When Daniel Taylor first attended high school, he resided in a tiny upstate New York town called Pine Bush. Although standing only 5-foot-4 and weighing just 150 pounds, Taylor was excited to play football in Pine Bush.
But Taylor’s guardians, aunt and uncle Kelly and Matthew Montgomery, moved back to their native Jersey City and enrolled Taylor in their alma mater, namely Dickinson High School, where Kelly Montgomery graduated in 1994 and her husband a year later. Both Kelly and Matthew were athletes at Dickinson – Kelly playing volleyball, Matthew running track and field.
There was only one problem. When Taylor got to Dickinson, the school didn’t have a football program.
“I was disappointed, because I really wanted to play football,” Taylor said.
When he got to Dickinson three years ago, Taylor learned of a plan to bring football back to the school.
“I wanted to be one of the first ones to help get it started,” Taylor said.
That first year, Dickinson offered football on a junior varsity level, but it was still football. Taylor signed up and played for the program, which had been disbanded since the 2009 season.
The last two years, the Rams competed solely on the junior varsity level, but returned to varsity status to begin this year.
“Going into this season, we wanted to prove everyone wrong,” Taylor said. “We heard from everyone criticizing us, saying that we weren’t going to win a game. A lot of other players from other high schools were talking. That’s why I wanted to prove them wrong.”
Taylor also takes it personal when people say that he’s too small to be successful on the gridiron.
“That motivates me a lot as well,” Taylor said. “I love that.”
When the Rams faced Belleville last weekend, Taylor was all set to make his mark.
Belleville scored first to take a lead, but the Rams and Taylor were just getting started. The Rams got the ball on their own 19-yard line.
“Before the game, I promised my teammates that I would be the one to score the first touchdown,” Taylor said. “I didn’t know it would happen on the first play.”
On the first play from scrimmage, Taylor broke through the line and was off to the races, scoring on an 81-yard touchdown.
“I think that really helped everyone on the team,” Taylor said. “I think it proved to everyone that we could play.”
“We knew that we were going to have to run the football,” said Dickinson head coach Sean Fallon. “But we didn’t know if we had anyone who was capable of breaking a long one. That really surprised me. He had a couple of good runs last year. We got a glimpse of what he could do last year. But I didn’t know what Daniel would turn into.”
Taylor’s touchdown jaunt set the tone for what would become a memorable evening for him and the Rams.
Taylor carried the ball 12 times for an astounding 281 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Rams to a 56-49 victory.
It marked Dickinson’s first varsity football victory since defeating Snyder on Nov. 7, 2008.
For his efforts, Taylor has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week. Taylor is the first Dickinson football player to earn the honor since 1994.
Taylor’s 281-yard performance was the second highest rushing total in the entire state of New Jersey last week.
“I didn’t know I had 281 yards until the other day,” Taylor said. “I saw it online and that was amazing. No one could think that a Dickinson player could do that. It’s unreal.”
Fallon was impressed with his senior’s breakthrough performance.
“He’s undersized,” Fallon said. “But he’s a stocky, strong undersized. He has some good speed. He understands the offense and knows that the plays he was running, he had to slow down and then hurry up. He had the patience necessary to make the plays. He had to hit the holes and follow the blocks. Then, he gets the block and turns the jets on.”
Fallon depends a lot on Taylor.
“He’s one of the few seniors we have,” Fallon said. “So he gives us leadership and works with the younger players. He’s vocal with the young kids. He goes out of his way to help the younger kids. We’ve never had a problem with him. He’s just a good kid, a good solid high school kid.”
Fallon knows the importance of getting the win, with Taylor having a huge day.
“It wasn’t just big for him, but the whole team,” Fallon said. “The kids all got to see what they are capable of. It was a huge confidence booster. It really felt like a real high school football game, with a good atmosphere. It was something our kids never saw before.”
Taylor was overjoyed with his performance.
“Every game, I just try to run my heart out,” Taylor said. “But this felt really good. I told my teammates to enjoy the feeling, because we’re going to win more.”
Taylor was stunned when he was told he was the first Dickinson grid standout since Gary Field to earn Athlete of the Week. Ironically, Field graduated high school with Taylor’s aunt Kelly Montgomery.
“That is just crazy,” Taylor said. “It’s a great achievement. It really helps my confidence a lot. Now, I know I’m capable of getting yards, but doing that in a game, with my teammates, that’s tremendous. They know now that they can count on me and I can give them a good result.”
Whether that will be 281 yards worth of a positive outcome remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure. Daniel Taylor has arrived and so, once again, has the Dickinson football team. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.