By Jimmy Allinder
It’s one thing to boot a field goal with plenty of time left and quite another to kick the ball through the uprights with the score tied and just a few seconds on the clock.
That’s exactly what Ryan Szatkowski did last November for Spotswood High School during the last regular-season football game when the junior calmly converted a 31-yarder that resulted in a thrilling 27-24 victory over Metuchen High School. The win also secured the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division title, which was the Chargers’ second in a row.
Szatkowski begins this fall as the senior incumbent and is recognized as one of the better kickers in the GMC. Madison Square Garden Network named him one of the top 100 kickers to watch in the tri-state area and for good reason. He comes off a season when he nailed four of five field goal attempts (including another in the Metuchen game of 28 yards), converted 26 of 28 extra points and punted the ball for a 33-yard average, including three inside the 10 yard line.
Szatkowski doesn’t just play special teams. He saw action at wide receiver and was especially effective on defense as a cornerback, where he recorded 17 solo tackles and assisted on 16, including two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a sack. But what made Szatkowski most valuable was an uncanny ability to come up big in the key situations Spotswood faced last season.
Szatkowski has experienced more than his share of personal adversity. In December, it will be three years since his older brother, Jeff, and his girlfriend, Nicole Surace, died in an auto accident. The tragedy devastated the community and broke the hearts of family members.
Numerous events memorialized Jeff Szatkowski and Surace, and a scholarship awarded to a college-bound student celebrates their lives to this day. The football team observes Jeff Szatkowski’s memory in a number of ways.
“I changed my number to seven, and I take him with me every time I’m on the field,” Ryan Szatkowski said. “The players also have lime green stickers with Jeff’s number on their helmets and when I look across the huddle, I can only smile.”
At the conclusion of each home game, Spotswood players, led by the seniors, march to the end zone and pat a rock near a plaque posted on the fence with Jeff Szatkowski’s name and number.
Ryan Szatkowski says his fondest memory was the day before his brother died, when Jeff Szatkowski begged his parents to let him take him snowboarding in Pennsylvania. It cemented a bond that endures to this day, if only in Ryan Szatkowski’s mind.
Szatkowski comes from a family where sports were part of their lives so naturally the gene pool rubbed off on him. His mother, Kim, played high school sports and his father, Jeff, played football and baseball for Sayreville War Memorial High School. His dad earned junior college All-American honors playing baseball at Middlesex County College and continued his collegiate career at Ramapo College.
Szatkowki’s father was his coach on travel baseball and Pop Warner football teams and took personal responsibility for their physical and emotional development.
Spotswood football coach Andy Cammarano says Szatkowski will be a vital piece of this fall’s Chargers, who hope to win their third division title.
“Ryan is 100 percent a team player, and his versatility and toughness will be on full display so everyone sees what an exceptional athlete he is,” he said. “He’s not just a terrific kicker but tackles well and is a valuable receiver. Ryan and his teammates experienced the program’s success the last few years and believe it’s their turn to keep it going. We’ll take it from game one and the rest will take care of itself.”
“I also play baseball, and I would like to play either football or that sport in college,” said Szatkowski, who is a B student. “I don’t have my heart set on a particular school, but I plan to take visits and keep my options open.”
As the season approaches, Szatkowski’s thoughts have switched to making a positive impact, as his football team attempts to capture a third consecutive division title.
“We hope to win [it] again and go beyond the first round of the [NJSIAA tournament],” he said. “I love my teammates and coaches. They have been there for me through all the hard times, and we’ve become a family of brothers.”
For Szatkowski, that fills a major void in his life, freeing him to move on to the next phase of his life where he can dream again.
“What kid doesn’t want to play football for Rutgers [University]?” he asked. “We used to go to all the home games when we played Pop Warner, and I’ve always thought about what it would be like to wear the scarlet uniform.”
It’s a bodacious quest, but Szatkowski believes it’s a dream that could come true.