Niciforo excels in two-way role
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
As long as David Niciforo is on the football field helping his team win, it doesn’t matter what position he is playing.
That makes Niciforo the perfect type of player for new Hun School coach Todd Smith. As he did during his days as the head coach at West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Smith has a way of finding the right place on the field for everyone to contribute. And for Niciforo, that meant learning a new position on the offensive line.
”I have been moved every year,” said Niciforo, a junior center/linebacker who helped the Raiders to a 42-21 win over Germantown Academy last Thursday. “I started out as a tight end freshman year. Then I moved to fullback last year and now center this year. I have adjusted. I just go wherever the team needs me.”
With a small roster and a large number of players who play both offense and defense, versatility is a key to the success of the Raiders. When Smith came in he saw Niciforo as a player who could help the team in the middle of the offensive line.
”We need everybody to step up and play big,” said Smith, whose team improved to 2-1 on the season. “We move everybody around. (Niciforo) has never played the offensive line before. I told him he’s the biggest center I have ever coached. He has done a great job. We’ve asked him to do things he has never done before and he has responded well.”
The Raiders responded well as a team and bounced back from their first loss of the year. After a scoreless first quarter, Hun scored 28 points in the second quarter to jump out to a 28-14 halftime lead against Germantown Academy. Chris Sharp, who finished with122 yards rushing in the game, ran for a pair of his three touchdowns in the opening half. Simon Vadas, who threw for 227 yards in the game, also tossed a pair of TD passes.
”I thought we were paving the way pretty good,” said Smith, whose team will open its Mid-Atlantic Prep League season on Saturday against Blair. “When we get a look at it on film, I think we’ll see that a lot of the holes were bigger than our tailbacks thought they were. I thought Fred Hansard played outstanding and I thought Jordan McGriff played a great game as well.
”It took us a while to get going. Just like against Poly Prep, it wasn’t the other team stopping us it was our team stopping us, whether it was a penalty or a mental error. We need to clean that up and once we play a complete football game it will be a pretty good experience for our kids.”
Niciforo is one of several Hun players that rarely come off the field. On offense he helped pave the way for a rushing attack that finished with 201 yards. And on defense he helped keep the pressure on GA quarterback Kyle McClosky all game long.
”I got tired but I knew I had to check it into another gear because I knew my team needed me,” said Niciforo, a West Windsor resident. “I love blocking for our backs. Chris Sharp is great. Cameren (Kitchen) is great. The entire team is great. It’s relieving because (Sharp) is such a great athlete he just makes us look better because he can get through the smallest holes.
”On defense we just try to get 11 guys to the ball and trust in our teammates.”
The Raiders have five game left — all in the MAPL.
”We’re excited for the MAPL games,” Niciforo said. “We had some tough losses last year and we’re going to try to make them up this year.”
After going 2-6 last year the Raiders have already matched that win total this year. But they know the toughest part of the season comes over the next five weeks.
”Our goal was to win the MAPL championship so it starts next week,” Smith said. “We have five games left. There are not too many teams in the state that can say they have five games left. It starts next week with a pretty good Blair team who will be trying to come back and bounce back from their loss to Germantown.”