Senior, Panthers playing well at end
By: Bob Nuse
Bruce Devlin will always remember Andrew Ojeda’s first football game at Princeton Day School.
”The first game he played against Morrisville, in the first quarter he got burned for a long touchdown pass,” the PDS head coach recalled. “But since then, it has never happened again. It seems like just yesterday he was playing in that game. He’s gotten bigger, tougher and more confident.
”He’s been a starter for us since Day One of his freshman year. He’s gotten better every year. He works out and he’s gone to some camps. He’s stronger and quicker and he’s improved every year.”
After four years as a two-way starter for the Panthers, Ojeda will play one of his final games Saturday when the team plays at Tower Hill in Delaware. It was supposed to be the final game of the season until the Panthers were invited to play in the Crusader Bowl in Maryland on Nov. 9 at Elkton Chistian Academy.
Ojeda also remembers that first game as a freshman, and has used it as motivation ever since.
”The four years went by really fast,” said Ojeda, a West Windsor resident. “Freshman year, I came in and I was nervous. I remember that first game and that was extra motivation for me to keep working hard and improve my defensive back skills.
”I’ve had a great time playing. We were 4-4 my freshman year and then we went 7-1, which was the best record for PDS in a long time. We slipped last year and only went 1-6. So this year we had extra motivation. I worked hard over the summer. I went to a trainer at Peddie and he really helped me a lot.”
Ojeda is part of a senior class that has worked to bring the Panthers’ program back to a winning level. He is one of a number of players in his class who have contributed since that first year with the program.
”We had a small senior class last year, so me, Mike (Shimkin) and Clint (O’Brien) had to become more of the leaders on the team,” said Ojeda, who moved to West Windsor in 2000 after starting his football career playing Pop Warner in Illinois. “I think that helped us coming into this year. Our senior class has had a lot of success. Carson Bird, Patrick Murphy, Jake Lipkin. They’ve also been around four years.
”I think we’ve all worked hard and that’s shown with the improvement in the program. It’s really good to have been a part of that. That really means a lot to me. I’m glad to be playing with my friends and we’ve learned what it takes to win.”
Ojeda has not only continued to improve as a defensive back, but has also become the Panthers’ top receiver. After catching 14 balls a year ago, he is second on the team this year with 15 receptions.
”He’s started at both sports since his freshman year and he’s never missed a game,” said Devlin, whose team improved to 5-2 with a win over Delaware Military Academy last Saturday. “He’s been a real role model for the younger kids. The last two years he has taken a lot of those players under his wing. He works with them in the summer. He loves the sport and is a real team leader.”
Ojeda, who hopes to play football in college, moves on to basketball after the football season is over. With the basketball team, he’ll play for first-year head coach Paris McLean, who has been his position coach in football the last four years.
”He has been a real mentor to me and has really brought me along,” Ojeda said. “He’s really worked with me since the end of my freshman year and he’s helped me become a better player.”