Bordentown’s Scotties ready for journey

By Anthony Williams, Special Writer
   The beginning of every school year reawakens the age-old question, “Are you ready for some football?”
   With summer captains’ practices behind us, and two-a-days in full swing, the 2012 Bordentown Regional High School football team is ready to put last year’s 2-8 campaign behind it. The team is preparing to embark on a journey all its own. For fourth year head coach Steve Perry, an abundance of returning talent has him optimistically excited about the upcoming season.
   ”We’re returning a lot of very good skill position players and a lot of team leadership,” Coach Perry said. “This is not a rebuilding year for us; we’re ready to take the next step.”
   The Scotties will be relying heavily on a seasoned group of upper classmen, including senior Jordan Kelso (WR/DB), senior Nick Bartolomei (QB), and senior Robert Bulleck (OL/DL), and a talented under classman backfield with junior Tommy Walters (RB), and sophomore Jahmeire VanKline (RB) anchoring the Bordentown offense. The return of 4 out of 5 offensive lineman and Bartolomei helps to justify Coach Perry’s sentiments.
   ”Nick is a great leader for us and a smart player,” Coach Perry boasted of his starting quarterback. “He’s spent a lot of time getting better in the off season and has a good grasp of what we’re trying to accomplish as an offensive unit.”
   Bartolomei should have a very productive year if he has the time and accuracy to connect with perennial all-star Jordan Kelso. This season will be Kelso’s third season on the varsity team and he looks to add another All-Liberty Division selection to compliment his first two.
   ”Jordan has been a first team all-division selection every year he’s played for us and I don’t expect anything else from him,” Coach Perry raved.
   Everything isn’t all peaches and cream for the Scotties. The team will have to find ways to replace key losses on both offense and defense, as well as adjust to a new defensive scheme.
   Among the graduation losses are David Bridges (TE/OLB), Vinny Frank (RB/LB), and Gerald Conover (WR/FS). While none of the players have moved on to play college ball, all three provided solid play for Bordentown and made up half of the Scottie’s linebacking core, a source of worry for Coach Perry’s team.
   ”We are solid in across both lines and in both backfields,” Coach Perry said. “How the middle of our offense and defense play is going to determine what direction this season goes for us. We need solid play from our linebackers on defense and our fullback on offense to accomplish our goals.”
   Bordentown will also be unveiling a new defensive game for the 2012 season. Coach Perry was reluctant to let the cat out of the bag, but did acknowledge there may be a learning curve for some of the players.
   ”We changed up our defensive scheme for this year,” Coach Perry explained. “Some of our players will be taking on and learning new roles which may cause a few bumps in the road, but we have enough football smarts that should allow us to adjust quickly.”
   Bordentown will be competing in the new look Liberty Division in the West Jersey Football League, but will see a lot of familiar faces. Returning to the division this year are Bordentown, Ewing, and Robbinsville, while Delran and Holy Cross will be making their first appearance in the division. Last year’s divisional champion, Florence, has moved to the Freedom Division.
   ”It’s a new look for us and the division,” Coach Perry said, “But we’re familiar with all of these teams and shouldn’t be too surprised with what we see. It’s going to come down to our execution as a team and our ability to minimize mistakes.”
   In preparation for its season opener at Robbinsiville on Sept. 7, the Scotties will face Burlington City, Lindewold, and South Hunterdon in scrimmages over the next two weeks. Bordentown will be looking to avenge a 23-13 loss to the Ravens during the 2011 season.