BY GEORGE ALBANO
Staff Writer
The North Brunswick High School football team hopes a return to the GMC White Division means a return to a winning record.
The last time the Raiders enjoyed a winning season on the gridiron was in the 2003 season when they went a very impressive 8-2. That was also their last season in the White Division.
North Brunswick moved up to the bigger Red Division the following season and proceeded to go 4-6 each of the past two years.
So this year, the Raiders are moving back down to the White Division, and hopefully the wins will follow.
“We’re playing five games in the White Division and our other four games are cross-over games all in the Red Division,” head coach Mark Zielinski pointed out. “We’re like a small big school. We’re right on the border between Group III and Group IV.”
Even the state powers that be aren’t really sure what type of school North Brunswick is.
“In the last six years, we’ve been Group III two times and Group IV four times,” Zielinski, an assistant coach for nine years before taking over as head coach, said. “This year we’re Group IV and we’re back in the White Division.”
Zielinski was in his first year as head coach the last time the Raiders were in the White Division and won eight of their 10 games. The move to the Red Division the following year translated into a tougher schedule.
“Two years ago we were Group III, but everybody on our schedule were Group IV schools,” Zielinski said. “The conference now put us where we can play some smaller schools.
“Not that it’s an easy schedule. We still have some tough games. New Brunswick and Carteret are two teams that are always powerful, and South Plainfield, Colonia and Perth Amboy are always respectable.”
North Brunswick opens its season today against Sayreville, and the Raiders already caught a break. The game was supposed to be played at Sayreville, but because their new turf field won’t be ready in time, the game will be played instead at NBHS at 7 p.m., meaning the Raiders get an extra home game this season.
“But next season we’ll switch and play at their place,” Zielinski noted.
With 60 players out for this year’s team, North Brunswick returns four starters on offense and five on defense.
The bigger news, however, is who’s not back. Aaron Jackson, the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,200 career yards and who scored 20 touchdowns as a senior last year, graduated and is now playing at Wesley College in Delaware.
There was quite a competition to see who would replace him, and junior tailback Pushaun Brown, who rushed for 323 yards as a sophomore fullback and tailback, emerged as the winner. Brown, who goes 5-11 and 190 pounds, will also start at outside linebacker.
Meanwhile, senior Lavarr Molina (5-10, 195), who started the second half of last season after coming back from a back injury, returns at fullback.
Also back is senior quarterback Kamil Hage (6-1, 185), who broke his thumb and missed four games last season. When healthy, he split time with Pat Brown, now playing at La Salle.
“Pat was more of a running quarterback while Kamil had a stronger arm,” Zielinski said.
In fact, when Hage was at QB, Brown moved to wide receiver. He also started at safety.
Hage is one of the Raiders’ senior tri-captains along with Tylere Daniel and Patrick Obahiagbon. The 5-9, 205-pound Daniel is a returning two-way starter at offensive guard and nose guard on defense.
“He’s very quick, very strong and an excellent leader,” Zielinski said of Daniel.
Obahiagbon, who goes 6-2 and 195, will start at tight end and defensive end.
The offensive line looks “pretty strong,” according to Zielinski, with three out of five returning starters. Besides Daniel, senior Michael Post (5-9, 220) returns at the other guard, while fellow senior A.J. Russo (5-10, 225) starts again at tackle.
The other tackle will be Michael Cole, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound sophomore up from the freshmen team “who looks pretty good,” Zielinski said. Rounding out the line is junior center Brig Jagirdar (6-0, 205), who played JV last season.
Three receivers who are expected to see a lot of playing time, according to the coach, are seniors Nick Gambino and Mike Dawson, and junior Darion Patterson.
The Raiders also appear to be solid on the defensive side of the ball, led by Obahiagbon and Daniel.
“They’re our leaders there,” Zielinski said. “They’re both incredible, hard-working kids and both good kids.”
Max Uniman (6-2, 200) and junior Bobby Swercheck (6-0, 220) will rotate at the other defensive end opposite Obahiagbon, while Zielinski plans to rotate Post, Russo, Daniel, senior Jarrett Todd (6-2, 325) and junior Nick Facchini (6-0, 305) at the two tackle spots.
Brown and Molina will start at outside linebacker along with senior Kasin Coffey (6-0, 180). Senior Jason Airey (5-11, 180), the second-leading tackler on last year’s team, returns as a starter at inside linebacker, while another senior, Mark Petrone (5-11, 190) starts at the other ILB spot. Gambino will also start at defensive back while senior Chris Clerge (5-9, 165) will be at corner back.
“He started the last few games last season at cornerback and has solid experience back there,” Zielinski said of Clerge, who will also rotate at wide receiver. “He’s gonna play a lot.”
Dewayne Myrick, a 5-11, 170-pound junior, rounds out the defensive backfield at safety.
The Raiders’ kicking game appears to be in good hands with Petrone “probably doing it all,” Zielinski said.
The North Brunswick coach feels enough pieces are there for the Raiders to return to their winning ways.
“We hope so,” Zielinski said. “Last year we got off to a good start, 4-2, and we were in the top 10, but then we hit some injuries and played some tough teams. We ran into Piscataway and Hunterdon Central and sputtered near the end.”
The Raiders won’t have to wait that long this season to meet up with a real quality opponent.
“Sayreville always has an excellent team,” Zielinski said. “So we’re going to face one of our toughest tests right away. But I do like our club. We have depth at key positions, some strength on the lines, and we have some experience. We’re not loaded with people coming back, but we have a number of people who started or have been in there and have experience.
“So we’re not going in wide eyed. We have the potential to have a real solid season. We have a very good bunch of young people who work hard academically and worked hard in their off-season conditioning. I think they’re ready to step forward.”