When Jason Hendricks stepped off the field at Rutgers Stadium last December, after his Hudson Catholic football team suffered a heart-wrenching 7-0 loss to Holy Cross in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group II state championship game, he probably thought that he had played in his final high school football game.
Hendricks, the 2008 Hudson Reporter Most Valuable Player, had played his heart out in that title game in December, the first-ever state championship football game in the school’s history, before he was ready to head off to college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
But last week, Hendricks learned that he will get one more chance to represent Hudson Catholic as a high school football player.
Hendricks was selected to be a member of the New Jersey All-Star team in the upcoming Northeast vs. New Jersey Football Classic at Rutgers Stadium June 7.
The game was known as the Governor’s Bowl for the last decade, but has undergone a complete overhaul, like taking a Garden State All-Star team and putting them against a team comprised of players from throughout the Northeast, instead of just the state of New York.
Hendricks, who will play defensive back at Pitt, was happy to be one of two Hudson County products to earn a spot on the team, with St. Peter’s Prep standout offensive guard Khalil Wilkes being the other. Wilkes will play his college football at Stanford in the fall.
“This is a great feeling,” Hendricks said. “It’s my last real high school football game and I’m getting the chance to represent Hudson Catholic one last time. I’m getting the chance to show what kind of players my school can produce.”
Hendricks will be the first Hudson Catholic product to ever play in either the Governor’s Bowl or the new current format.
“I didn’t know that,” Hendricks said when told that he was the first Hawk ever to be selected. “It’s a great honor to accomplish something that no one else ever did. I’m pretty excited about it.”
A lot of players use the experience of playing in an All-Star game as a chance to get a taste of college life. After all, the players get a chance to reside in the dormitories at Rutgers University for a week, where they practice twice a day prior to the game.
The teams this year will be coached by some very famous players with New Jersey football roots.
Phil Simms, the Super Bowl MVP winner with the Giants, will be the honorary head coach of the New Jersey All-Stars, while New Jersey native Joe Theismann, the former standout with the Washington Redskins, will be the head coach of the Northeast All-Stars.
“I’m a Giant fan, so I look forward to playing for Phil Simms,” Hendricks said. “It’s definitely a good way to end my high school career. It’s like an extra reward for me. I really missed playing football. I’m glad that I’m getting a chance to play again and I’m happy to be on the same team with Khalil Wilkes. He’s a good athlete and a good player. I’m glad that we’re going to be teammates.”
Wilkes will have no rest for the weary. After he graduates from Prep on May 31, Wilkes will head to Rutgers for practice for the All-Star game. He then will play in the game and a week later, he’s off to Stanford to begin summer classes and preparation for the football season. It will be a whirlwind.
“It’s going to hectic, but I think it’s just going to prepare me for what lies ahead,” Wilkes said. “I’m ready for it. Once I signed on with Stanford, I knew what was going to come. I think it’s great that I get to represent Prep and the state of New Jersey once more. I always told people how good New Jersey football is and this is a good way to showcase that.”
Wilkes said that he received an important message from the coach Simms and not the quarterback and television analyst.
“Coach Simms asked us to raise our hands if we lost our last high school game,” Wilkes said. “Now we get another opportunity to send it off the right way. It’s an honor to be selected to play. It’s just a way to give me a chance to see what is in store for me in college. It’s going to be great. And I’m glad to play with Jason Hendricks. He’s a great player and put Hudson Catholic on his back. If he wasn’t the best running back in the county, then he’s one of the best. It’s going to be great to play with him.”
St. Peter’s Prep head football coach Rich Hansen, who will serve on the coaching staff for the game, was pleased to have Wilkes selected for the game.
“I’m very happy for him,” Hansen said. “He’s in elite company and it’s a crowning achievement for what was a great high school football career. Khalil has earned the spot on the team and deserved it. He’s set himself apart from the rest of the linemen in New Jersey.”
Hansen said that he’s known Khalil Wilkes since he was an infant, because his father, former Rutgers standout defensive back Willie Wilkes, has been a member of the Prep coaching staff for over a decade.
“It almost feels like sending my son to the game,” Hansen said. “We’ve been very close for a long time. I know Willie is happy for him and I know they’re both happy to get to represent Prep one more time. It’s a good test to gauge his skills for college and a good barometer. He’s going up against the very best in the area. It’s a huge honor.”…
St. Anthony High School will hold a fundraising beefsteak Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Golden Door Charter School on Ninth Street in Jersey City. The dinner is being held in honor of legendary Friar coach Bob Hurley. For more information, contact (201) 653-5739…
The legendary minor league baseball team, the Jersey City Skeeters, is making a comeback, thanks to the efforts of Jersey City businessman David Kerans. The team will play in a new league that focuses on the old-time baseball teams and leagues, even old-style uniforms and equipment, and Kerans is currently busy compiling a roster. We’ll have more in the coming weeks….
Congrats to former County Prep softball standout Danielle Delfino, who earned All-New Jersey Athletic Conference honors for New Jersey City University for the second straight year. Delfino, a sophomore second baseman and former Hudson Reporter All-Area selection, batted .333 with 26 runs and 25 stolen bases Delfino led the Gothic Knights with 10 multiple hit games and had a team season-high nine-game hitting streak and was the lone NJCU player to bat better than .300. She’s the first NJCU product to earn All-NJAC honors two consecutive years since 2001…
Speaking of past All-Area honorees, two former local standouts will lead William Paterson University into the NCAA Division III tournament this weekend after the Pioneers captured the NJAC championship last week.
Former High Tech standout catcher Nicole Jimmerson of North Bergen and former Hoboken High standout Raquel Roder both played significant roles in the Pioneers’ success this season.
Jimmerson, a sophomore, was the Pioneers’ starting catcher and batted .307 with four homers and 20 RBI. Roder, a freshman, was a reserve player at both second base and the outfield for the Pioneers and batted .333 with six RBI, starting in 14 games. It’s always good to see local products do well on the next level, especially in softball…
If the rain ever subsides, the HCIAA playoffs in baseball and softball are scheduled to begin this week, but the regular season has to be completed first before any playoff games can commence.
It appears that there are three favorites to claim league titles in the weeks to come – County Prep in the HCIAA Seglio baseball, High Tech in the HCIAA Seglio softball and North Bergen in the HCIAA Coviello softball.
In the HCIAA baseball, it’s anyone’s guess, with teams knocking each other off left and right. It’s been a wild year, but when it comes to playoff time, you have to like the team with the best pitching and right now, that’s Marist and their ace, Fabian Roman. However, it’s still a wide open contest and it should be interesting… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.