St. Thomas Aquinas Trojans 

August 19, 2023 

2022: 

• 9-2 
• Lost to Holy Spirit in the Non-Public B quarterfinals 
• Wins included Edison, Cranford, Summit, Hillside, and Rahway 
• Their other loss was to Timber Creek 
• Scored 334 points for a 30.36 average 
• Allowed 165 points for a 15.0 average, including two shutouts 

Graduation: 

• WR Benjamin Bussiere – Lafayette 
• DL Jeremiah Derilhomme – Sacred Heart 
• LB Israel Bey – New Haven 
• QB Jayden Young – West Virginia Wesleyan 
• DE Isaiah Marelis – West Virginia Wesleyan 
• WR/DB Najee Lovejoy – Bentley (Mass.) 
• WR Sherief Guinyard – East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 
• OL AJ Samuels – Nichols (Mass.) 
• WR JJ Hinnant – Caldwell sprint 

Offense: 

• Formation: Multiple Spread 
• Returning Starters:  5 

Quarterback: 

• Anwar Witherspoon, Sophomore, 6-2, 190 – competing 
• Cole Watkins, Junior, 6-0, 180 – competing 
• Roman Blanks, Junior, 6-3, 205 – competing 

Running Back: 

• Elijah Abass-Shereef, Senior, 5-9, 170 – returning starter 
• Chase Young, Junior, 5-11, 200 – will also get carries 
• Chukwuma Odoh, Freshman, 5-11, 180 – third back 

Wide Receiver: 

• Zacai Manigo, Senior, 6-0, 170 – returning starter 
• Josiah Zayas, Sophomore, 6-2, 180 – projected starter 
• Lamar Stevenson, Senior, 5-10, 170 – part of the rotation 
• Nas Furman, Senior, 6-0, 160 – part of the rotation; started on defense 
• Shawn Young, Senior, 5-11, 185 – part of the rotation 
• Donovan Epps, Junior, 6-2, 175 – part of the rotation 

Offensive Line: 

• Khyan Adams, Senior, 6-1, 340 – projected starter at left tackle 
• Thomas Schwegler, Senior, 5-10, 245 – 3-year starter at center 
• Caden Sternlieb, Sophomore, 6-0, 290 – returning starter at right guard 
• Elijah Thomas, Junior, 6-3, 300 – returning starter at right tackle 
• Davon Grant, Senior, 6-2, 220 – competing at left guard; started on defense 
• Steven Coghan, Senior, 5-10, 215 – competing at left guard; started on defense  
• John Howarth, Junior, 6-0, 205 – competing at left guard 

Defense: 

• Formation: 4-2-5 
• Returning Starters: 5 

Defensive Line: 

• Davon Grant, Senior, 6-2, 220 – returning starter at end 
• Khalil Stubbs, Senior, 6-1, 215 – projected starter at end; started freshman year before being injured 
• Steven Coghan, Senior, 5-10, 215 – returning starter at tackle and part of rotation 
• Khyan Adams, Senior, 6-1, 340 – part of rotation at tackle 
• Caden Sternlieb, Sophomore, 6-0, 290 – part of rotation at tackle 

Linebacker: 

• Christian Magliacano, Senior, 6-3, 200 – projected starter in the middle 
• Tyler Nerges, Senior, 6-1, 185 – returning starter on the strong side 
• Shawn Young, Senior, 5-11, 185 – returning starter on the weak side 
• Anwar Witherspoon, Sophomore, 6-2, 190 – part of the rotation; started two games 
• Chase Young, Junior, 5-11, 200 – top reserve in the middle and on the weak side 

Secondary: 

• Nas Furman, Senior, 6-0, 160 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Lamar Stevenson, Senior, 5-10, 170 – projected starter at cornerback or safety 
• Josiah Zayas, Sophomore, 6-2, 180 – projected starter at safety 
• Zacai Manigo, Senior, 6-0, 170 – projected starter at cornerback or safety 
• Duvet Sheppard, Sophomore, 5-9, 165 – part of rotation at cornerback 
• Michael Teague, Junior, 5-10, 165 – part of the rotation at cornerback 

Special Teams: 

• Senior Jack Joyce returns at kicker and punter 
• Senior Thomas Schwegler is the long snapper 
• Abass-Shereef, Odoh, and sophomore Anthony Perez Jr. are the return men 

Schedule: 

• Saturday, 8/26, Paul VI at Ocean City 
• Friday, 9/1, New Providence at home 
• Friday, 9/8, Scotch Plains-Fanwood at home 
• Friday, 9/15, at Summit, 4:00 
• Friday, 9/22, Cranford at home 
• Saturday, 9/30, at Hillside 
• Friday, 10/6, at Rahway 
• Friday, 10/13, North Plainfield at home 
• Friday, 10/20, at Edison 
• Wednesday, 11/22, at Immaculata 

Concerns: 

• Losing good seniors 
• Tough schedule 

Recruiting: 

• Magliacono has offers from Bryant, Sacred Heart, and Maine 
• Joyce is a D1 kicker 
• Schwegler is a top long snapper 
• Norges, Shawn Young, and Manigo will play on the next level 
• Grant, Stubbs, and Abass-Shereef are D3 prospects 
• Underclassmen: 
• Thomas has a Sacred Heart offer 
• Blanks is a very good athlete 
• Epps has a baseball option 
• Chase Young will have attention 
• Zayas and Sternlieb are the top sophomores 

Coach’s Comments:  

“We are solidifying the culture at St. Thomas Aquinas. We have standards on and off the field, pushing for doing things the right way and having a great experience. We look forward to opening day at the Battle of the Beach.” – Head Coach Tarig Holman