UNION – After closing with a two-game losing streak last Thanksgiving, Union waited all winter, spring and summer long to get back into the win column. Practice finally began, scrimmages were played, but – unfortunately for the Farmers – there was no real game-scrimmage this year. “It was a long off-season,” returning senior quarterback Justin […]
Since taking over as head coach in 2008 this has been the biggest turnover Union boys’ soccer coach Lester Lembryk has been faced with. Gone are nine of 11 starters from last year’s 2015 squad that produced a winning season of 11-8-1. “We’re not so young, but inexperienced on the varsity level,” said Lembryk, who […]
KENILWORTH – The last time Brearley lost a state championship game – in 2005 – the Bears came back and captured one the next season. It may be a bit much to ask this year’s Brearley squad to follow up last year’s sectional finalist team with a state title since the Bears were hit pretty […]
CRANFORD – Last year Cranford came off its first-ever 11-1 campaign. However, that did not include a state championship. This year the Cougars are coming off their first-ever 12-0 season. That did include the program’s second North 2, Group 3 state championship and also second in five seasons. However, many of the key players from […]
RAHWAY – It was an interesting first-year for Rahway head coach Brian Russo a year ago. The Indians first lost consecutive one-touchdown games, but then bounced back to beat Hillside and Bernards on the road to even their record at 2-2. Then a three-game losing streak followed, the last two defeats by one touchdown and […]
SPRINGFIELD – The Bulldogs, like any other team, are going to do what they feel they can do best. Offensively, that’s throw the football. Returning at quarterback and eyeing another highly-productive season is senior signal-caller Joe Kastner. Also a prominent baseball player, last fall Kastner threw for nearly 1,200 yards and directed Dayton to a […]
HILLSIDE – Football coaches thrive on challenges. The bigger, the better. First-time head coach Barris Grant has one on his hands here at Hillside. While the Comets have been competitive in recent years, they have not distinguished themselves since their last winning and playoff season of 2008. Grant and his coaching staff are out to […]
LINDEN – A much more experienced unit than a year ago, complimented by two big linemen that transferred in, should put Linden back in the mix in the newly-aligned Mid-State 38 Conference’s Watchung Division. The Tigers also have aspirations of getting back to the North 2, Group 5 playoffs after winning their final two games […]
CLARK – Following slow starts that saw the Crusaders not reach the victory column until their fourth game of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Johnson did well to regroup and eventually qualify for playoff berths in Central Jersey, Group 2. Johnson took it one step further last year, producing the program’s first playoff victory in […]
BERKELEY HEIGHTS – Because of injuries, head coach Dan Guyton needed three quarterbacks to get through a 2015 campaign that saw his Highlanders finish 4-6, but end on a very positive note with a 10-0 blanking of visiting New Providence on Thanksgiving. Guyton will be happy to use two of those signal-callers this season. At […]