Will Hill
This St. Peter’s Prep junior football standout is already among the most-watched gridiron stars in the nation. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Hill – a native of East Orange who chose to attend St. Peter’s in Jersey City for its respected football program – evolved into a multitalented performer in 2006, excelling at quarterback, running back and wide receiver on offense while maintaining his brilliance as a free safety on defense.
For his prowess, Hill was selected as the New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year by The Star-Ledger and was picked to MSG Network’s High School Heisman All-Star team, becoming only the eighth junior in the 20-year history of the team to earn the honors. The other seven eventually ended up playing in the National Football League.
Hill can already choose whatever college in the nation he wants to attend. He will begin his senior year at St. Peter’s as the number-one recruited player in the country and will more than likely attend either Florida or Florida State in 2008.
Leslie Njoku
This McNair Academic senior accomplished two feats of excellence in 2006. Her first was becoming only the second athlete in Hudson County history to win a gold medal at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Meet of Champions when she captured the 400-meter intermediate hurdles title. (The last time a Hudson County athlete won gold at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions was in 1976, when Linda Richardson of Lincoln High School won the 200-meter dash.)
A week later, Njoku, a Jersey City resident, capped her brilliant season by winning the United States Track and Field National Scholastic Championships in the same event, posting the best time in the 400-meter hurdles in the country all year.
Njoku will take her immense athletic talents to Georgia Tech this fall.
Michael Rosario
First thought to be proficient in baseball – he led his Lincoln Park Little League All-Star team to its first-ever District 7 championship in 2003 – this St. Anthony High School junior has evolved into one of the finest basketball players in the country. The 6-foot-3 Rosario is already considered to be one of the nation’s top underclass hoop performers and is a pure shooter with very few peers.
As the 2006-07 season tipped off, Rosario had emerged as the leading scorer for the Friars, reaching as high as 40 points in two pre-season scrimmages and leading the nationally ranked Friars in scoring in each of their first three regular-season games.
A Jersey City native, Rosario will also be heavily recruited by all of the major NCAA Division I colleges in the nation and will more than likely make his college decision known this summer.