By Warren Rappleyea
As he entered his senior season at North Brunswick Township High School, one of Esberth Pereyra’s goals was to be selected to play in the annual Snapple Bowl.
He achieved that goal July 21 when he saw substantial playing time as an offensive lineman for the Middlesex County All-Stars. Even though the Union County All-Stars prevailed, 13-7, in the 23rd edition of the game, it was an experience Pereyra will long remember.
The triumph was Union’s ninth, but Middlesex still leads the series, 14-9. Founded by former East Brunswick High School head coach Marcus Borden, the game’s broader purpose is to raise funds for both the Lakeview School for Cerebral Palsy in Edison and the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Nearly $550,000 has been raised for the two charities since the game’s inception.
“It was kind of an offensive struggle for both teams and then all of a sudden we were scoring points in the fourth quarter. I would have liked to have won, but we (Middlesex) did our best and really, we did more than just play the game.”
A year ago, Pereyra’s former Raiders teammate, Joe Castellanos, represented North Brunswick in the Snapple Bowl, and Castellanos’ enthusiasm for the event was contagious.
“Joe told me it was so much more than just a game and that the visit to the Lakeview School really made an impact on him.” Pereyra said. “He was so positive about the experience, I wanted to do it myself and decided to make it my goal.”
The trip to the school was the highlight for the North Brunswick standout.
“It was kind of quiet at the beginning, but all that changed and after lunch we were having a good time,” Pereyra said. “To see these kids just being so happy that we were there and that we were playing a game for them was an amazing experience. I really felt like I was playing for them.”
Although North Brunswick went just 2-8 a year ago, Pereyra distinguished himself as a guard and as a defensive tackle. Playing both sides of the line — and occasionally special teams — the 5-foot-11, 255-pounder rarely left the field. He had a particularly strong game in the Raiders’ 40-21 victory over Edison High School, a team that went on to qualify for the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V playoffs.
“Esberth truly deserved to play in the Snapple Bowl,” North Brunswick coach Don Zsak said. “He’s talented and tough and just a super kid. We need more guys like him. He played varsity for three years, and he knows the game so well. I expect him to be a coach one day. It also says a lot about how far the Snapple Bowl has come and how popular it is that players like Esberth want to play in the game.”
The game was held at Woodbridge High School and, for the most part, was dominated by the defenses. Union got on the board early in the fourth quarter following a poor snap on a Middlesex punt attempt. Union made it 13-0 with less than four minutes to play, but Middlesex came right back.
Woodbridge quarterback Tracy Fudge hooked up with teammate James Modica for a 40-yard scoring pass to make it 13-7 with about three minutes left to play. Middlesex got the ball back with 1:40 left and marched into Union territory. The threat ended with an interception, and Union ran out the clock.
Pereyra also noted that through the game, he had the opportunity to meet and get to know former opponents, as well as other players he has read or watched over his high school career.
“We came in as a group of 45 players all from different towns,” he said. “You have to give the coaches credit. We came in as strangers and left as brothers.”
Pereyra will continue his studies at Middlesex County College this fall, with the goal of eventually becoming a police officer. He plans to transfer to William Patterson University for the spring semester and is hoping to play football there in 2018.