When you ask the St. Anthony High School football players about what happened last year, they don’t even want to utter a word about it.
“Actually, I really don’t like talking about it,” said junior running back David Coleman, who entered the Hudson County high school football scene with a huge splash last September with a phenomenal performance in a 40-12 win over Memorial, a win that put the Friar grid program on the proverbial map.
“It’s behind us now,” Coleman said.
“It’s just a mistake that happened,” said talented two-way performer Jidamon Sparkman. “We’re going to use that as motivation.”
The Friars started off their initial varsity season in 2008 with flying colors, winning three of their first four games. They appeared headed to an NJSIAA state playoff berth, which would have been downright astonishing, considering it was the school’s first football campaign.
But then, it all came crashing down. It was alleged that the Friars used an ineligible player, an eighth grader no less, for the first four games. They had to forfeit all four games and the head coach, Bill Sullivan, was terminated. The Friars ended up winning six games on the field, but only three were considered actual victories because of the ineligible player.
The Friars didn’t recover from the emotionally draining situation.
Now, it’s a new year and the Friars have a new coach in former Hoboken assistant Sean Fallon. Many of the same kids have returned and are ready to move past the disaster of a year ago.
“It’s a big motivation for this year,” Coleman said.
“We’re going to take what happened last year and use it for this year,” Sparkman said.
Enter Fallon, who spent the last few years working with the Red Wings. He’s young, ambitious and has already made changes to the Friar program.
“The program was in chaos, but we’ve pulled out of that,” Fallon said. “We might have lost some players, but the kids we still have are all together. They now attend study hall and go to the new weight room. Sure, they felt disappointed. They felt they got a raw deal and should not have been punished for it. But once they saw I was committed to them and the program, they came aboard and are doing things the right way.”
Fallon said that the transition has been “unbelievable.”
“The kids have been working hard since July 30,” Fallon said. “They’ve been here every day. We even went to camp [Camp Pontiac in Copiague, N.Y.] with the Jersey City public schools and worked three times a day. They didn’t complain and turned it into fun. We have a good foundation.”
Fallon turns the ball over to junior Sylvester Wright (6-0, 175) and asks him to run the Friars’ Wing-T offense.
“He’s an athletic kid who can play quarterback,” Fallon said of Wright. “He has a good arm and he can take off with the ball.”
Sparkman (6-0, 195) will be the featured back at fullback.
“He has a lot of talent,” Fallon said of the junior Sparkman. “He’s the best player on the team. We’ve already sent out tapes of him to colleges and there has been interest. Although he likes to run with the ball, I think he’s more of a linebacker.”
Coleman (5-11, 180) will be the halfback.
“He had a great year last year and he’s ready to come back this year,” Fallon said. “He’s extremely physical.”
Sophomore Daryl Wilson (5-8, 200) is the wingback. Senior Joshua Ford (6-4, 210) is the wide receiver. Fallon said that both of those players can run as well. The tight end is senior Linnex Hindes (5-10, 200).
The Friars have some good size on the offensive line, but the group is young. Sophomore Bryan Douglas (6-3, 220) is joined at tackle by senior Justin Beaty (6-4, 190), a converted tight end. Junior Robinson Beneche (6-1, 220) is at guard with freshman Darius Roper (6-2, 220). The center is sophomore Jarvis Riley (5-10, 250), who never played organized football before.
The Friars will utilize most of the same personnel on defense. Roper and Ford will be the defensive ends, with Beneche returning to his starting defensive tackle slot, along with newcomer Riley.
The linebackers may be the strength of the team, with Sparkman returning to where he made a big impression last year, along with Wilson. Hindes is the middle linebacker. Coleman and Wright are the cornerbacks, with junior Craig Davila (5-10, 180), also a good placekicker, and senior Jarvis Kelly (5-8, 180) at the safeties.
The Friars open Saturday, Sept. 12 at Caven Point Cochrane Field against Montclair Immaculate then face Newark Academy, Lincoln and Hoboken in the first four weeks. The challenge lies ahead.
“Last year, they played an independent schedule and they were doing well,” Fallon said. “We’re now in a division of the new league [the new North Jersey Tri-County Conference] and we have a competitive schedule. If you look at our team, we have the talent to compete. We’re expected to win games now. I thoroughly expect to be in the state tournament this year [the NJSIAA Non-Public Group I bracket] and if we’re not, it’s a major disappointment.”
Sure appears as if the Friars have moved on from last year. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.