Metuchen High School’s Rachel Suss added the NJSIAA Group I state championship to her impressive list of wins during the 2014 cross-country season on Nov. 15 at Holmdel Park. Suss’ next race is at the Meet of Champions on Nov. 22 back at Holmdel. SCOTT FRIEDMAN Despite the Thanksgiving game getting close to being added to the list of endangered species, two are still played on that holiday.
Edison High School will visit crosstown rival J.P. Stevens High School on Thanksgiving morning, and Bishop George Ahr High School hosts St. Joseph High School of Metuchen on Thanksgiving Eve.
Edison (3-6) has labored through an upand down season after going 6-4 in 2013, including its second straight appearance in the NJSIAA playoffs. The Eagles lost their first four games but won three of the next four before a 35-6 defeat by Hunterdon Central Regional High School in the playoff consolations on Nov. 15. J.P. Stevens failed to register a victory in its first seven games but rebounded with two wins, including an impressive 44-8 triumph over William L. Dickinson High School on Nov. 13. Bishop Ahr and St. Joe’s are meeting for the third time; however, they have never played the day before Thanksgiving. Both have turned out to be enigmas because each possessed experience and talent at skill positions, yet they have endured difficult seasons. The Trojans are 4-5 after defeating Eastern High School of Voorhees, 20-10, in their consolation game on Nov. 13. The Falcons (3-6) were upended by Notre Dame High School, 27-3, on Nov. 15. In the two previous games, St. Joe’s had come away with victories.
Joe Vigilante, completing his first season as head coach at Bishop Ahr, believes the game against the Falcons is important to players on his team, especially the underclassmen.
“Our goal this year [as it always will be] is to show the young men on our team they are capable of great things, despite the circumstances,” he said. “The only things holding them back are the limitations they place on themselves.”
To that extent, Vigilante said his team has performed admirably.
“They have fought through adversity and have kept moving forward, and that’s a credit to our senior captains — Alex Dawes, Tim Howard, James Robinson, and David Holder,” he said. “They have contributed so much both on and off the field and have set the bar very high for those who follow in their footsteps.
Edison head coach Matt Fulham said playing on Thanksgiving provides his team the opportunity to end a disappointing season on a high note.
“We lost to a tough Hunterdon Central team and the chance to finish .500,” Fulham said. “But our focus is on the game in front of us.”
Fulham said that all nine seniors who will be playing their last game have been great student athletes who exemplify responsibility, discipline and the willingness to work hard. Captains Joe Kim and Irvin Childress are three-year starters who are looking to continue playing in college. Godwin Asamoah, another captain, has generated interest from NCAA Division I-AA and Division II colleges. And a fourth captain, Andre Yates, has achieved a 3.75 unweighted grade-point average.
The coach lamented his team came up four power points short of qualifying for the playoffs for the third year in a row, but he believes the record is “not terrible” considering five teams ahead of the Eagles in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division all made the playoffs and that two — South Brunswick High School and Piscataway Township High School — have excellent chances to win titles.
Girls soccer
The Metuchen High School girls soccer team is probably wondering what it must take to win a sectional title. With a 3-0 loss to Shore Regional High School in the Central Jersey Group I championship game, the defeat marked the third year in a row (second consecutive loss to Shore Regional) that the Bulldogs have come up short in the title game. Two years ago, Metuchen was upended by New Egypt High School.
Metuchen ends the season with a 14-8-1 record and was led by Katharine Chura with 14 goals and goaltender Emily Buchanan, who finished with 150 saves. The Bulldogs also tied Wardlaw-Hartridge School for the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division title, as both finished with 11-2-1 records.
Former NFL lineman Oben speaks at Edison
Roman Oben, a former National Football League lineman for the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers, knows a thing or two about winning and has a Super Bowl ring to prove it.
Oben was the guest speaker at a special assembly for Edison students and athletes when he talked about the importance of setting educational and professional goals and the steps that should be taken in order to achieve them.
The native of Cameroon, West Africa, came to the United States at the age of 5 when his mother worked for the Cameroon Embassy in Washington, D.C. He currently does color commentary and postgame analysis for the radio network that broadcasts Giants games.
Oben also oversees the Roman Oben Foundation, which promotes positive development of youth and families through football, literacy and community outreach.