BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
EDISON – Although eight seniors graduated from last year’s starting lineup, the township high school football team will field 21 seniors when the 2006 team begins the season with a 7 p.m. road game Sept. 15 at North Brunswick.
North Brunswick opened its season with a 31-6 loss to Sayreville Sept. 8.
“North Brunswick is pretty explosive this year,” Edison head coach Matt Fulham said. “They have a quarterback with a good arm and good speed and their defense looks good. They run to the ball and our very physical.”
Edison suffered major losses with the transfers of junior quarterback John Cirri and wide receive Justin Thompson to Jackson. Fortunately, a strong offensive line is back in place with the return of seniors Brian Pascal, Dan Tirado and Mark Orillaza to the trenches.
“They’re extremely hard workers,” Fulham said. “They paid the price in the weight room this offseason and they look ready to anchor the line. Unfortunately, Dan suffered a knee injury this preseason and is limited to offensive duties for now.”
Junior Zach Tivald is the team’s leading returning rusher and will split time with fellow tailback Glenn Scott.
“Zach and Glenn give us a nice one-two punch,” Fulham said. “Zach is more of a north/south runner, while Glenn is a little more explosive and a little quicker.”
In this week’s game, Scott will carry most of the backfield load along with fullback Jimmy Cooper, as Tivald is sidelined with a separated shoulder. Tivald is not expected back for several weeks. Also expected to see time in the Edison backfield is junior Nick McGee. McGee is also a returning starter at safety. McGee will be joined in the secondary by Scott, and Tivald when healthy. Cooper lines up at middle linebacker on defense.
Senior Terry Roland has moved from wide receiver, where he started all 10 games in 2005, to tight end. Roland and wide receiver Josh Williams will be needed to step up and relieve some of the pressure off the Eagle backfield led by sophomore quarterback Erik Janz.
“Erik has a strong arm and he is very athletic and mobile,” Fulham said. “He’ll need to make good decisions.”
A handful of newcomers are also expected to make an impact for Edison this fall. A 6-2 senior wide receiver with big-play capabilities in Mike Campbell could be a difference maker. Seniors T.J. Alli and Victor Rivera are both new members of the Eagle linebacker corps
“Both T.J. and Victor progressed in the weight room in the offseason and both are doing an outstanding job,” Fulham said. “We’re a senior-dominated team, so we do field players with good playing experience.”
After this week’s opener with North Brunswick, Edison will host Old Bridge at 7 p.m. in its home opener Sept. 21.
“We’re pushing this year’s team to be more competitive in the league,” Fulham said. “We can’t continue to get blown out, but we have to be more consistent. We’ve been our own worst enemy. This year, we hope to control the ball, limit turnovers and manage the clock. Hopefully, this will lead to more wins.”