Union City Soaring Eagles   

June 27, 2024

2023: 

• 10-2 
• Lost to Passaic Tech in the North Jersey regional championship 
• Won the North Jersey Section 2 Group 5 sectional championship by beating Phillipsburg in the finals, West Orange in the semifinals, and Hackensack in the quarterfinals 
• Wins included Montclair, Irvington, Lincoln, and Columbia 
• Their other loss was to Passaic Tech 
• Scored 317 points for a 26.42 average 
• Allowed 84 points for a 7.0 average, including five shutouts  

Graduation: 

• QB/DB Denzel Chavis – Temple 
• WR/DB Jeyshai Rosario – Marist (NY)  
• OL Anthony Crawford – Morgan State (Md.) 
• TE Damian Rosario – Western Connecticut 
• DB Daniel Vargas – Pace (NY) 
• QB Marc Molina – Moravian (Pa.) 
• RB/LB Elijah Rose – Lackawanna (Pa. JUCO) 
• RB/DB Tyler Koffa – Lackawanna (Pa. JUCO) 
• TE/DE Manny Cantillo – East Coast Prep (Mass.) 

Offense: 

• Formation: Traditional Wing T 
• Returning Starters: 7 

Quarterback: 

• Xzavien Rodriguez, Junior, 5-11, 170 – competing 
• Kareem Hector, Senior, 5-11, 170 – competing; started on defense 

Running Back: 

• Mark Boyd, Senior, 5-8, 160 – 3-year starter; rushed for 1,098 yards and 13 touchdowns last year and 973 and 15 touchdowns in 2022 per nj.com 
• Jahsiah Espinal, Senior, 5-9, 175 – started six games and is projected to start at halfback 
• Kingston Evans, Senior, 5-10, 170 – in the mix at halfback and possibly split end 
• Bayshawn Wooten, Senior, 5-8, 200 – in the mix at halfback 
• Jeremiah Hayes, Senior, 6-1, 215 – will share the fullback position; started on defense  
• JaZaire Aurelus, Senior, 5-10, 195 –  will share the fullback position; started on defense  

End: 

• Omar Tillman, Senior, 6-3, 210 – returning starter; moving back to tight end from right tackle where he started when injuries developed 
• Khalil Sutton, Junior, 6-3, 205 – projected starter as a split end/tight end 
• Kareem Hector, Senior, 5-11, 175 – may play here if he is not playing quarterback 
• Kingston Evans, Senior, 5-10, 170 – will play here when he is not at running back 

Offensive Line: 

• Reynaldo Mercedes, Senior, 6-1, 270 – projected starter at right tackle; missed most of 2023 with an injury after becoming a starter; started on defense in 2022 
• Moises Diaz, Senior, 5-10, 245 – returning starter at right guard 
• Adrian Villalta, Junior, 5-10, 255 – returning starter at center 
• Kevin Rosario, Senior, 6-3, 205 – returning starter at right guard 
• Adrian Woodall, Junior, 6-4, 330 – competing at left tackle 
• Marcelo Salas, Junior, 6-3, 320 – competing at left tackle 
• Justin Sevilla, Senior, 6-3, 285 – in the mix at tackle after starting the first four games and missing the balance of the season with an injury 
• Alex Leonor, Junior, 5-10, 270 – DePaul transfer who will see action 

Defense: 

• Formation: 4-3 
• Returning Starters: 6 

Defensive Line: 

• Omar Tillman, Senior, 6-3, 210 – returning starter at end 
• Khalil Sutton, Junior, 6-3, 205 – competing at the opposite end 
• Kevin Rosario, Senior, 6-3, 205 – competing at the opposite end 
• Jordan Peterson, Sophomore, 6-2, 180 – may play at the opposite end or at outside linebacker 
• Adrian Villalta, Junior, 5-10, 255 – returning starter at tackle 
• Reynaldo Mercedes, Senior, 6-1, 270 – returning starter at tackle from 2022 
• Adrian Woodall, Junior, 6-4, 330 – part of the rotation at tackle  
• Marcelo Salas, Junior, 6-3, 320 – part of the rotation at tackle 
• Moises Diaz, Senior, 5-10, 245 – part of the rotation at tackle 

Linebacker: 

• Jeremiah Hayes, Senior, 6-1, 215 – returning starter in the middle 
• Bayshawn Wooten, Senior, 5-8, 200 – competing on the outside 
• Jordan Peterson, Sophomore, 6-2, 180 – competing on the outside 
• Bryce Hampton, Junior, 5-11, 190 – competing on the outside 
• Nah’Jeer Quianoo, Senior, 5-8, 225 – competing on the outside 

Secondary: 

• JaZaire Aurelus, Senior, 5-10, 195 – returning starter at strong safety, moving from linebacker 
• Kareem Hector, Senior, 5-11, 170 – returning starter at free safety, moving from cornerback 
• Mark Boyd, Senior, 5-8, 160 – part of the rotation at safety  
• Jahsiah Espinal, Senior, 5-9, 175 – part of the rotation at safety 
• Nathan Fitch, Junior, 6-1, 165 – projected starter at cornerback 
• Kingston Evans, Senior, 5-10, 170 – projected starter at cornerback 
• Ethan Rodriguez, Junior, 5-8, 160 – part of the cornerback rotation 

Special Teams:  

• Junior Marcelo Salas will be the punter and he is competing with junior Jayden Chaviano as kicker 
• Boyd, Evans, and Hector will be the return men 

Schedule: 

• Friday, 9/6, at St. Peter’s Prep 
• Friday, 9/13, Bayonne at home 
• Saturday, 9/14, at Newark East Side 
• Friday, 9/27, at Northern Highlands 
• Friday, 10/4, Montclair at home 
• Friday, 10/11, at Orange 
• Friday, 10/18, Irvington at home 
• Friday, 10/25, Columbia at home 

Concerns: 

• The possibility of complacency: they need to prepare like underdogs after chasing a sectional title for a long time 

Recruiting: 

• Evans verballed to Army 
• Hector verballed to Stony Brook 
• Hayes has received interest from Merrimack, Assumption, and Pace 
• Mercedes has offers from Lincoln (Pa.) and West Virginia State 
• Tillman has offers from Akron and Penn State 
• Espinal, Boyd, and Aurelus have been receiving interest 
• Underclassmen: 
• Sutton has offers from UConn and James Madison 
• Peterson is a sophomore who has also received offers from UConn and James Madison 

Coach’s Comments: 

“We have a good nucleus returning and we have to be careful and not be satisfied. We need to be as hungry as we have been in the last fifteen years. It is a brand new season and there is more to accomplish.” – Head Coach Wil Valdez