmir
Mitchell receiving unprecedented media coverage in this area as one of the
most highly recruited players in the last
several decades, the Pirates’ coaching
staff felt it was important to impress
upon the rest of the players that they
are just as important to Cedar Creek’s
success this year as their star player.
And, to Mitchell’s credit, he hasn’t let
all the attention get to his head. He’s
quick to mention that without the rest
of the offensive unit, he wouldn’t be
putting up the kind of numbers he has
the last three years.
It would be easy for Mitchell to walk
around Cedar Creek like the BMOC
— Big Man On Campus. It would be
hard to blame a 17-year-old boy to start
feeling like a rock star when he has
premier college coaches such as Nick
Saban of Alabama, John Harbaugh of
Michigan and Jimbo Fisher of Florida
State fawning over him for more than
a year. But Mitchell has stayed humble
and focused as he heads into his final
year of high school football despite the
near non-stop attention from college
coaches and the media. The straight-A
student knows he will graduate early
from Cedar Creek, and heading into
U
Cedar Creek senior wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell has been courted by nearly every big-time
college football program in the country during the past few years. He has size, speed and great
hands, but is just as focused off the field. He carries a GPA above 3.5 and plans to graduate
early and enroll in college in January 2016.
the final week of August had narrowed
his college choice down to Michigan
and defending national champion Ohio
State.
Whichever school he chooses, he
plans on enrolling in January to get a
jumpstart on his college career. But he
still has plenty left to accomplish in his
high school career. The Pirates graduated more than a dozen seniors from a
squad that went 7-3, but missed out on
the state playoffs after early losses to
Buena Regional and Bridgeton. Mitchell said he wants to make some noise
on the big stage of the state playoffs
before he’s done at Cedar Creek.
Big brother
What helps not only Mitchell but his
teammates, as well, is the fact that the
Pirates have been through this kind of
thing before. Ahmir’s older brother,
Damon “Doowop” Mitchell, currently
is a redshirt sophomore at the University of Arkansas and when he attended
Cedar Creek he was a coveted recruit,
ranked No. 11 nationally when it came
to dual-threat quarterbacks. As a senior at Cedar Creek, Doowop passed
for more than 2,000 yards, rushed for
more than 1,000, and accounted for
more than 40 touchdowns.
Having an older brother who has
been through the process to lean on has
been invaluable for Mitchell.
“It’s been great for him, especially
early on in the recruiting process.
Doowap had a chance to talk to him
about it and kind of help him have a
level head, take his time with the decisions he has to make,” said Pirates
head coach Tim Watson, himself an
outstanding high school and college
player who nearly made the NFL with
the Seattle Seahawks before an injury
derailed his career. “Doowop is doing
pretty well now. He went through some
times at Arkansas where he was frustrated early on. ... he went from being
the star to not playing, and having to
learn everything (at a new position),
and that was frustrating for him. But
the reports are that he’s a whole new
person and he’s turned things around,
so that’s the type of stuff that we share
with the team and those are the types
of things I think Ahmir can gain a lot
from.”
“Doowop is a great role model. He’s
See Mitchell, page 15
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
Mitchell, from page 14
doing big things at Arkansas, and he
has been a big help. I think when Ahmir is in a rough spot, that’s the person
he goes to because Doowop has been
through the same thing he has,” said
fellow Cedar Creek senior and close
friend Louie Pitale. “He and I talk about
the recruiting process all the time, not
only for him, but for me as well. I’m always asking him for advice. He knows
what is going on with the process
because of how many coaches have
contacted him. He’s come to me on a
few occasions when it comes to things
about recruiting, but for the most part
he keeps things private.
“He’s stayed humble through our
coaching staff. Our coaching staff
makes sure that anybody who thinks
they are a big-time player, they make
sure that kid stays humble. And Ahmir is the type of kid, in the games his
competitive nature will come out, but
off the field he is quiet and humble.”
Mitchell said his older brother has
done just what any good older brother
should do — push him on the field, and
be a mentor off the field.
“I’ve always had high hopes and aspirations, especially with my brother
being a great player. He was the No.
11 quarterback in the nation when he
was a senior. Coming in, I wanted to
be better than him. He was always
pushing me, showing me the ropes and
keeping me humble. You have to work
for everything, especially coming from
a small town in South Jersey,” Mitchell said. “Having my brother has been
probably the biggest help through this
entire journey. Even before I had great
coaches at Cedar Creek he was always
working with me in the backyard.
Switching from running back to receiver, he knew I was going to have to
work a lot on that and he was the main
one working with me on the playbook.
Mitchell began his career as a 160-pound running back when
he was a freshman. As a senior, he has blossomed into a 6-foot3, 215-pound wide receiver.
And just keeping me grounded. He
would always make me do extra reps
in the weight room. If coach said to do
three sets of eight reps, he would make
me do three sets of 12, with pushups
in between. So he was always there to
push me and make me better, and I try
to do that now with the younger guys to
try to make this program something big
in South Jersey.”
Hard work
When Mitchell began his high school
career, he was a wiry 160-pound running back. In the past three years, he
has switched to wide receiver and
worked his tail off in the weight room
to carve his body into the kind that bigtime college coaches are looking for.
He has added more than 50 pounds
to his frame, and now he is a 6-foot3, 215-pound wideout that had college
coaches salivating for more than 12
months.
At the high school level, he is what
is commonly referred to as “a beast.”
Sure, when he gets to the Big 10 (as of
Aug. 25 he had yet to decide between
attending Michigan or Ohio State)
there will be plenty of guys like him,
but for now, he is a man among boys.
Just ask Pitale, who as a defensive back
has to go up against him every day in
PAGE 15
practice.
“He is probably the hardest worker
we have in the weight room, every
rep, and doing extra reps at the end.
He’s working hard and really looking
forward to college. I think he’s ready
for it,” Pitale said. “The fact that he
is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver helps him a little bit. He’s fast, he
knows how to attack the ball, he runs
very clean routes. He’s a threat, there’s
no doubt about that. When you’re
guarding him you just have to try to
make a play on the ball. There’s not
much you can do against a kid that
size. He’s lightning fast for how much
he weighs and his size.”
Nick Sartorio, another Pirates senior
who plays wide receiver and tight end,
said simply having a player with the
size and speed that Mitchell possesses
on the field every day in practice makes
everyone better.
“He helps us get better just by being
on the team because we can watch him
and see what he does. We have to go up
against him every day in practice, and
that helps everybody,” Sartorio said.
“He’s a physical presence. He’s
probably the most impressive physical specimen I’ve seen and I’ve been
coaching for more than 10 years. He is
a beast,” Watson said. “A big thing he
has, from an attitude standpoint, is he
thinks he can score any time he touches
the ball. He has some elusiveness and
he does a lot of things correctly, but he
still has a ton he needs to work on. But
he uses his physical abilities as good as
anybody I’ve ever seen.”
What makes Mitchell even more of
a threat is that he plays with a bit of
a chip on his shoulder. He spent most
of his life trying to prove himself.
He didn’t want to be known just as
Doowop’s little brother. He might be
bigger, stronger and faster now, but he
still feels the need to prove himself ev-
PAGE 16
ery time he steps onto the field. Combining that kind
of desire with his physical skills is what has made
him a top 100 recruit nationally and one of the best
players in New Jersey.
“I only had two touchdowns my freshman year,
but I was always eager to get on the field and do
something once I had the ball in my hands. I’ve always had that determination, and that stems from my
brother and just growing up loving the game. When
I get the ball I just try to make as much happen as
I can for my teammates. I know if I give them my
all, they will give me their all. Nothing comes without the offensive line, the quarterback getting me the
ball, the running backs doing the little things that
help me out. They give me their all and I give it right
back,” Mitchell said. “I’ve put on some weight over
the years, just working hard and getting after it with
my teammates. With the speed, that’s something we
always work on as a team. I feel like my game is really elevating and that I’m ready for the next level,
but there is always room for improvement.”
Trying to get people to know the name Ahmir as
well as they know Damon has been a real driving
force, Mitchell said.
“I always look back to my freshman year. No one
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
“It is wild having coaches that, when you are younger, you’re thinking, ‘man,
if I get a scholarship offer from there, I’m definitely going.’ But when you have
everybody, it’s like, ‘dang, where do I want to go?’ But it’s definitely a humbling
experience. Just three years ago I was looking at these schools and wondering
if I could play for them and thinking that one day I might have that opportunity,
and now having that opportunity, it’s a very humbling experience.”
Ahmir Mitchell
Cedar Creek senior wide receiver
knew about me, I was just always Doowop’s little
brother, I never had a name for myself. When I did
make plays it was always ‘look at what Damon’s little brother just did.’ It was never Ahmir Mitchell. So
that really humbles me,” Mitchell said.
He said he also knows just how quickly football
can become a thing of the past. One injury, on any
level, can be enough to force an athlete to hang up the
shoulder pads for good.
“Looking at guys like coach Watson, who went to
the NFL and never had injuries and then he got hurt
and how it can all be taken away so easily,” Mitchell
said. “So I don’t let all the hype get to me. Come next
year, I will be a freshman and I’ll just be another guy.
I enjoy it while it lasts in high school, but once you
are a freshman in college you are just another guy
until you make a name for yourself all over again.”
Another thing that separates Mitchell from the average 4- or 5-star recruit is the he brings that same
dedication to the classroom. His grade-point average
is above 3.5, and he has been working hard to take
extra classes to gain the necessary credits to graduate
high school early so he can be an early enrollment
athlete in college and get a semester of spring practice in before his freshman year officially begins in
the fall of 2016.
“I have probably the greatest student counselor,
Karen Cavalieri, she helps me out with everything.
I’m probably at her office more than I am in class
with all this college stuff going on,” Mitchell said. “I
have a great staff behind me at Cedar Creek, both on
the football field and academically. And that’s one of
AUGUST 28, 2015
the main things (Cavalieri) tells me is
that I’m a student first, and that’s one
of the things people forget about. But
I know school is the main focus in this
entire process.”
Taking it all in
While the recruiting process has added a lot of pressure onto the shoulders
of a boy who won’t turn 18 until next
May, Mitchell said he is keeping it all
in perspective. He knows how blessed
he is to be in a position in which every
major college coach in the country is
calling and sending letters, and national media outlets want to feature him in
stories and videos.
He knows this will only happen once,
so he’s living it up.
“Right now I’m just trying to get
healthy and mainly focusing on this
season. Making the decision, I think
that will be a big relief off my shoulders
before the seasons starts. I just want to
focus on the squad and hopefully get a
state championship,” Mitchell said. “It
is wild having coaches that, when you
are younger, you’re thinking, ‘man, if
I get a scholarship offer from there,
I’m definitely going.’ But when you
have everybody, it’s like, ‘dang, where
do I want to go?’ But it’s definitely a
humbling experience. Just three years
ago I was looking at these schools and
wondering if I could play for them and
thinking that one day I might have that
opportunity, and now having that opportunity, it’s a very humbling experience and it shows you how far you can
get in life if you keep working hard.
“I’m just trying to sit back and take
this all in. You only get to have an experience like this once in your lifetime.
You just have to enjoy it, take your
time and, and embrace it all. It’s very
overwhelming at times, but you have
to sit back and embrace it. I’m just taking it day by day, enjoying it with my
team. Before I know it, I’ll be out of
here, so the main thing is to enjoy it
and take it all in.”
His teammates said they don’t mind
Mitchell getting so much attention. In
a way, it benefits them as well. Every
college coach who comes to see Mitchell also gets to see the other players on
the team. And when it comes to the recruiting process, getting seen is what
it’s all about, no matter what level a
player wants to be at when he gets to
college.
“He’s fun to be around and he’s a
good friend. I think (the attention) is
great because you have colleges coming to watch him work out, and we are
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
working out with him, so it kind of
feels like they are there for the whole
team. It feels like they are there to
watch everybody and not just him,”
Sartorio said.
“It’s been exciting experience to be
invited to all these camps and be able to
showcase my ability. Also, bringing the
scouts here (to Cedar Creek) for guys
like Bo Melton and Owen Bowles, Isaiah Watson, some of the other top players, bringing the eyes here so that the
guys can get looks,” Mitchell said. “It’s
not easy coming from a small town to
become known. It’s a lot easier if you
play for Paramus or an established program like that, but that’s what we are
trying to do here at Cedar Creek. We
are trying to build a program and potentially build a powerhouse.”
Added Pitale, “I don’t think any of
our players think like that because of
the type of person Ahmir is. He doesn’t
want all the attention. He would be
perfectly fine if he went to practice every day if Rivals didn’t show up, and
Bleacher Report didn’t show up. It
doesn’t matter to him, he just loves the
game, and our teammates and I know
that. So we don’t really mind about
him getting all the attention.”
Mama knows best
As Mitchell began to whittle down
his college choices, eventually settling
on either Michigan or Ohio State in
August, he knew there was one very
important person in his life who had
to be on board with whatever decision
he made — his mom, April Bell. She
has been there for him through thick
and thin, he said, ever since he first
strapped on a helmet and shoulder pads
in the youth football leagues in Mays
Landing.
“She might be enjoying it just as
much as him,” Pitale said. “She gets to
go to Michigan, she gets to go to Ohio
State with him. He’s making sure his
decision is what his mom likes, too,
and not just what he likes, and that’s really important to him. He’s very close
to his mother.”
“She has helped me and my brother
throughout the entire journey. Ever
since I was a kid she’s always been running up and down the sideline screaming my name, telling me to keep my
legs driving and stuff like that. She’s
always been my No. 1 supporter,”
Mitchell said. “She knows a lot and
I’ve definitely taken her insight when
it came down to deciding where I want
to go.”
[email protected];
PAGE 17
PAGE 18
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
football 2015
Putting
in the
work
Oakcrest senior Will Fish is undersized as a middle linebacker at about 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, but he plays with heart and
passion and has been a big reason the Falcons went from one win to a state playoff berth in the span of just three seasons.
Will Fish isn’t the biggest or fastest player on the field,
but he brings a work ethic and desire that is tough to match
Publisher
hen current Penn State University linebacker Brandon Bell graduated from Oakcrest High School, his jersey No. 26 was
designated by head coach Chuck Smith as a special
number. For a player to wear No. 26, he would have
to display the determination, character and leadership
— both on and off the field — that Bell did in becoming not only one of the best players in school history,
but one of the best leaders in the last few decades.
Coach Smith figured he wouldn’t be handing out
No. 26 anytime soon. Meeting those lofty expectations would be difficult for any player. Turns out he
had a player earn the right to wear that number the
very next season — and as a sophomore, no less.
Will Fish came into Oakcrest as a freshmen when
W
Bell was a senior and helped oversee the Falcons’
transition through a rebuilding process. Oakcrest’s
roster saw a significant drop in its numbers when a
new school in its district, Cedar Creek, opened up
in Egg Harbor City, and during Fish’s freshman year
the Falcons won just one game. Four years later,
Oakcrest is coming off a 6-4 season that included a
state playoff berth and is thinking it has what it takes
to contend for a sectional championship. Fish and
several of Oakcrest’s other core players — such as
Terrence Smith, Kendall Elliott and Yaier Hinton,
to name a few — have spearheaded that quick turnaround with their talent and leadership ability.
“Brandon isn’t just a great football player, he’s a
great person. He has great core values with the way
he lives his life, how he takes school and family, and
how he treats his teammates. We decided to make
Brandon’s old number, 26, a special number. Nobody
was going to wear No. 26 again until they exhibited
those values overall — not just being a great football player, but also being a great person and leader,”
Smith said. “Will exhibited that and we gave him No.
26. We gave him a speech about what it means to
wear No. 26 here, and he took it wholeheartedly. He
wears that jersey like a champ. He knows that not
only is he a team captain, but wearing that number
means a little bit more about what kind of qualities
you exhibit as a person.”
Fish said he wasn’t sure if he was ready to take
over for Bell at middle linebacker and team captain
as a 15-year-old sophomore.
“I came in as a freshman and I didn’t have a start-
See Fish, page 19
AUGUST 28, 2015
Fish, from page 18
ing spot right away. I was in on kickoffs and kick returns and stuff like that.
About halfway through the season,
Brandon got hurt and I started getting
in there. I ended up doing well, so once
he got healthy again they kept me in
there and I got to play side-by-side with
him. He’s such a great athlete. It was
awesome having the chance to play
alongside him,” Fish said. “I got a lot
of my leadership from him. I watched
him and how he treated coaches and
players, and how he had their respect.
From being around him, I learned what
it was like to be such a great leader, not
only to your teammates but to everyone around you. He had great grades,
he was great on the field. Not only do
coaches and teammates love him, but
people outside of football love him. I
learned that from him and I try to embrace that as much as I can.
“To be honest, I was kind of scared.
Not so much because it was the number, but I knew whose number it was so
I didn’t know how to respond. (Coach
Smith) pulled me aside and said what
a big responsibility it was and what he
stood for. I knew what I stood for and
it was the same things (Brandon) stood
for, but it still felt like I was jump-
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
ing into a huge pair of shoes. (Coach)
asked if I could handle it, and of course
I said yes. Ever since then (the number) is a reminder that you have to be a
great leader.”
It’s not really that much of a surprise
that Fish is the heart and soul of this
team. He’s only about 5-foot-8 and
around 185 pounds, a size more fit for a
safety or cornerback rather than one of
the guys in the middle of a 3-4 defense.
But that’s Oakcrest. As a school they
are undersized and constantly going up
against perennially strong teams such
as Buena Regional, Bridgeton, Holy
Spirit and Absegami.
“Undersized is an understatement.
I’ve been watching him since he was
in seventh grade playing for the Mays
Landing Lakers. He used to have this
long hair hanging out of his helmet.
You noticed him on the field even back
then. He could run sideline to sideline
and had a motor that never stopped. We
were amazed by his size and then just
watching his passion for playing football. He came in here his freshman year
and that was right in the middle of our
rebuilding process. He wound up starting his freshman year, a little guy playing linebacker,” Smith said. “That was
the year that Bell was a senior, so he got
to see him first hand and learn from one
of the best kids who ever played at this
school. From that point forward, he really stepped up as a leader of this team,
whether it was in the weight room, off
the field, activities on the field. For a
sophomore, he showed tremendous
character and resolve, so we decided to
make him a captain. Size doesn’t matter with him. He plays with such heart
that he makes up for his lack of size.”
Fish said he has been told throughout
his life that he is too small to be an impact football player. That’s the fuel that
drives him through every practice and
every weight room session.
“I get told all the time that I am a
small linebacker and I hate hearing
that. I hate hearing I’m not going to
be able to do things because I’m too
small. But then you see me out there
making plays” Fish said. “I think that’s
a lot of my motivation. I want to go
out there and show people my height
doesn’t show my skill level, it doesn’t
show my character. When people tell
me I’m too short to play middle linebacker, that motivates me.”
Smith said it was imperative to have
guys such as Fish, Terrance Smith, Elliott and Hinton in the program to get
things turned around quickly. If you
don’t have those kinds of leaders in
your locker room, a 1-9 season can
PAGE 19
lead to a string of losing seasons that
may take five or 10 years to recover
from.
“When we had one win or two wins
in some of those years, these guys
came out every day and practiced their
butts off. And for the most part, we
were competitive for a young team,”
coach Smith said. “The thing was, they
were having fun. They enjoyed being
around each other, being around the
coaches and just enjoying that time together. It’s a tribute to them and their
resolve. When things are going south,
the whole thing can go south real
quick. That didn’t happen here and I
think that’s why we were able to rebuild so quickly. The leadership of kids
like Will, and there were several others, had such a positive effect on our
football team. That kept the morale up
and we were able to pull through and
get back into the playoffs last year.”
“Coming from one win my freshman year, last year was great. We were
happy, there weren’t sad bus rides. And
after last year, we can only get better. We have so many guys who have
played for three or four years coming
back, we have young, skilled freshmen
and sophomores who are filling in. I
See Fish, page 21
PAGE 20
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
cal american
EHT, Mainland striving for consistency
Atlantic City’s offense
could be one of the
best in the league
By NICK KOSKO, GIUSEPPE
UNGARO and DAVE O’SULLIVAN
It’s year two of the new Egg Harbor
Township Eagles. Head Coach Kevin
Stetser enters his second season at the
helm of the Eagles football program.
The offseason has been long and hard
through the dog days of summer, but as
September approaches, the Eagles continue to sharpen their skills for Week 1
against Atlantic City.
After finishing the 2014 season 5-5,
Stetser and his Eagles are looking for
more. They ended last season with
their first Thanksgiving day victory
over rival Mainland since 2009.
“We are definitely looking to build
upon the positive momentum of last
year. We started strong, had a few hiccups, then finished strong, so we are
definitely looking to be more consistent this season,” Stetser said.
While EHT looks to build upon last
season and gear up for a playoff run
in 2015, they will be led by offensive standouts in running back Dante
Moore, quarterback David Rice and
wide receiver Spencer LaSure. Defensively, Dietrich Trumbauer will man
middle linebacker to lead an improving
Eagles defense.
“It’s a great opportunity for new
guys to step up after graduating a lot of
players last year. We return quite a bit
of skill guys as well, so we are looking
for them to have big seasons,” Stetser
said. “They are phenomenal football
players that could be tops at their positions in this area. Overall, we are looking forward to a great season from our
senior class.”
With a more lenient first-half schedule, the Eagles should win multiple
games early on but will need to be prepared for a second half that includes St.
Joseph, St. Augustine Prep and Millville if they are to make their first trip
to the postseason since 2010.
“It’s kind of crazy that I was looking
up to a lot guys through the years and
now this year I’m one of the guys setting the example for how we want our
2014 season
American Conference
Team
LeagueOverall
1. St. Joseph
8-0 11-0
2. St. Augustine 7-1
8-2
3. Atlantic City
5-3
6-4
4. Millville
5-3
5-5
5. Egg Harbor Twp.4-4
5-5
6. Mainland
3-5
3-7
7. Absegami
2-6
3-7
8. Vineland
1-7
3-7
Ocean City
1-7
3-7
National Conference
Team
LeagueOverall
1. Buena 7-0 10-1
2. Bridgeton
6-1
8-3
Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan 3. Cedar Creek
5-2
7-3
Ocean City’s Owen Naplacic leaps over a Middle Township de- 4. Oakcrest
4-3
6-4
fender during a scrimmage. The Red Raiders are hoping an 5. Holy Spirit
3-4
5-7
improved offense can help them be more competitive in a very 6. Middle Twp. 2-5
4-6
tough Cape-Atlantic League American Conference.
7. Lower Cape May1-6
1-9
8.
Pleasantville
0-8
0-10
team to be. We haven’t made it to the mistakes, those overtime games last
playoffs in a long time, and this team
and town need it, so that is what we
are striving for. I can tell you we are
hungry for the postseason,” said senior
tight end and linebacker Seth Wagner.
Mainland Regional
The Mustangs are another squad
that is looking for more consistency
in 2015. A three-game losing streak
in the middle of the season threatened
to derail the Mustangs, but wins over
Vineland and Absegami allowed them
to sneak into the South Jersey Group 3
playoffs as the No. 8 seed. They had to
face top-seeded Shawnee, and despite
being overmatched a little bit, Mainland put up a good fight before falling
42-20.
Offensively, Mainland has a lot of
good skill position players back and
an offensive line that will be anchored
by coach Bob Coffey’s son, Ty, a senior, and fellow senior Mike Kennedy.
Sam Jackson returns at quarterback, as
does running back Bryan Thelismond
and wide receiver Justin Bishop. Wide
receiver Jack Bergmann is another athletic kid who was one of the standout
players on the boys lacrosse team.
“This year, we are really focusing
on the fact that, all those close games
that we lost last year, we want to win
this year,” Ty Coffey said. “Those little
year, we want to beat those teams this
year. We are returning a lot of starters,
so anything is possible as long as we
work hard enough for it.”
“One of the biggest problems we had
was not being aggressive and getting to
the ball on defense, so this year we are
really working on that and coming together as a team. We want everyone to
get to the ball and group tackle,” said
senior Mike Kennedy. “I’m excited
about the new offense, I think it’s going to be successful. A smaller team
like us, we have to fight hard and fight
as a family. We don’t give up, it doesn’t
matter how big the other team is, we’re
going to be going after them as hard as
we can.”
Coach Coffey is going back to his
roots this year, installing the old Delaware Wing-T offense, which should
present some problems for opposing
defenses. Aside from schools such as
Delsea Regional and Buena Regional,
not many teams in the area run that offense.
Defensively is where the Mustangs
really need to clean thing up. They allowed 259 points in 10 games last year,
and in the Cape-Atlantic League’s
American Conference, that isn’t going
to get the job done. They’ll lean heavily on linebacker Kolin Roberts, a se-
nior who made a name for himself as a
195-pound wrestler who made it all the
way to states last winter.
Absegami
A host of players return on both sides
of the ball, as the Braves attempt to put
last year’s 3-7 record behind them.
On offense, the Braves return four
of their five starting lineman, including Nick Lyon and Alex Walk. The line
will be protecting sophomore quarterback Andrew Marcucci.
“He fits into our system,” Absegami
coach Dennis Scuderi said of Marcucci. “We are a no-huddle, spread, readzone type of system, so he fits our system, which is good.”
Marcucci will have plenty of firepower in the backfield and at receiver.
Ikreke Andy and Ibn Wilkerson return
at running back while Austin Shiner,
Chris Dolan and Vinny Nelson return
at wide receiver.
The defense has just about everybody back, including leading tackler
Quentin Jennings at safety and linebacker John Seawright.
Absegami hopes experience and cohesiveness will help the Braves turn
their fortunes around this season.
See American, page 26
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
Fish, from page 19
think this is definitely our year,” Fish
said. “Last year was the first playoff
game I ever played in, so I was stoked.
I think what motivates us the most is
we haven’t beaten Cedar Creek yet and
we haven’t gotten past the first round
of the playoffs, so that right there is our
motivation.”
Coach Smith said Bell is a direct link
between the bad times and the good.
He’s now a star at Penn State and the
leadership qualities he showed when
the team went 1-9 set the foundation
for what is expected in the Oakcrest
program, no matter what the team’s record is year to year.
“Brandon’s a student of the game
and he watches a ton of film. He really
took that to heart. He knew just as well
as the coaches what other teams were
trying to do. When Brandon was a senior, we were playing seven or eight
freshmen. He could have turned the
other cheek and been all about himself,
but he wasn’t. He took a lot of pride in
helping those young kids out,” Smith
said. “And the kids learned a lot from
him. Here was this star athlete who was
going to Penn State who could have
done whatever he wanted, but he was
out there every single day, doing the
Glory Days Magazine
Fish rolls a tire during a workout in mid-August directed by
the U.S. Marines. Fish has worked hard the last four years to
become one of the best linebackers in the CAL despite being
undersized.
reps, helping the younger kids out. We
only had one win (his senior year).”
Every day Fish was watching and
learning from Bell. That’s how he
became the leader he is today. He always had that potential in him, Smith
said, and having an influence such as
Bell helped fine-tune Fish’s leadership
abilities.
“Every year he has gotten more mature and better as a team captain. Last
year he was tremendous, and this offseason he came to me and the other
coaches with a bunch of ideas about
PAGE 21
the upcoming season, what to do with
the team, goals, things like that. He
is our true team captain. We have a
couple of other captains, but he is our
leader,” Smith said. “The best thing
about Will is he does it on the field, he
does it in the weight room, he does it in
the hallways representing the school.
When you’re asking for somebody to
be your team captain, you can’t ask for
much more than for those qualities to
be exhibited to the highest value.”
Fish said it’s very important to him
that he be known as more than just a
leader on the football field. He wants
to be a well-rounded athlete — a guy
who is just as well known for helping
out any student in the school as he is
for being a standout on Friday nights.
“I wish other people knew that I’m
not just a football player. I love being a
leader in school. I want people to come
up to me in school and say, ‘yo, Fish,
can you help me here?’ And not just
on the field,” Fish said. “I want to be
that great influence everywhere, and
not just on the field. So I hope people
see that, hey, Will Fish isn’t just a great
leader for the football team, he’s a
great leader for all of us. I hope people
see that.”
[email protected];
PAGE 22
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
cal national
Oakcrest has eye on crown, and talent to win it
Buena, Bridgeton
and Cedar Creek
also harbor title
aspirations
By DAVE O’SULLIVAN,
and GIUSEPPE UNGARO
Last season, Buena Regional was the
darling of the Cape-Atlantic League
National Conference, rolling through
the regular season undefeated and finishing 10-1. Bridgeton and Cedar Creek
were hot on the Chiefs’ heels, finishing
second and third, respectively. Oakcrest was fourth, at 6-4, but did make
the playoffs a year after going 2-8. The
Falcons lost to Central Regional in the
opening round of sectionals in 2014.
The Falcons believe they can be one
of those teams fighting for a conference championship this year — and
they have the tools to do it.
Quarterback Kendall Elliott is in his
third year as a starter, and running back
Terrence Smith, a senior, is one of the
top backs in the league. Oakcrest did lose
all-conference lineman Matt Hess, but
senior Austin Forvour is hoping to fill
his shoes along with fellow senior Kyle
Miller. And the defense is led by a strong
linebacking crew that features Will Fish
and Yaier Hinton.
This is the year head coach Chuck
Smith has been targeting as a breakout
season following a rebuilding process
that started when the current seniors
were freshmen.
“This is the year where we are through
the rebuilding phase from when Cedar
Creek opened. This is the year we were
shooting for when we played all these
kids who are seniors now, as freshmen.
We knew we were going to be good last
year. We thought we would be a little better and could do a little bit more, but this
is the year we thought we could make
some noise,” Smith said. “We stepped it
up (in the offseason). We’re much more
advanced in what we are doing because
the team is better, so we were able to put
things in quicker and in a more efficient
manner. We changed our offseason program in the weight room and we broke
35 records just a few weeks ago. So the
kids are believing in it, and it has shown
so far.”
Cedar Creek coaches are high on Bo Melton, an up-and-coming wide receiver/running back who gives the Falcons another
serious threat alongside stud Ahmir Mitchell.
Smith said the focus now is on expanding the playbook with Elliott under center. He is a big, solid kid with
a strong arm, and gives Smith and the
offensive coaching staff a multitude of
options in the backfield. And having
Terrence Smith, one of the best backs
in the league, behind Elliott should
make for a strong play-action game.
“We’re giving him a little bit more
because this is his third year starting,
so the game has slowed down a little
bit for him from that perspective,”
Smith said of Elliott. “And Terrence is
a workhorse. He’s our go-to guy, but
we also have two guys right behind
him.”
Forvour said the Falcons aren’t shying away from lofty expectations.
“It’s a big burden, but we think we
can handle it. It’s exciting because
we did have a decent season last year,
but our season this year could be 10
times better,” Forvour said. “We have
a strong core coming back, we have a
huge line, great backs, a great quarterback, a good group of receivers. We
still have a long way to go, but we are
getting there.
“It’s great knowing we have people
behind us to run the ball. If we do our
job, they can do theirs and put points
on the board.”
Miller said getting a taste of the state
playoffs last year has really motivated
this group of players to continue to
strive for more.
“That’s going to push us, steamrolling hot into this season and hopefully push us further into the playoffs,”
Miller said.
The Falcons have aspirations of winning the CAL National title, but that
won’t be an easy task. Buena Regional
and Bridgeton are two of the toughest
teams in the league every year, and despite losing more than a dozen seniors
from last year’s squad, Cedar Creek has
some very talented players returning —
including wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell,
one of the best players in the state and a
guy who will be playing in the Big 10
Conference next year in college.
Cedar Creek
The Pirates’ program may only be
a few years old, but players are hoping they already have built up the kind
of tradition where the team doesn’t
rebuild, it simply reloads. That may
seem like pie-in-the-sky thinking for
a relatively new school, but looking at
the players Cedar Creek has returning,
it may not be that far-fetched an idea.
The Pirates graduated more than a
dozen outstanding players from a team
that went 7-3 a year ago, but missing
the playoffs after early losses to Buena
Regional and Bridgeton really sticks in
the craw of this year’s players. They
don’t want that to happen again.
“We still have the same goals.
There’s nothing different. We still want
to make it to the (SJ Group 2) championship, we want to make noise in the
playoffs. We’re going to keep doing
what we’ve been doing in building this
program,” said senior offensive lineman James Geisel.
Added fellow senior Nick Sartorio,
“We’ve been in the weight room all
offseason and we’ve been working our
butts off, really the whole year. We’ve
really put in a lot of work, and I feel
like our goals should be the same and
we should be able to fulfill them if we
continue to work hard.”
Coach Tim Watson said the mood
has been great in the preseason. He
said this group of players is eager to
make its own mark, and with guys such
as Mitchell, Bo Melton, Jesse Milza
and Louie Pitale, the Pirates should be
as competitive as anybody in the CAL
National.
“The mood has been good. We have
a young squad. We feel good about our
skill positions, but we are very young
on the line,” Watson said. “But that
means there are a bunch of guys who
are going to get into the mix early, and
we’ll see what we have moving forward.”
A key to Cedar Creek’s success will
be the continuing development of junior quarterback Milza. He has been
starting as a freshman, and with a
young offensive line the pressure will
be on him to get the ball out to Mitchell
and Melton on the outside and let them
make big plays. Watson said he is confident Milza will do just that.
“This is the best he has looked. He
had very good 7-on-7s at the different
camps and clinics that we went to. I
think he is poised to have a pretty good
year, and I think he is going to need
to with the youth we have up front,”
Watson said. “We’re probably going
to have to throw the ball a little more
than we are used to, even if it’s with the
shorter stuff. Jesse will be ready.”
Holy Spirit
The Spartans made an unlikely run
in the state playoffs last season, ultimately losing to DePaul Catholic in the
South Jersey Non-Public B championship game at Rutgers University. And
that was after winning just one game in
See National, page 23
AUGUST 28, 2015
National, from page 22
the first five weeks of the season.
That experience could bode well for
the squad at some point, but it remains
to be seen how much will carry over
this season with just four seniors in the
starting lineup. A lot of young faces
will be in the lineup for first-year head
coach A.J. Russo.
“It’s a work in progress,” Russo said.
“The kids have been working hard in
the weight room and now working hard
in the field. It’s coming together.”
Senior wide out Will Gaskill returns
for the Spartans, along with senior
tackle Anthony DoBronte. The battle
for the quarterback was still undecided
heading into late August, as Russo will
either give the ball to sophomore Dan
Tarsitano or sophomore Mike Costabile.
Junior Reggie Jean-Charles, who
transferred from Absegami last year,
and junior Jim Marcheski will both be
asked to carry the load in the backfield.
And Lee Dawson, younger brother
of former Spirit star A.J., could have
a breakout year as a speedy wide receiver.
While the young offense gels, the
Spartans hope their defense, led by junior linebacker Dante Daniel, picks up
the slack, especially early in the schedule.
“Our strength is our defense,” Russo.
“We will be aggressive. That will definitely be the strength of the team. We
are instilling the things that will help
us on defense; getting stronger, bigger
and faster, that will potentially make it
the strength of our defense.”
Pleasantville
There’s a new coach in town, and
some new optimism, as Chris Sacco brings a championship pedigree
from his days as an assistant at both
Hammonton and St. Joseph high
schools. The Greyhounds went 0-10
last year, but Sacco isn’t necessarily
harping on wins and losses. He knows
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
it will take time to build this team into
a contender and he’s willing to put in
the work, and believes the players he
has in the program now are as well.
There has been energy in preseason
camp, and while Pleasantville typically
struggles with numbers in terms of filling out its roster, the boys it does have
on the squad are committed to getting
better and being more competitive in
the CAL National.
“We’re hoping to accomplish a way
better season than we had last year. I
think we have a better team this year,”
said senior tight end/linebacker Edwin
Sierra. “We just have to keep working
hard, keep hitting the weight room, and
keep working as a team.”
“We’ve been working on a lot of
things. We’re coming out here to win
games,” said senior offensive and defensive tackle Jean Brevil. “We just
have to keep working hard, don’t quit
on our plays, and we have to learn how
to finish games.”
How it may shake out
Buena Regional snuck up on everybody last year, a year after going 5-5, and
finished the regular season undefeated en
route to a 10-1 record. This year, the top
of the CAL National looks to be stacked
with Buena, Bridgeton, Cedar Creek and
Oakcrest.
The Falcons may have the most talented offense in the conference, but they
will have to play much better on defense
than they have the past two seasons if
they hope to contend for the title. While
the offense averaged about 28 points per
game, the defense gave up more than 20
per game, so that will have to change this
year.
A key game to watch will be Oct. 2
when Cedar Creek travels to Bridgeton.
Bridgeton went 4-0 at home last year
while the Pirates were a perfect 3-0 on
the road. If Cedar Creek can get a win at
Bridgeton, that may give them a leg up
on the competition heading into the final
few weeks before the state playoff cutoff
date.
senior leaders
Jean brevil, OL/DL, pleasantville
“It means a lot to me to be a leader. To be a
leader you have to push everybody on the
team. When they’re not working hard, you
have to make sure they work hard.”
PAGE 23
senior leaders
mike kennedy, DL, Mainland Regional
“A leader to me is someone who
encourages the team. When you are
struggling in a game and you need an
extra boost, if you have somebody there
who can do that, that is a huge help.
I know if I was a sophomore and I heard
a senior telling me to do better, I would.”
austin shiner, wr, absegami
“I just want to lead by example and make
sure that everything I do is perfect, or
close to perfection. I’m plenty ready (to
be a leader) and I think all of our seniors
are ready for that, too.”
Follow Sully on Twitter @GDsullysays
PAGE 24
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015
football 2015
What it means to be a warrior
Oakcrest, EHT players find out what it takes to be a Marine
during grueling preseaon workouts conducted by recruiting officers
Publisher
embers of the First Marine Corps District
Recruiting Station in Colts Neck, Monmouth County, made the rounds at a couple
of local high school football training camps in midAugust. They put players from Oakcrest and Egg
Harbor Township through rigorous workouts that
lasted more than two hours. Good thing the purpose
of their appearances at each school wasn’t to inspire
teenagers to join the Corps. Their extreme workouts
and pseudo-obstacle course may have scared some
potential recruits away.
After about an hour of intense warm-up, the challenge was on during a hot Saturday morning in midAugust at Oakcrest High School. There were nearly
a dozen stations set up, and the Falcons broke up
into 13 groups that would be competing against each
other based on the time it took them to complete all
the stations. Marines typically can go through the
course in about five minutes or less, but a good time
for a group of high school football players would be
around seven minutes.
The course consists of such tasks as rolling huge
tires, dragging large ropes that are hooked up to
kettle bells, four-man square push-ups where each
athlete has his feet on a teammate’s back, dead lifts
and the final event — a simulation of carrying heavy
ammunition boxes while weaving in and out of cones
before a sprint to the finish line.
A couple of the four-man teams for Oakcrest completed the challenge in less than seven minutes, a few
more were a few seconds past seven minutes, and
nearly every team finished in less than eight minutes.
A good showing, but the Falcons knew what to expect. They had been through this last year.
During the past few seasons, coaches have looked
for ways to break up a little bit of the monotony of
training camp. But inviting the Marines in served
another purpose. Their main goal of the day at both
Oakcrest and EHT was to teach young men what it
meant to be a leader.
“We’ve really been doing this with a lot of momentum the last four years. Most of (the training
programs) are in the summer, and most of them are
with high school football teams, but we did have
some high school soccer teams this summer and we
have some girls volleyball, girls lacrosse, ice hockey,
we’ve done some wrestling teams,” said Major John
Crawford. “So we do space them out throughout the
year. And we did one that was just a leadership club
at one of the schools. We will basically do it with any
group that wants to work on leadership skills.”
“It was awesome. After last year’s experience with
M
Senior Yaier Hinton, left, helps freshman Mike Guenther as they drag a kettle bell
together with heavy ropes during the Marine Corps workout in mid-August.
it, and the whole talk about leadership, it really hits
home,” said Oakcrest head coach Chuck Smith. “We
are big on conditioning and the whole endurance aspect. Even though it’s a very tough workout, I think
the kids really like it.”
The workout can be a rude awakening for some
of the freshmen and sophomores who haven’t experienced that kind of intensity before, but the upperclassmen really enjoy the challenge, and gain a new
level of respect for the Marines while watching them
go through the workouts up close and personal along
with the players.
“It’s an overwhelming experience to have. I think
every team should go through this. It brings your
team closer together as a brotherhood, and puts us
on another level. I know we are working as hard as
we can. We don’t want to have to say we didn’t work
hard enough. We know we work hard enough to be
where we are now,” said Austin Forvour, a senior offensive lineman at Oakcrest. “(The Marines) have
my utmost respect. I’m here playing football, a sport
that I love, because of them. So I give them the highest respect I can give anybody.”
“Oh my goodness. They worked us hard but it was
worth it, and that’s the type of work ethic that we
strive to achieve every day,” added Dante Moore, a
senior running back at EHT.
Major Crawford said now that the players have accepted the program as part of their training camp ev-
ery year, they look forward to having the chance to
prove themselves in front of the Marines. Oakcrest
lineback Yaier Hinton was particularly motivated,
and was recognized by the Marines as the top performer during the Falcons’ workout.
“(Oakcrest) did very well. They saw it last year and
you could tell. They were motivated to do it again.
Sometimes they know we are coming and they are
not so motivated because they know it’s pretty painful, but it was good. Most of the times they are pretty
excited and generally they respond pretty well because the Marines are doing it with them, and they
feed of that,” Major Crawford said. “It’s different
from practice, so it gives them a change of pace. Our
primary job is recruiting, but this is not a recruiting
focused event. It’s a community involvement and a
leadership event. Most of these kids are not going to
join the military, but the values we can help to impress upon them are important, especially in this day
and age.”
Some of the players liked it more than others. For
Dietrich Trumbauer, a linebacker and wrestler at
EHT, this kind of workout was right up his alley.
“It was really fun actually. I mean, it was extremely tough, but it made our team man-up a bit and put
some hair on our chest, so to speak,” Trumbauer said.
Said Kyle Miller, an Oakcrest senior, “It was one
See Warrior, page 25
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
Marcel Miller
carries QB
Kendall Elliott
during one of
the training
exercises the
Marines had set
up for the
Oakcrest football
team during
preseason
training camp.
senior leaders
nick lyon, OL, absegami
“It makes me feel good that (my teammates) voted me as a captain, and I’m
able to talk to them and help coach out
with whatever he needs. I like being in a
leadership role. The main thing is, I have
to keep my grades up to reflect upon (the
younger guys) that good grades come
first. When we are at practice I have to
keep the energy up. But it’s not just me,
we have tons of senior leaders this year
and a lot of those guys are going to help out.”
Glory Days Magazine
photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Warrior, from page 24
of the hardest workouts of my life. Just
like last year, we came out here and
were working our butts off. They are
always pushing us, but it’s a good thing
to have. I hope they can have it every
year. I felt good. My team came in first
place. I was just working with the other
partners on my team and just trying to
push them through it.”
After the warm-up routine, the Marines spoke to the Oakcrest players
about the importance of leadership,
not only on the football field but in the
classroom and in their communities.
PAGE 25
“Even though it’s a competition with
13 teams going against each other, all
of a sudden the whole team rallies at
the end. Everybody runs out onto the
field and they try to get everybody to
finish, and that’s the unique part of
it,” Smith said. “You go from people
competing against each other to all of a
sudden you are back to a team. It’s an
invaluable experience.”
Correspondent Nick Kosko contributed
to this story
[email protected];
dante moore, RB/CB, EHT
“I just want to help keep this team
together and keep us as one unit.
Playoffs are the goal. We need to go
out there and win as many games as
possible, giving 110 percent every time.”
Follow our coverage all year at acglorydays.com
PAGE 26
American, from page 20
“Even in terms of camp we are so
much further than we were at this point
last year,” Scuderi said. “One thing we
try to do is to slow it down and make
sure the kids understand everything we
are trying to do. Hopefully that will
pay off.”
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
“I’m excited about the new offense, I think it’s going
to be successful. A smaller team like us, we have to
fight hard and fight as a family. We don’t give up, it
doesn’t matter how big the other team is, we’re going
to be going after them as hard as we can.”
Mike Kennedy
Mainland Regional senior offensive lineman
Atlantic City
The Vikings have plenty of reasons
to be optimistic this season after winning four of their final games last season to finish 6-4. They also have a host
of returning players, but none may be
as important as quarterback Jamir Prevard.
Prevard, who is being recruited by
several NCAA Division I and FBS
schools, is among the top players in the
Cape-Atlantic League. Prevard, who is
also a talented cornerback on defense,
is key to the Vikings’ spread offense
and is capable of hurting defenses with
his arm and his legs.
“We are hoping this is the year that
it all comes together,” Atlantic City
coach Thomas Kelly said. “We are going to go as far as he leads us. That is
no secret around here. If he puts it together, we stay focused and he leads
us, we will go far.”
Prevard doesn’t have to do it alone
because he has several talented weapons at his disposal, including wideouts Nazim Derry, Dapree Wright and
Dougie Deberry. Running backs Aaron
Jackson and Ismail Shakur round outs
a potentially explosive offense.
The defense also expects to play fast
with a stout secondary, led by Prevard
and Idriys Muhammad, and a tough
line, anchored by Chris Marsh and
Noah Lyles.
Building off last year’s late season success, the Vikings expect to be
contenders in both the CAL and in the
playoffs. However, to get to their ultimate goal, they know they have to play
clean and smart football.
“It’s a very talented team, a lot of experience, but we sort of underachieved
in the past,” Kelly said. “If they come
of age and do the things we know they
are capable of doing, we will have a
very successful season.”
Ocean City
The Red Raiders return more than
half their starting squad from a team
that won its final two games of the season last year.
Ocean City returns eight starters on
defense alone, including a solid secondary, led by Garrett Jones. Linebackers Dan Walsh and Joe Walkowiak,
who were among the team leaders in
tackles in 2014, are also back.
The offense features tight end and
University of Virginia recruit Christian
Baumgardner, who caught 18 passes
last year. This numbers are expected to
go up this year with Andrew Donoghue
returning at quarterback with a full season under his belt.
“The quarterback situation is leaps
and bounds ahead of where he was last
year,” Ocean City coach Kevin Smith
AUGUST 28, 2015
said. “Andrew, as a freshman, split
time on JV because we didn’t have a
freshman team, so last year was really
the first time he was being coached and
getting the vast majority of the reps.
He was green last year, but this year he
looks like a totally different kid. He is
confident and looks like a kid who has
done it before.”
Besides Baumgardner, the junior
quarterback will have Jared Jones in
the passing game. He will be mostly
handing the ball off to returning tailback Dan Henderson, who led the team
in rushing in 2014, and Shane Stack, a
senior wrestler who is playing football
for the first time in three seasons.
If the offensive line can gel and the
returning players improve, there is reason to believe the Red Raiders will be
an improved team in 2015.
“We finished the year nicely last year
and we had a good offseason,” Smith
said. “It’s a tough conference, obviously, and we were pleased with our ability
to compete with all the public schools
in that big league last year. Hopefully
that will carry over. The big thing is
that we stay healthy. I think our first
group is pretty good. It may be our best
group I’ve had since I’ve been the head
coach. If we stay healthy I think we can
play with all the public schools.”
AUGUST 28, 2015
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
Snapshots/Training camp
PAGE 27
PAGE 28
GLORY DAYS MAGAZINE
AUGUST 28, 2015

Vol. 3/Issue 2 - vs. Ocean City

Transcription

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