Post 133 – HS Football – Bull Session Week 4

There are top programs around the state, but few have had the long-term success enjoyed by Hasbrouck Heights.  Since 1966, they have had one losing season in 1993, finishing 4-5.  The following season, the Aviators won a state title, one of nine won in this period, where they have a record of 387-121-5 and have currently won 26 of their last 27 games.  In addition, it’s common to see first-year starters who are seniors, something uncommon with many Group 1 programs. Paulsboro is one of the few who can match that success……….Speaking of Hasbrouck Heights, their game last Friday night against Butler was played in the mud bowl, winning 30-15, on a much slower field.  For pictures, go to the NJSIAA twitter page……….With all the publicity of players being top recruits, the thing that gets lost in the shuffle is the good high school football player.  Two such players I saw this past weekend were Lyndhurst’s Piotr Partyla and Union City’s Jean Alvarez.  Both are two-way players at running back and linebacker and any team would love to have them……….One of the unique places to see a high school game is Union City, a field that is built on top of the school.  There are great views from each end zone: suburban Jersey to the West and some of the Manhattan skyline to the east.  There is also a roof for the fans in what can be a loud environment……….One of the big surprises of the weekend, to many, was the Haddonfield win over St. Joe’s (Hammonton).  I heard from a good source who was at the game that Haddonfield played their tails off and if there wasn’t a scoreboard, he would have thought Haddonfield won by three touchdowns……….Much gets mentioned about special teams being the overlooked factor in the game.  That rang true when Lenape beat Allentown, 27-24, courtesy of two touchdowns by the special teams – one a punt return and the other a 90-yard run after recovering a blocked field goal attempt with two minutes left……..I saw some good games this past weekend, with the best one being the Ramapo-River Dell overtime thriller.  Two very good teams who may meet again in the playoffs, with Ramapo scoring on the first play of overtime and River Dell being stopped a yard or two short of the goal line on fourth down……….During the game, River Dell had the ball and I see the four receivers split out and seeing the number combination of 2-4-6-8……….One of the better names in the state is the Dunellen Destroyers, named after the naval destroyers in World War II.  They also scored a big win over a good South River team last week……..When Middletown South lost its opener to Coatesville (Pa.), 62-14, some probably thought they were in for a down year.  Since then, they are 4-0, outscoring opponents, 134-14, including three shutouts. Coatesville is 6-0 and arguably the best team in Pa., along with St. Joe’s Prep……….Good win for DePaul over St. Peter’s Prep without star quarterback Taquan Roberson.  Replacing him was senior John Amodeo, who turned in a top performance.  Amodeo was starting at wide receiver and is in his third year handling the kicking and punting duties for the Spartans……..Willingboro has done a good job coming back from an 0-2 start, playing a very tough schedule: they are a Group 1 that does not play a Group 1.  Their eight-game schedule includes four Group 2 opponents, two in Group 3, one in Group 4, and one Catholic school. They sit at 3-2 and they may not have a good record entering the playoffs, but they will be one of the favorites in their section. Two of their upcoming opponents are Woodrow Wilson and Camden………..Union has scored two impressive wins in the last two weeks against Phillipsburg and South Brunswick……….Highland Regional remained undefeated by beating Timber Creek in what was a surprise to some……….Uniform front – The Good: Pascack Hills with a traditional Baltimore/Indianapolis Colt look, except Hills wears brown, not blue.  The Bad and the Ugly:  Fort Lee’s frozen tundra uniforms.  Their road uniforms are all white with white numbers and the thinnest black trim.  Try identifying a player from the distance or on video. In addition, their home uniforms are all black with black numbers.  Same problem as the all-white look………..The original purpose of numbers in sports was for easy identification of players.  Unfortunately, sneaker companies have done their best to change that idea and have ruined many a uniform in more ways than just that.  My thinking is many who design this look have no sports background. When they design the look, it is easy to identify from ten feet, but have no idea how it looks from fifty feet or more……..Pet Peeves – Going on a web site page and attempting to click on something I want to see, only to have it move while I am in the process of clicking.  This results in my clicking nothing or clicking something I don’t want to see. Maxpreps and nj.com are two of the guilty offenders……….That’s all for now: I’ll be back with more bull next week!