Princeton proud of eighth-grader
By: Justin Feil
Will Johnson was one of the first kids to sign up when Pop Warner Football and Cheerleading came to Princeton three years ago.
"I had liked football," said Johnson. "But there weren’t many areas you could play except the Mercer County league."
Pop Warner allowed Johnson not only the chance to play organized football in his hometown for the first time, but also to join a national program that was committed to holding academics in as high a regard as athletics.
"I played Pop Warner in New Jersey," said Princeton Pop Warner president Tom Zucosky. "I’m a fan of Pop Warner. I’m impressed with the program. It’s the only youth sports program that blends academics and athletics. You have to have certain grades to stay in the program. This Little Scholars program enables boys and girls in the program to excel academically and athletically. In an era where so much emphasis is placed on excelling in athletics, I think it’s neat that a national youth program really tries to balance athletics and academics."
Johnson this month was recognized for being one of the top student-athletes in embodying the Pop Warner ideals. Not only was he among the second-team All-American Scholars announced, but he also is the first Princeton Pop Warner participant to win the Central Jersey Pop Warner Senior Scholastic Award. To be eligible, Johnson had to have a high enough grade point average and then be judged to have the best essay on the benefits of competitive sports. He beat out participants from 36 towns in the Central Jersey region.
"I was pretty confident about it," said Johnson, an eighth grader at Princeton Charter School. "I had to wait six months to find out. I didn’t think I’d gotten it because it had been so long."
It was worth the wait as Johnson receives a $500 scholarship to be used toward college. It topped off quite a year for Johnson, who will attend Princeton High School next fall.
Last fall, he played center for the Princeton Pop Warner midget team that won its first two games in his three seasons. Johnson has plenty to keep him busy. In addition to football, he recently took up squash and also plays basketball. This spring, he is in his third season of lacrosse. Johnson is also an aspiring musician, who will be concentrating on mastering the guitar in the coming years. It may even keep him away from the football field as a PHS freshman, but it won’t take away from an enriching experience with Pop Warner.
"When I was younger, I didn’t play that many sports," he said. "I started before sixth grade with Pop Warner."
Zucosky believes that there are plenty of well-rounded Princeton student-athletes that Pop Warner could benefit. Johnson was among several that received national recognition. Other Princeton Football Scholar All-Americans were eighth-grader Michael Olentine as a second-team All-American selection, sixth-grader Harrison Kaufman was an honorable mention selection as was fifth-grader Joseph Shavel. Among the Cheer and Dance Scholar All-Americans, sixth-graders Olivia Zucosky and Miriam Goldstein were second-team All-American selections and Veronica Nagle was honorable mention.
"We’re competing against other programs that have been competing a long time," said Tom Zucosky, who is in his third year with the Princeton Pop Warner program. "Because of who we are, our community, it plays to our strong suit to be in a program that supports academics and athletics. Will and the other winners are a tribute to the youth we have in our community. They show the balance we have in our youth.
"Our participants are winning scholarships. I’m very proud of these kids and I want to stand on the rooftops and shout it out and let people know, to give them credit and let people know this is a program people should consider for their kids."
One of those Pop Warner programs that has been around longer is the West Windsor-Plainsboro Wildcats. They also had several student-athletes recognized nationally. Football Scholar All-Americans were Victor Hall, one of just 35 first-team All-American eighth graders, Paul Heyse, one of just 35 first-team All-American seventh graders, second-team eighth-graders Steven Kuzy and Matthew Safranek, second-team seventh-graders Vincent DiCindio, Alex Rohrbach, Brian Saravia and James Slonaker, second-team sixth-graders Christopher Evans and Scott Kenkelen and honorable mentions Brian Schoenauer, Patrick Boyle, Anthony Colonna, Gregory and Brandon Ling and Matthew McGuinness of fifth grade, Brendan Kenavan and John Pakulski of sixth grade, and Sam Korsen and Alex Lerner of seventh grade.
Among Cheer and Dance Scholar All-Americans were Elyse Sartor, one of just 25 first-team All-American eighth graders, second-team eighth-graders Kseniya Nadtochiy and Sara Lieber, second-team seventh-graders Diana Befi and Carly Riemann, second-team sixth-graders Nicole Giambagno, Kaitlyn Grant, Cathy Han, Lauren Kullmann and Corinne Ryklin and second-team fifth-graders Lauren Apuzzi, Alexis Bruno, and Maria DiCindio.
Award winners are only eligible if they have an average grade of 96 percent or higher and are in the fifth grade or higher. They must show a complete year’s report card. All-American Scholars receive a certificate of recognition as well as an invitation to the Pop Warner National Scholar banquet that will be held in Orlando on May 25 and 26.
"There is a lot of concern about youth on our streets," Zucosky said. "One of our missions is to provide an outlet for kids who might otherwise be on the streets and have nothing to do. It’s to give them an opportunity to play an organized sports program, to be coached by people that are longtime coaches. The percentage of minority groups in our program has risen each year. Last year, about a third were African-American or other minorities. This is a sports program that really embraces Princeton at its true level of make-up. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud we’re providing an outlet for these young men and women."
And with several of their own student-athletes recognized this year, Zucosky is proud that Princeton is showing quickly that it will be a shining example of what Pop Warner is all about. He’s hoping that more people will want to be a part of the budding program, and maybe even go as far as to aspire to being an award winner.
"I’m totally elated," he said. "I’m so proud. I’m excited for the program. I’m excited for these kids. I’m excited for the community. It bodes well for Princeton. We’re sort of unique. We can draw on a lot of different cultures in our community."
For a Princeton student-athlete like Will Johnson, it’s been a win-win situation in every sense of it.

