By Warren Rappleyea
With several skill players back to key the offense, Sayreville War Memorial High School’s football team will look to make a return trip to the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section II, Group IV playoffs this fall.
The Bombers were 5-5 a year ago, but coach Chris Beagan’s team scored impressive victories over East Brunswick High School and Piscataway Township High School along the way. Sayreville limped into the playoffs without quarterback Jayson Demild, who suffered an injury, and fell in the first round to Middletown High School North.
Demild was injured early in the East Brunswick game, but he clearly established himself as a force behind center. The 6-foot-2 signal-caller completed 61 of 121 passes for 1,006 yards and six touchdowns as a junior.
“Jayson is ready to go,” Beagan said. “He showed what he can do last year, and he’s coming off a strong spring. He’s a tremendous player and leader for our team.”
Demild will be joined in the backfield by Mike Liberti, who ran for 875 years on 151 carries last season, scoring eight touchdowns in the process. He also caught eight passes and piled up nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards. Sophomore Jacari Carter will be the slotback after showing flashes of outstanding talent as a freshman, when he accumulated 316 all-purpose yards.
Wide receiver Andrew Wille was one of Demild’s top targets last year. Wille pulled in 21 passes for 303 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The speedy senior is one of the top punt returners in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC). As a junior, he brought back 26 punts for 849 yards.
Elijah Clark, a junior who made five catches in 2015, is the other wideout. Senior Jahsim Floyd is back at tight end, where he caught 10 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns a year ago.
Guard Michael Porcaro is back to anchor the offensive line. Christian Platon moves from guard to center this time around. Junior Damian Lupo will hold down the other guard spot with Bryan Capric and junior Tristan Behr at the tackles. Sophomore Augustin Del Valle will also see time on the line.
Porcaro, who made 22 tackles last season, will see double duty on the defensive line in Sayreville’s 3-4 set. Jac-Que Roberts is also back on the line. Bryce Christian will likely be the third lineman, but Beagan plans to rotate several other players as well.
Platon and junior Mike Germann, who made 98 tackles between them, will play inside linebacker, along with junior Colton Redding. Liberti and junior Darren Gorczyca will be on the outside.
Brandon Cenci, who had 40 tackles to his credit, will again line up at safety. Clark and Carter are also back in the secondary, where they will be joined by Ciyro McMoore.
Cenci will also handle kickoffs and punting and could also be used as a place-kicker. Matt Crowley and sophomore Nick Milewski are in the mix for kicking jobs as well.
“We’ve been getting better every day during the preseason, and that’s what you want to see,” Beagan said. “The effort has been tremendous. We have a lot of talent and good depth. Still, staying healthy will be a key for us.”
Sayreville is set to open the season Sept. 9 in a GMC Red Division matchup with East Brunswick. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.