Union City Soaring Eagles 

August 23, 2023 

2022: 

• 9-2
• Lost to Passaic Tech in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 5 finals, beat Westfield in the semifinals, and Union in the quarterfinals 
• Wins included Irvington, Clifton, Lincoln, and Montclair 
• Their other loss was to Passaic Tech 
• Scored 349 points for a 31.73 average 
• Allowed 103 points for a 9.86 average 

Graduation: 

• OL/DL JaSire Peterson – Rutgers 
• LB Oumar Berrete – LIU 
• FB/LB Damon Pallotto – Kean 
• TE Luis Hechavarria – Kean 
• OL/DL Julian Guerra – Springfield College (Mass.) 

Offense: 

• Formation: Spread WIng T 
• Returning Starters: 5  

Quarterback: 

• Denzel Chavis, Senior, 6-1, 170 – returning starter 

Running Back: 

• Mark Boyd, Junior, 5-8, 160 – returning starter at halfback; rushed for 973 yards per nj.com  
• Tyler Koffa, Senior, 5-11, 175 – 3-year starter at fullback; will platoon; rushed for 884 yards per nj.com  
• Elijah Rose, Senior, 5-11, 190 – returning starter at fullback: will platoon 
• JaZaire Aurelus, Junior, 5-10, 180 – projected starter at halfback 
• Jahsiah Espinal, Junior, 5-9, 165 – will spell the halfbacks 

Wide Receiver: 

• Kareem Hector, Junior, 5-1, 170 – projected starter 
• Jey Rosario, Senior, 5-11, 170 – part of the rotation 
• Daniel Vargas, Senior, 6-1, 185 – part of the rotation 

Tight End: 

• Damian Rosario, Senior, 5-11, 210 – will platoon 
• Manny Cantillo, Senior, 6-3, 220 – will platoon 

Offensive Line: 

• Anthony Crawford, Senior, 6-6, 300 – returning starter at left tackle 
• Kevin Rosario, Junior, 6-3, 205 – projected starter at left guard 
• Moises Diaz, Junior, 5-9, 240 – competing at center 
• Adrian Villalta, Sophomore, 5-11, 235 – competing at center 
• Reynaldo Mercedes, Junior, 6-2, 265 – projected starter at right guard 
• Justin Sevilla, Junior, 6-3, 285 – projected starter at right tackle 
• Omar Tillman, Junior, 6-3, 205 – provides depth at guard and tackle 
• Samuel Garcia, Senior, 5-11, 200 – provides depth on the interior  

Defense: 

• Formation: 4-3 
• Returning Starters: 7 

Defensive Line: 

• Omar Tillman, Junior, 6-3, 205 – projected starter at end; started four games 
• Manny Cantillo, Senior, 6-3, 220 – projected starter at end 
• Kevin Rosario, Junior, 6-3, 205 – part of rotation at end; returning starter  
• Samuel Garcia, Senior, 5-11, 200 – part of rotation at end 
• Reynaldo Mercedes, Junior, 6-2, 265 – returning starter at tackle 
• Anthony Crawford, Senior, 6-6, 300 – projected starter at tackle  
• Justin Sevilla, Junior, 6-3, 285 – part of the rotation at tackle 
• Adrian Villalta, Sophomore, 5-11, 235 – part of the rotation at tackle 
• Moises Diaz, Junior, 5-9, 240 – part of the rotation at tackle 

Linebacker: 

• Elijah Rose, Senior, 5-11, 190 – returning starter on the strong side 
• JaZaire Aurelus, Junior, 5-10, 180 – projected starter at the weak side 
• Jeremiah Hayes, Junior, 5-11, 210 – frontrunner in the middle 
• Damian Rosario, Senior, 5-11, 210 – competing in the middle 

Secondary: 

• Daniel Vargas, Senior, 6-1, 185 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Denzel Chavis, Senior, 6-1, 170 – returning starter at cornerback  
• Tyler Koffa, Senior, 5-11, 175 – returning starter at safety 
• Jey Rosario, Senior, 5-11, 170 – returning starter at safety 
• Kareem Hector, Junior, 5-10, 170 – provides depth at cornerback 
• Mark Boyd, Junior, 5-8, 160 – provides depth at safety 
• Jahsiah Espinal, Junior, 5-9, 165 – provides depth at safety 

Special Teams: 

• Senior Daniel Vargas returns at kicker, while punter has not been decided 
• Chavis, Rosario, Koffa, Boyd, and Rose will handle returns 

Schedule: 

• Saturday, 9/2, Passaic Tech at Hinchliffe Stadium (Paterson) 
• Friday, 9/8, at Livingston 
• Friday, 9/15, Montclair at home 
• Friday, 9/22, Bayonne at home 
• Saturday, 9/30, at Irvington 
• Saturday, 10/7, at Lincoln 
• Friday, 10/13, Columbia at home 
• Friday, 10/20, at Clifton 

Concerns: 

• Remaining hungry and consistent – not letting last year get to their heads 
• Depth 

Recruiting: 

• Chavis verballed to Temple 
• Rose and Koffa verballed to Morgan State 
• Vargas verballed to Sacred Heart 
• Rosario and Crawford have offers from Cornell and LIU 
• Cantillo has interest from Stony Brook, LIU, and Sacred Heart 
• Others are D3 types 
• Underclassmen: 
• While it is still early, Mercedes, Tillman, Boyd, and Hector have ability to play at the next level 

Coach’s Comments: 

“We have a good nucleus returning and good senior leadership. Expectations are high. We feel we have to improve our passing game, finish more games, and develop depth.” – Head Coach Wil Valdez