To the victors go the spoils.
St. Peter’s Prep, the No. 1 team in New Jersey high school football for 2014, deservedly dominates the 2014 Hudson Reporter All-Area High School Football Team.
All totaled, eight Marauders were selected to the All-Area squad, including a clean sweep of the individual player awards.
The Marauders, who defeated Paramus Catholic, 34-18, last Friday night at MetLife Stadium to clinch the school’s first NJSIAA state title since 2005, saw senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush come away with both the Offensive Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player honors.
Wimbush re-wrote the Prep passing record book, completing 192 of 265 passes for 3,187 yards and 37 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He also rushed for 723 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
It was truly a remarkable performance this season by the Notre Dame-bound Wimbush. No question, Wimbush leaves this area as the best quarterback to ever grace Hudson County football and it would not be a shock if someday, Wimbush graces MetLife Stadium once again as a professional. He’s that talented and worthy of the postseason praise.
The Hudson Reporter Defensive Player of the Year was Marauder senior defensive tackle Dave Tolentino, who was the stalwart of a very stingy Prep defensive unit.
Tolentino is heavily considering an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in the fall, but now may have other options after his impressive season, which saw him collect 29 solo tackles, 51 assisted tackles, six sacks and a fumble recovery.
The Hudson Reporter Coach of the Year goes to Ed Stinson of St. Anthony, who guided the Friars to their first-ever NJSIAA state tournament victories against Marist and St. Mary’s of Rutherford before falling to perennial state power St. Joseph of Hammonton in the state title game last weekend.
It’s only fitting that Stinson earns Coach of the Year honors soon after the passing of his high school coach and mentor Vince Ascolese. The legendary Ascolese, who died last week after an eight-year battle with cancer, coached Stinson at Hoboken High School some 50 years ago.
Stinson went on to have a legendary career at Hoboken, winning six state titles there. This was Stinson’s second season at St. Anthony.
In all, 15 players earned repeat honoree status on the All-Area squad, the highest total of returning All-Area players in the nearly quarter-century that the Reporter has been honoring the top gridiron heroes in the county.
They are: Wimbush and Tolentino, as well as Jordan Fox, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Corey Caddle of St. Peter’s Prep, Devell Jones and Daisjon Robinson of Lincoln, Devin Terry and Alex Vidal of St. Anthony, Steven Gonzalez, Daiquan Kelly and Tamaine Boyd of Union City, Syhiem Simmons of Hudson Catholic, Daniel Clifford of Hoboken and Oliver Molano of Weehawken.
Incredibly, Tolentino, Jones, Robinson and Terry are all three-time honorees. Tolentino made it as a defensive player as a sophomore, offensive lineman last year and returns to defense this season. Terry was a linebacker the last two seasons and earns the honors as an offensive lineman this year.
It was a great year all around for Hudson County football, capped by the Marauders of Grand and Warren winning the Non-Public Group 4 state title as well as the mythical overall state championship as the No. 1-ranked team in New Jersey. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.