New Egypt plays first-ever football game

Loss to Riverside can’t diminish player’s enthusiasm for sport.

By: Kyle Moylan
   PLUMSTED — As all were reminded last week, sports should never be compared to life.
   As one might have found out by talking to the athletes who managed to compete last weekend, however, sports can change lives.
   One place where sports was making a major impact last Saturday night was at New Egypt High School, where the football program was staging its first-ever varsity game against Riverside.
   For so many reasons, this game was different. Without a scoreboard available, a referee was keeping time on the sideline. Throughout the game, military planes from a nearby McGuire Air Force Base flew overhead.
   And, of course, this game was first one in the history of New Egypt High School.
   Even in a week when sports didn’t seem to mean much, this game meant something.
   "It feels really good to be a part of this," said junior Lou Ortiz. "Since I moved to this area in seventh grade, I was never popular. Football has made me popular. I used to get in trouble and have bad grades. I’m never in trouble anymore and I get straight As."
   Even in his team’s 33-6 loss to Riverside, Lou deserved another "A." He rushed for 121 yards on 10 carries. In addition to the first 100-yard game in the history of the varsity program, he also gets to go down in the record book as the first to record a first down or break off a run of more than 50 yards.
   "I didn’t know that (about the 100 yards)," Lou said. "I just go out there and play my heart out. I don’t care if I run for 100 yards as long as I played good for my team and gave 100 percent."
   Lou did that. All of the New Egypt players did. They always have. They are just in the third year of a process where they have tried to narrow the huge gap between themselves and their competition.
   "We came out here two years ago as freshmen who didn’t know anything," Lou said. "We have improved so much. We have shown we can play against teams."
   New Egypt won two games during its freshmen year. When a sophomore class was added to the school last year, New Egypt added a J.V. football team and was 4-5-1. Now that there are juniors in the school, New Egypt is playing varsity sports for the first time this fall. There will be no seniors at the school until next year.
   "Everyone looks at us like we won’t be any good because we have no seniors," Lou said. "That’s all going to change."
   New Egypt sent out an early message to Riverside. On the first play ever from scrimmage in the school’s history, New Egypt’s Nick DePinto dropped Riverside’s Alton Howell for a three-yard loss.
   On its first two defensive stands, New Egypt held Riverside without a first down.
   In its second possession ever, New Egypt scored. New Egypt put together a three-play, 89-yard drive. The first big play in this drive came when Lou went down the right side line, carrying the ball from the New Egypt 11 to the Riverside 31.
   The next big play was a 31-yard pass from quarterback Dustin Harper to Israel Pagan for a touchdown. There were other times when New Egypt moved the ball. Unfortunately, New Egypt could not match the passing game of Riverside. Ryan Mingin threw two touchdown passes and Eric Wright added a third.
   "There were a couple of big plays that changed the momentum of the game," noted New Egypt coach Joe DiPietro. "Overall, I thought we played hard. Come back next week and I think you will see a better game. We’ll be better. We’ll be better."
   New Egypt will play at Florence this Saturday. That contest will be followed by ones against Burlington City, Burlington Township, Palmyra, Granville Charter, Delran, Sussex Tech and Bordentown.
   This past Saturday wasn’t the only game in the history — well, actually for now, it is — there will be more to follow. Lou Ortiz, for one, is very proud to be a part of this history.
   "It feels really good to be a part of this," Lou said. "I heard a lot of talk about this game from the players on the team. We were excited. In the beginning, I had butterflies. I have never played in front of a crowd like this (more than 600 people) before."
   No one from New Egypt High School ever had. That’s why this was special. Everything was new — including the perspective on life sports gave us all and the fresh take on it that it offered as well.