ROSELLE PARK, NJ — The Panthers continued to make strides last year and in their final game accomplished two things for the first time in six years.
Roselle Park High School beat Abraham Clark High School in Roselle and finished better than .500 for the first time since closing the 2017 season with a 7-6 home win against Roselle to conclude at 7-4.
It was also the first time the Panthers achieved those goals, with head coach Greg Dunkerton at the helm, since 2020.
Dunkerton attended the second Big Central Conference Media Day at Kean University on Thursday, Aug. 8, with three of his top returning players. He preached the one-game-at-a-time philosophy and the attention to detail so that as many mistakes as possible could be eliminated.
Joining Dunkerton at the podium were seniors Matthew Drada, No. 55; Clayton Royer, No. 50; and David Newhart, No. 25.
“In our summer workouts, we had a chance to show who we were,” Drada said.
This is Drada’s third season on the varsity. Last year, he produced 22 tackles from his defensive line position, nine of them for losses. Drada also forced two fumbles and recovered one.
For Newhart, this is season two on varsity. At linebacker a year ago, he had 12 tackles, five of them solo, and a fumble recovery.
In order for Roselle Park to finish with a winning record last year, the Panthers closed with a three-game winning streak and won four of their last five to enter 2024 with a lot of positive momentum.
Roselle Park, following a tough 1-9 season in 2021, when the Panthers lost their last nine games, are 11-11 combined the past two seasons.
“We became tougher last year and learned to never back down,” Drada said.
Roselle Park ended its 2023 season with a 28-27 home win against Secaucus High School, followed by a 41-21 win at North Warren Regional High School and then a 20-14 triumph at home against Roselle. The Rams won the previous three meetings in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
“We also learned from last year to never take our foot off the pedal,” Drada said.
Roselle Park remains in the BCC’s Freedom Gold Division, which was tweaked a bit for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. South River High School was added, so there are now six teams in the division. The other high schools are David Brearley, Jonathan Dayton, Highland Park and Spotswood.
Roselle Park’s game-scrimmage is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 29, at home at 4 p.m., against Monmouth County’s Keansburg High School.
The Panthers open during Week One and will play their first two games on the road against Middlesex County high schools Middlesex and South River.
Roselle Park’s home-opener is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20, vs. Jonathan Dayton. Roselle Park will host Jonathan Dayton and David Brearley on back-to-back Friday nights at Herm Shaw Athletic Field/Green Acres Complex.
Roselle has the game listed on its schedule as Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m.
Roselle Park has it listed on its schedule as Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m., which is the night before Thanksgiving.
It’s Roselle’s home game this year, so the game, most likely, will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Arminio Field, one week ahead of Thanksgiving.
Roselle Park Panthers 2024
• Thursday, Sept. 5, at Middlesex, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 13, at South River, 1 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 20, Jonathan Dayton, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 27, David Brearley, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 4, at Dunellen, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 11, Highland Park, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 18, at J.P. Stevens, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 25, Spotswood, 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 27, at Abraham Clark, 6 p.m.
Head coach: Greg Dunkerton, fifth season
BCC division: Freedom Gold
Section: North, Group 1
Photo by JR Parachini