BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
EDISON — Despite a winless season, the Edison High School football team has something to be excited about.
The performance of junior fullback Ed Kidney this year has head coach Vin Gioffre and the Edison faithful ready to exit the basement of the Greater Middlesex Conference next season.
Without any Pop Warner experience, Kidney began playing in his freshman year and began his varsity career in just his sophomore year. As a sophomore, Kidney earned his place on the varsity roster with a 105-yard performance against Old Bridge High School.
This season, Kidney picked up where he left off in 2002, and piled up over 600 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns behind an inexperienced and undersized offensive line.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound junior is a punishing runner from whom Gioffre expects big things.
"Without a doubt, Ed is going to be our offensive leader next year," Gioffre said. "We will look for him to carry the ball close to 28 times a game, and hope for him to have 160-yard games."
Not unreasonable demands, considering Kidney punished Perth Amboy defenders in his biggest game of the season. Against the Panthers, Kidney carried the ball 26 times for 150 yards, usually with two or three defenders clinging to his back.
Kidney says he has taken the responsibility of getting his teammates ready for next season.
"There are a lot of tough kids on this team, and it is my job to get them in the weight room," Kidney said. "For myself, I need to work on my agility, and to become better at reading and finding holes."
Add agility to a naturally strong runner and Gioffre will have a dangerous back that GMC teams will have to contend with.
Despite the tough season, Kidney considered it a highlight to play among his friends and to play for Gioffre.
"He’s a good coach and he works really hard," Kidney said. "Our team was just too small. We only had 30 kids on the team, and we played against the state’s toughest teams."
This year’s schedule pitted the Eagles against four teams that reached the semifinals of the state playoffs.
"In order to beat such good teams, we need to be perfect," Kidney said. "We need to put it all together for four quarters. I didn’t get the ball that much against Stevens because it wasn’t my best game. I had an early fumble and I should have done a better job."
Part of Kidney’s off-season regimen will be his involvement with the Edison High School wrestling team. A member of the varsity team since his freshman year, Kidney anticipates cutting weight and wrestling at 189 pounds.
As a freshman, Kidney was 8-15 at 160 pounds, and at 171 pounds his sophomore year he went 14-10.
"We lost a lot of good wrestlers from last season," Kidney said. "However, if we work hard, we should be good because we have a tough group."