Irvington Blue Knights  

2018 in Review:  

• 8-4 record 
• Lost to Phillipsburg in the North Jersey Section 2 group 4 finals  
• Beat Randolph in the semifinals and West Morris in the first round 
• Scored 295 points – 24.58 average
• Allowed 261 points – 21.75 average 
• Wins Included: Montclair, North Bergen, North Bergen 
• Losses: Bergen Catholic, Ridgewood, Union City 

Departing Seniors:   

• WR Mohamed Toure – Northern Illinois 
• OL/DL Savion Herring – Cincinnati 
• DB Darren Fields – Albany 
• LB Nashawn Brooks – Wagner 
• DE Elton Jean-Baptiste – Howard 
• K Clervency Prince – Rowan 

*The bold print below is a returning starter. This includes one who had playing time and one who started on the other side of the ball only in 2018, with explanation included after their name.

Offense: 

Formation: Multiple Spread
Returning Starters: 7 

Quarterback:  

• Malik Williams, Sophomore, 5-10, 170 – competing 
• Jake Harter, Junior, 6-1, 180 – competing 

Running Back:   

• Zakee Swann, Senior, 5-8, 175 – returning starter, will be all over the field 
• Al-Jay Henderson, Junior, 5-11, 190 – will play often in 1-and-2-back sets 
• Abdul Salahuddin, Senior, 6-0, 190 – will play often in 1-and-2-back sets 

Wide Receiver:  

• Zahir Swann, Senior, 5-8, 175 – returning starter at slot receiver 
• Ray Simmons, Senior, 5-11, 195 – returning starter 
• Clervil Renaud, Senior, 5-8, 170 – projected starter at slot receiver 
• Taiyon Battle, Senior, 6-0, 175 – returning starter, moving from quarterback 
• Nasir Addison, Freshman, 6-2, 175 – projected starter 
• Marvin Chavis, Senior, 6-0, 185 – will be part of rotation 
• Mikai Gbayor, Junior, 6-2, 220 – will play in tight end situations – started on defense 

Offensive Line:  

• Justin Evans-Jenkins, Sophomore, 6-2, 285 – returning starter at tackle 
• Jeffrey Gunn, Sophomore, 6-2, 250 – projected starter at guard 
• Zaire Angoy, Junior, 6-4, 320 – returning starter at guard 
• Serjio Joseph, Junior, 5-11, 212 – projected starter at center 
• One tackle position is open at this point 

Defense:  

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

Defensive Line:  

• Zaire Angoy, Junior, 6-4, 310 – returning starter at tackle 
• Justin Evans-Jenkins, Sophomore – returning starter at tackle 
• Benjamin Donat, Junior, 5-11, 180 – projected starter at end 
• George Duha, Senior, 6-4, 320 – projected at nose guard 
• Others will rotate in, it’s a matter of who 

Linebacker:  

• Mikai Gbayor, Junior – returning starter 
• Ray Simmons, Senior – returning starter   
• Jamal Joseph, Senior, 5-9, 210 – competing 
• Abdul Salahuddin, Senior – competing 
• Al-Jay Henderson, Junior – competing 

Secondary:  

• Nasir Clerk, Senior, 6-2, 175 – returning starter, can play both corner and safety 
• Tyrell Edwards, Senior, 6-2, 175 – returning starter at cornerback 
• Zalyn Smith, Senior, 5-8, 154 – returning starter at nickel defensive back 
• Omar Jackson, Sophomore, 5-9, 170 – competing at cornerback 
• Daniel Campbell, Junior, 6-0, 180 – competing at safety 
• Taiyon Battle, Senior – competing at safety 
• Justice Calloway, Senior, 6-0, 180 – competing
• Rodelin Payoute, Senior, 5-11, 185 – competing
• All will play and many are interchangeable with their positions 

Special Teams: 

• Simmons returns as the punter and kicker is undecided 
• Zakir and Zahir Swann are the return men 

Schedule: 

• Friday, 9/6, at Orange 
• Friday, 9/13, at Union City 
• Friday, 9/20, Ridgewood at home 
• Friday, 9/20, at Millburn 
• Friday, 10/4, Bergen Catholic at home 
• Friday, 10/11, at North Bergen 
• Saturday, 10/19, Ferris at home 
• Saturday, 10/26, at Barringer
  Saturday, 11/2, Montclair at home 

Concerns: 

• Finish 

Recruiting:  

• Zahir Swann verballed to Central Michigan 
• Clerk verballed to East Carolina 
• Zakee Swann has offers from Central Michigan, Indiana, Bowling Green, Buffalo, UMass
• Edwards has offers from Stony Brook, Albany, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Rhode Island 
• Battle has offers from Howard and Rhode Island 
• Simmons is a 1-AA candidate 
• Harrison and Zalyn Smith are D3 prospects 

• Underclassmen:
• Gbayor has 15 offers, including Rutgers, Boston College, Alabama, Michigan, Syracuse, Texas A&M, and West Virginia 
• Evans-Jenkins has twelve offers, including Rutgers, Boston College, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M 
• Angoy has eight offers, including Rutgers, Boston College, and Indiana 
• Henderson will be a top prospect after this year 

Coach’s Comments:  

“We have a great group of kids and there is some good talent. We need to put it together and we’re excited about it.” – Head Coach Ashley “Smoke” Pierre