JERRY WOLKOWITZ Division I prospect Chris Arnold looks for a hole during a recent scrimmage in North Brunswick.
It would be unrealistic, even almost unfair, to expect the 2001 North Brunswick Township High School football team to duplicate the kind of season it had last year.
After all, all the Raiders did last season was go a perfect 9-0 during the regular season and win the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division championship, while their only loss of the season was a tough 7-0 setback to Wall Township in the first round of the playoffs.
And they didn’t get off to the kind of start they were hoping for last weekend, dropping their season-opener to an improved J.P Stevens squad, 54-13. The Raiders fell behind early, watching the Hawks jump out to a 21-0 lead before sophomore Aaron Carter caught a 56-yard TD pass from senior QB Krimzon Marrero to get the Raiders on the board.
But their inability to stop Stevens’ Jamiel Allen continued to stymie any comeback hopes, and the Raiders trailed 35-13 by halftime.
JERRY WOLKOWITZ North Brunswick quarterback Krimzon Marrero has some big shoes to fill, replacing Mike Elko, who graduated, as the leader of the Raiders’ offense.
The second half was more of the same, as Stevens continually moved the ball down the field, while North Brunswick struggled on both sides of the ball.
But this was just the first game, and the Raiders are now hoping that they have their worst game of the season behind them.
The Raiders were hit hard by graduation as many of the key players from that 9-1 team have moved on, leaving head coach Sal Mistretta with a number of holes to fill.
"We lost some 16 seniors," the third-year coach said, "and there were some very good players in that mix. But I think we have the kids to fill in some of those holes."
Of course, rebuilding teams is nothing new for Mistretta, who took over a NBTHS football program in 1999 which was coming off a winless season. He promptly led the Raiders to a 5-5 mark his first year before last year’s breakthrough season.
And the cupboard wasn’t exactly left bare. The Raiders do return some talented players, led by three-year starter Chris Arnold, who Mistretta calls "a Division I tailback."
"He’s 6-5, 260 pounds and runs the ball," the coach noted. "He’s got offers from Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois, Auburn and Temple so he’s a legit kid. If he gets the ball 30 times he is going to eventually break one or two.
"He had close to 1,000 yards last year and he missed three games because of an injury," Mistretta added. "He came back for the last two or three games and really took the team on his shoulders and did some good things."
And with Arnold leading the way, the Raiders’ offense should once again be a threat this season.
"I think we have those kinds of weapons again," Mistretta said. "We’re not as explosive as last year, but we should be more of a ball-possession type of offense."
One new ingredient the Raiders have added to the mix is the sophomore Carter, a 6-1, 210-pound tight end, who will also double at defensive end.
He’s the younger brother of former NBTHS all-state linebacker Jason Carter, who joined wideout Dyshon Thompson on the Super 100 last season.
"Aaron has looked really good so far," Mistretta said. "He’s up from the freshman team and is one sophomore who will start."
Meanwhile, Mike Elko, the Raiders’ starting quarterback the last two seasons, graduated, but senior Marrero, a starting free safety last season and the backup QB, has moved in as the starting signal caller.
"He’s 6-4 and 205 pounds and a real good athlete," Mistretta pointed out. "He looks very good and threw the ball well in two scrimmages. He’s a very fast kid, and we can run the option with him if we want. He looks very impressive running down the sideline.
"Another kid who’s played very well in our scrimmages is Rayshone Myers, who’s a senior and is a wide receiver, punt returner and defensive back. He played a little bit last year, but looked good in our scrimmages," Mistretta continued.
The key to the Raiders’ offense, however, will probably lie with the offensive line, which Mistretta has had to revamp after graduation claimed most of last year’s starters. "That’s all new this season," he said. "That’s going to be our little headache to deal with. We lost a 310-pound tackle and a 250-pound tight end. We must’ve averaged over 250 pounds.
"This year we’re looking to start three sophomores," he added. "We’re going to be smaller, but hopefully a little quicker. We’re definitely going to be much smaller, though."
The same can be said of the Raiders on the other side of the ball, according to Mistretta.
"Defensively, we seem to be not a real big team, but our kids run pretty well and we should be fast," he noted.
Two of the key returnees on defense are seniors Jason Schoonover at outside linebacker and Tito Lopez on the defensive line. Almost everyone else, however, is new.
"We have a lot of talented kids who did not get a lot of playing time last season because they were behind some pretty good players," Mistretta explained. "But they’re capable of getting the job done."
And the Raiders appear capable of continuing their winning ways — not just this season, either. Last year’s outstanding season and the return to success has made the football program at North Brunswick a popular choice among athletes again.
"We have 40 freshmen, which is just great numbers," Mistretta said. "We usually have 19 or 20 freshmen, so to have 40 and some very good numbers all around — the future is going to be very bright."
That includes the immediate future, too, like this season. Duplicating last season’s success might be a tall order, but one can’t sell the Raiders short.
"If some of the young kids come along, we can challenge again," Mistretta said. "Some of the sophomores have to mature quick and kids who didn’t play much last season have to step up.
"But we have enough athletic ability and toughness. We’re going to win some games. It’s just a matter of how many," he asserted.