To simply say that Joe Impreveduto comes from a family lineage of standout athletes from Secaucus, well, you just better take your place in line. The list of relatives could stretch the borders of the entire town, from the Hackensack River to Hackensack Plank Road.
“I think half the town is my family,” Impreveduto says with a laugh. “We’re all related. Everyone is a cousin or an uncle or something.”
Just don’t ask how, because that might take all day. It’s way too confusing to figure out, like the familiar relationship between Tony Soprano and Christopher Moltisanti on “The Sopranos.” Cousin, uncle? Who knows?
But Impreveduto has a pretty impressive list of relatives, like former state assemblyman, the late Anthony Impreveduto, and former Secaucus High School Principal Pat Impreveduto. They’re all related in some fashion.
But there are more in the athletic field, like uncle Alan Kashian, a former Secaucus High and Stevens Tech basketball star, cousin Vinnie Sasso, a former Secaucus three-sport standout who went on to coach girls’ basketball at Emerson High School, and an uncle, the late Michael Tanner, who was a three-sport superstar at St. Joseph’s of the Palisades and Hudson County Hall of Famer who played quarterback at Cornell University. Michael Tanner was tragically killed in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
“When I was younger, I read a story about my Uncle Mike and it said how good he was,” Impreveduto said. “I looked up to him.”
There is another member of the Impreveduto family that comes from a strong athletic background, namely Vinny Impreveduto, Joe’s father. The elder Impreveduto was a standout athlete at Secaucus High in the 1970s, but he never once told his growing son about his athletic prowess.
“He told me he played football, but he never told me how good he was,” the younger Impreveduto said. “Coach [Charlie Voorhees] told me that he remembered my dad and said that he was good.”
When Joe Impreveduto was younger, his father really didn’t want him to play football. Or perhaps it was his mother, Margaret. It was definitely one of them.
“I think maybe it was more of my Mom’s doing,” the younger Impreveduto said. “I don’t think she wanted me to get hurt. But it’s all I wanted to do. I played football all the time with my friends. I think they saw how much I really loved playing football, so they let me play.”
When Impreveduto joined the Secaucus Recreation football program in fifth grade, everyone knew that he was targeted for greatness, especially his future coach at the high school.
“No doubt about it,” Voorhees said. “He showed the signs early on that he was going to be a good football player. He was all over the place. He definitely had the tools early on.”
But when Impreveduto eventually came to Secaucus, he had to wait his turn. There were other players ahead of him.
“He had to be patient,” Voorhees said. “He did play defense as a sophomore on the varsity and then when he got his chance, his speed and desire to get better helped him as a running back. Plus, he was a tough kid. He knew how to lower the pads and lay the wood. I knew that he had a chance to be a really good one.”
Impreveduto said that he watched David Tejada, a former Secaucus All-State standout who still holds the Hudson County single season scoring record with 244 points, on a regular basis when Tejada was a standout for Secaucus in 2004. Tejada, the Hudson Reporter Most Valuable Player that season with his 2,194 yards and 40 touchdowns, befriended Impreveduto.
“I used to watch David all the time,” Impreveduto said of Tejada, still playing college football at Rowan University. “He was amazing to watch. He brought a lot of excitement. I wanted to be like him. He was clearly the best. I recently became close with him and he’s been helping me out with moves, giving me tips on cutting and stopping. Just a little thing here and there, but it goes a long way.”
Five years later, Impreveduto is “entering Tejada territory,” according to Voorhees.
“Joey’s getting there,” Voorhees said. “It’s pretty amazing.”
Impreveduto had his best game as a Patriot last Saturday, when the Patriots lambasted perennial rival St. Mary’s of Rutherford, 58-7.
Impreveduto carried the ball 16 times for 214 yards and scored five touchdowns, leading the way to the victory. Impreveduto is now the leading scorer in northern New Jersey with 19 touchdowns this season.
For his efforts, Impreveduto has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
Voorhees said that the Patriots don’t give much credence to individual statistics.
“We really don’t pay much attention to things like that,” Voorhees said. “I didn’t even know he had five touchdowns.”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard it,” Impreveduto said. “At the end of the game, I said, `Wow.’ It was that amazing. But winning the game meant more. It was a present to our coaches. We knew that over the years, St. Mary’s had given us a tough time. This was a win not just for the team, but for the whole Secaucus family.”
And as for Impreveduto’s status as now an all-time Secaucus great?
“It feels amazing,” Impreveduto said. “I always dreamed I could get there. It’s all I used to think about, like how much I wanted to be like David Tejada.”
The victory enabled the Patriots to secure an NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I playoff berth, with the eventual goal of possibly playing for a state championship in Giants Stadium next month.
“I’d give up every single touchdown to get the chance to play there for a ring,” Impreveduto said. “I want to get there more than anything.”
“Just his overall maturity and growth has carried him,” Voorhees said. “And his intensity and leadership are second to none. It’s what you want for your senior leader. He’s making a difference. I knew it could happen. I’m not really surprised. All the pieces just fell into place. He’s just a product of the program.”
And don’t forget a product of the family, or in these terms, “la familia,” because like Impreveduto said, it’s all in the family in Secaucus.
“I guess it’s safe to say that football is in my blood,” Impreveduto said. “I guess I really didn’t have a choice.”
Fuggedaboutit. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.