ROSELLE PARK, NJ — Now in his sixth season as head coach of the Panthers, Gregory Dunkerton has experienced the ups and downs of Group 1 football.
Dunkerton guided Roselle Park High School to a winning season for the first time two years ago, when the Panthers closed with a three-game winning streak to finish 6-5.
In contrast, last year’s squad lost its final five games to finish less than .500 at 3-7. That was after a three-game winning streak put Roselle Park’s five-game start at 3-2.
Roselle Park averaged 24 points during its three-game winning streak last year that included consecutive home triumphs against Jonathan Dayton and David Brearley high schools and then a victory at Dunellen High School.
Roselle Park has beaten Dunellen the past five seasons. Dunellen’s last win against Roselle Park came in 2019.
“At a small school, you need your best players available,” Dunkerton said. “The kids spent the summer in the weight room and have prepared themselves for the punishment they’re going to take.”
A top senior on both sides of the ball for Roselle Park is running back-linebacker Michael Aguanno (5-8, 185).
“We’re all coached and taught to play multiple positions,” Aguanno said. “It increases the passion for the sport.”
Roselle Park’s slide last year began with a 34-14 home loss to much-improved Highland Park High School, which finished 6-3 to post its first winning season since 2016.
The Panthers were then edged at Group 5 Middlesex County school John P. Stevens High School of Edison, 20-18. Earlier in the year, J.P. Stevens snapped a long losing streak by winning its season-opener against visiting Bound Brook High School, 22-21, in overtime.
Last year, Roselle Park opened with games at Middlesex and at South River high schools, teams that scored more than 40 points on the Panthers, en route to double digit victories. This year, Roselle Park opens with both at home, Middlesex during Week One on Friday, Sept. 5, and South River the following Friday, Sept. 12.
“We’re excited,” Aguanno said. “We’ve all grown up with each other. We’re looking forward to having a better season.”
Roselle Park’s fifth home date on its nine-game regular season slate is against neighborhood rival Roselle on Thursday morning, Nov. 27. Since Westfield and Plainfield high schools ended their longtime holiday series, it is now the only Thanksgiving Day football remaining in Union County. Westfield and Plainfield will open with each other this year and then, beginning next year, will play each other in their final regular season game, which will come roughly a month before Thanksgiving.
Abraham Clark High School won last year’s game against Roselle Park, 46-14, at Roselle’s Arminio Field the night before Thanksgiving.
Since Roselle Park won the 100th game in the series at its own Herm Shaw Field in 2017 by the score of 7-6, Roselle has won four of the last five meetings.
Roselle Park leads the series at 53-44-8. This year’s game is No. 106. There was no game in 2018’ because Roselle Park did not field a varsity team that fall, and there was no game during the shortened 2020 campaign, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roselle Park Panthers 2025
Friday, Sept. 5, Middlesex, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 12, South River, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19, at Jonathan Dayton, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26, at David Brearley, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3, Dunellen, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10, at Highland Park, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17, J.P. Stevens, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 24, at Spotswood, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 27, Abraham Clark, 10 a.m.
Photos by JR Parachini
