It’s a decision that every single high school senior should have to make.
St. Peter’s Prep standout linebacker Jordan Fox narrowed down his decision about college months ago to two schools – namely Virginia and Stanford.
Both schools are highly reputable educational institutions, so Fox wasn’t going to go wrong with either.
“It was a tough decision,” Fox said. “I was very torn about it. It was pretty close.”
However, in his heart, Fox always wanted to go to Stanford.
“It has been my dream school growing up,” Fox said. “It has great athletics combined with getting a great education, so it was the best of both worlds.”
But Fox had to wait to see if he was officially accepted as a student. There were certain academic requirements that had to be made, like taking advanced placement courses and a prominent score on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests.
So Fox narrowed down his choices before the high school football season began – and then waited.
“It was a long process,” Fox said. “Stanford does things differently than other schools. I took on the challenge all year because I wanted to go to Stanford.”
Two weeks ago, Fox received word that he was officially accepted as a student. Still then, he really hadn’t made up his mind.
“It was pretty even with my decision,” Fox said. “I loved Virginia. But I was happy and blessed to get admitted into Stanford.”
St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen was pleased with Fox’s choice.
“First of all, I’m happy that he had the choices he had,” Hansen said. “But he had the chance to make Stanford a reality and he did. He’s going to a great place. He got what he was looking for and put all the pieces together. He’s a really bright kid and worked hard to get where he is. Once Stanford confirmed that Jordan was academically sound, it made the decision easier and I’m really happy for him.”
Fox said that he did seek out some advice from former Prep grid standout Khalil Wilkes, a recent Stanford graduate who had a brief stint with the San Diego Chargers last NFL preseason.
“When he was back here before the season, he talked to me how great Stanford was,” Fox said. “He talked about the opportunities that you get from a Stanford education. He gave me good advice.”
Fox now joins his older brother, James, at prestigious universities. James Fox, the former state wrestling champion at St. Peter’s Prep, is now wrestling at Harvard. Can you imagine the pride in the Fox family, having brothers at Harvard and now Stanford?
“My parents are so happy,” Fox said. “They wanted the best for us growing up. Our hard work has paid off.”
But the younger Fox made the decision to stay away from wrestling this season to concentrate on his studies and to get his body in shape to play top-flight NCAA Division I football.
“That was a really tough decision, because I loved wrestling,” Fox said. “I am still really close to the wrestling guys. I got to matches all the time, wishing I was out there.”
The NCAA signing day for football players is Wednesday and it will be a proud day at Grand and Warren, when five players put their signatures on college scholarship letters of intent, as Fox now joins teammates Brandon Wimbush (Notre Dame), Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama), Dave Tolentino (Navy) and Corey Caddle (Fordham) all going to major colleges after winning the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 state title last December and earning the No. 1 ranking in the entire state.
“It’s a good class,” Hansen said in an understatement. “I’m glad all their hard work has paid off on the field and in the classroom. It’s an exceptional group of guys.”
We will have more on National Signing Day next week, as five Hudson County high schools will have football players putting their John Hancock on national letters of intent…
What got lost a little in the shuffle last week about the Hudson Catholic boys’ team winning the NJSIAA Non-Public B state sectional relays championship was the solid performance of the girls’ team at the relays.
Hudson Catholic captured two gold medals at the Non-Public B state championships at the Bennett Center in Toms River, namely the 4×200-meter relay of Dinesha Trowbridge, Katie Boyle, Alexandra Desravines and Janoa Watson and the sprint medley relay team of Trowbridge, Watson, Katria Stewart and cross country sensation Crystal Ortiz.
So it’s not just the boys who did well…
St. Dominic Academy won medals in the distance medley (fourth) and 4×800-meter relay (fifth), with Camille Bertholon, Jianna Bustamante and Emily Mernar on both medal-winning relay teams for the Blue Devils.
Ayanna Patterson had the third best throw of the day in the shot put for SDA…
In girls’ basketball, one of the biggest surprises of the season has been the resurgence of Hoboken, which now owns a 10-4 record, thanks to the efforts of players like Samantha Tirado, Carlota DeSolis and the Henriquez twins, Ally and Jaeda…
Secaucus remains among the state’s best teams, ranked No. 16 in the last state ranking. The Patriots remain undefeated at 13-0.
Lincoln has enjoyed a solid run, including a big win over St. Dominic, where Kiante Johnson had 19 points, Zhan’e Williams had 14 and Natalie Cortes had 13. It looks as if we’re headed toward another Secaucus-Lincoln showdown in the upcoming Hudson County tourney…
In boys’ basketball, St. Peter’s Prep, undergoing a major facelift top to bottom, has climbed back to the .500 mark at 7-7, thanks to the play of freshman Brendan Thiele, who scored 14 and 13 points in two wins last week. Thiele is a shining star and a player than new coach Alex Mirabel can look to for the rest of the season and the three years to come. Unlike other former Prep players that transferred out of Grand and Warren, Thiele is going nowhere…
Marist will get a huge lift next season, when former Roselle Catholic standout Asante Gist becomes eligible. Gist, a star in the Roselle Catholic run to the overall state title last year, transferred to Marist last week…
Hudson Reporter Boys’ High School Basketball Top Five: 1. St. Anthony (12-1). 2. Hudson Catholic (12-2). 3. Marist (11-3). 4. Snyder (10-4). 5. Union City (8-5).
Hudson Reporter Girls’ High School Basketball Top Five: 1. Secaucus (13-0). 2. Lincoln (10-3). 3. North Bergen (9-4). 4. Marist (8-3). 5. Ferris (9-4)…–Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.