The calendar might have read mid-November and usually by this time of the high school sports schedule, the soccer balls and uniforms have long been tucked away in the equipment locker at Secaucus High School.
See, when you get to November, it’s generally the time of the NJSIAA state tournament. When you get to the second week of November, it means state sectional championship time.
Secaucus doesn’t normally get to keep playing soccer deep into November, deep into the season when champions are annually crowned.
But this is not like any other year at Secaucus.
The Patriots have a new coach in Christopher Garcia, a 22-year-old native of Secaucus who went on to play at St. Benedict’s Prep and later Seton Hall, from where Garcia just graduated last spring. Yes, he is only 22 and the head coach.
When former coach Dan Farinola left Secaucus to take over the girls’ soccer program at North Arlington, where Farinola teaches and coaches other sports, athletic director Charlie Voorhees was willing to give young Garcia a shot to run the program, even though he’s not far removed from being a high school soccer player himself.
Garcia took over the program and had very modest goals from a team that won 10 games a year ago.
“My goal was to have a very successful season from the beginning,” Garcia said.
The Patriots were competitive from the start, aided by the help of two talented newcomers.
Freitty Garcia (no relation to the coach) is of Dominican descent and was raised in Sweden, of all places. His family moved to the United States last year and settled in Secaucus.
“I just love playing the game,” said Garcia, who became the Patriots’ center midfielder. “I was excited to play here.”
Defender Joseph Ferrara transferred to his home district school from St. Peter’s Prep.
“I knew that Secaucus had never competed for a state championship before,” Ferrara said. “The other players here, especially the seniors, really embraced me. We all thought we could make magic happen.”
But the Patriots had a rookie head coach and a 6-8-1 record approaching the last weeks of October. It’s not exactly magical. In fact, it looked like more of the same. Pack up the balls and the jerseys and throw them in the corner of the equipment room until next August.
The Patriots earned the No. 7 seed in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I playoffs, but in his heart, Garcia didn’t think it was a bad placement.
“I really thought we had a shot,” said Garcia, who said he suffered losses just twice in his entire high school career at St. Benedict’s. “The seeding was favorable.”
Assistant coach Anthony Nicolich, a long-time coach in the district, aided Garcia in getting comfortable with his new surroundings.
“Anthony really helped me a lot,” Garcia said. “We really thought we had a shot. Once we beat Leonia [in the regular season], we started to believe. We never beat Leonia before. From that point, we kept a positive attitude.”
“Once we beat Leonia,” Nicolich said, “everything changed.”
And there lies the Patriots’ shift in fortune. It had nothing to do with corner kicks or set pieces or defensive adjustments or offensive attacks. It was all mental.
“It was their attitude,” Garcia said. “I tried to motivate them and tell them that they could beat anyone. It depends on who wants it more. It’s all about attitude.”
Garcia said that he obtained that winning approach from his favorite soccer player _ perhaps the best soccer player in the world.
“My favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo,” Garcia said of the captain of the Portugal’s national team who plays for Real Madrid. “His attitude is amazing. He doesn’t like to lose. Since I was a player, attitude meant a lot. It’s about pride.”
Three weeks ago, the Patriots’ attitude changed for the better. And since then, they haven’t lost, reeling off six straight wins, including three straight in the North 2, Group I playoffs. They defeated American History of Newark, Belvidere and Glen Ridge in the playoffs.
And as of press time Thursday, the Patriots were doing the unthinkable. They were preparing to face Harrison in the finals of the North 2, Group I bracket. The Secaucus boys’ soccer team was actually playing for a state championship for the first time in school history.
Disregard the fact that the Patriots were facing the Blue Tide, the program with the highest total of state championships (26) in New Jersey history. Throw out the idea that Harrison had defeated Secaucus twice, by scores of 5-0 and 3-0, in the regular season.
It’s Secaucus and it’s a state title – two things that don’t necessarily get associated come time for the state soccer playoffs.
Junior Robert Walshe has been a key to the Patriots’ success, scoring 20 goals this season. Dennis Duri has 11 and Sean O’Boyle has found the nets 10 times this fall.
In the sectional semifinals against Glen Ridge, a 2-1 double overtime win, starting goalkeeper Eric Quitaquit was injured and sophomore Sabino Petruzzella stepped in during the extra sessions to save the day. Freshman Dylan Vasquez scored the game-winning goal, just 35 seconds before the game headed into penalty kicks.
The Patriots have the melting pot of high school athletic teams. They have kids from Ireland, Palestine, Albania, the Philippines, India and the Dominican Republic by way of Sweden. It’s really a version of the United Nations.
But the Patriots have a chance to re-write history. It doesn’t matter that the Patriots are facing the version of the Yankees, the Montreal Canadiens and UCLA basketball all rolled into one.
“I love challenges, believe me,” Garcia said. “I respect their past and what they’ve done, but anything is possible. Hey, Barcelona loses. Man U [Manchester United] loses. The second time we played Harrison this year, we were missing five starters. We played well. I just believe we have a different mentality now. We have confidence. We have a different attitude. We’re going to give them a good game.”
Regardless of what happens, it’s a remarkable run, one that has helped to put Secaucus on the statewide soccer map.
After all, there were only two high school soccer teams from Hudson County still playing Thursday. One was Harrison, the other was Secaucus. So much for putting the equipment away in October.
“It truly is amazing,” said the first-year head coach, who is all of 22.
It’s a run for the ages for the unlikeliest of state sectional soccer finalists.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com.