Even Rich Hansen knows there’s only one way to describe what the 2014 football season meant to the St. Peter’s Prep program.
“It was a magical year,” said the veteran head coach of the Marauders.
The Marauders won 11 games, including a 34-18 dismantling of Paramus Catholic in the cold December rain at MetLife Stadium to capture the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 4 state championship.
It was the fourth state title for the Marauders in the school’s history, all under Hansen’s watch, and granted the Marauders the overall No. 1-ranking in the state by several different publications and websites.
The Marauders have now won a state title for each of the last four decades – the 80s (1989), the 90s (1994), the 2000s (2005) and the 2010s (2014).
Now entering his 27th season as head coach, Hansen, now the granddaddy of all Hudson County high school coaches, knows that last year is already a part of ancient history.
“In high school football, every year is different,” Hansen said. “We will remember it, but we have already shaken it out and got grounded. This is a great time to coach, because this is a new challenge with a new team.”
Gone are All-State honorees Brandon Wimbush (Notre Dame) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama). The Marauders may never have two top recruits on the same team at the same time ever again. Gone also is Corey Caddle (Fordham), who was the Hudson Reporter Male Athlete of the Year for 2014-15.
The three-headed offensive monster caused by big-time playmakers Wimbush, Fitzpatrick and Caddle may also never been seen again.
But that doesn’t concern Hansen too much.
“We have a good core group of kids who are very hard working,” Hansen said. “They might not have the experience that last year’s team had, but they’re going to lean on each other and build on that. By the time the state playoffs come around, we’ll have experience.”
Hansen thinks that the Marauders have a chance to be very good once again.
“We have a chance to be very competitive and the ability to play with everyone,” Hansen said. “We have so many kids with ability. People might not know them the way that we do, but we know they’re talented. We have to get them game ready. I’m anxious and excited to see what we can do with this team.”
Hansen has seen major strides in preseason scrimmages against expected state powers DePaul of Wayne and St. Joseph’s of Montvale.
“I do like the makeup of this team,” Hansen said. “We’re going to hang in there defensively. Offensively, we have so many weapons. We’re just getting into a rhythm now that I really wanted to see. But I wanted to see most how tough we are. We’ve done some good things in the scrimmages, showing some resilience and toughness.”
Junior Johnathan Lewis (6-3, 210) is the starter at quarterback. Hansen doesn’t want Lewis to think like he has to replace Wimbush.
“The one thing we don’t want from Johnathan is to try to be Brandon,” Hansen said. “He just has to be the best Johnathan he can be. If he does that, we will be pretty successful. He has a big arm. He makes the good throws, the easy throws. He has the chance to turn dirt into gold. He physically has all the tools. He’s looked good so far.”
The top running back is senior Sa’id Boykin (5-10, 190), who had more than 500 yards in limited playing time last season.
“I’m really happy where he’s at,” Hansen said. “He’s done a good job in the offseason getting ready. He has been waiting his turn and he’s excited to know that he’s getting the ball.”
The Marauders have a lot of depth in the backfield in juniors Damion Abrams (5-9, 220) and Jorge Portorreal (5-10, 170) and sophomores Dom Meleo (5-9, 180), Malcolm Brunson (6-0, 180) and Rumeel Mickens (5-10, 170).
Mickens has speed to burn and will find his way into the regular rotation by season’s end.
“He has wheels,” Hansen said of Mickens.
The receiving corps has a ton of big-time talent, including seniors Kolton Huber (6-2, 210), who had the great blocked punt return for a touchdown in the state title game, taking the ball literally off the punter’s foot, and K.J. Gray (6-3, 190), who has already declared his intent to go to Boston College.
The versatile Huber will have his fair share of college choices when the time comes to decide.
“He has some Ivy League schools looking at him and other [NCAA] Division I schools,” Hansen said. “He’s one of our solid leaders. He had 13 catches in our two scrimmages. I think he’s one of the top players in the state. He’s a good athlete who is so important to us.”
Other receivers in the mix include junior Masaki Aerts (6-3, 170) and senior Brendan Popovich (6-2, 200).
The tight end position is a battle between sophomore Justin Ademilola (6-3, 230) and junior Benji Mowatt (6-2, 220), the nephew of former New York Giants great tight end Zeke Mowatt.
The Marauders lost a lot on the offensive line, with talented senior tackle Ben Petrula (6-6, 305) one of the lone returnees. Petrula will also have his fair share of college scholarship offers.
Junior Harley Monteiro (6-2, 265) is the starter at center, with senior Freddie Recio (6-2, 275) and sophomore Jayson Ademilola (6-3, 265), the twin brother of Justin, at guard. The other tackle slot is a battle between juniors Aaron Coleman (6-3, 265) and Jan Brentjens (6-3, 280).
“The thing I love about our line is that they have developed toughness and they’re getting better every day,” Hansen said.
The defensive line will feature Justin Ademilola and senior Tommy McIntyre (6-7, 230) at defensive end, along with Mowatt.
Recio, who saw time at defensive tackle last year, returns there.
“He’s grown into a solid football player,” Hansen said of Recio.
The outside linebackers will come from a group that includes senior Miles Strickland (6-2, 230), senior David Van Winkle (5-10, 230) and junior Johnny Yorey (5-9, 200).
The cornerbacks will be Gray, Portorreal and senior Jeremiah Lynch (5-10, 180). The safety slots are wide open, with Huber heading a crew that features senior Eddie Reaves (6-0, 170), junior Cam Clarke (6-0, 170) and sophomore Shayne Simon (6-2, 190), who has the potential to develop into a fine football player on both sides of the ball.
“We’re very deep at safety,” Hansen said. “We’re going to use Huber at different positions, moving him all over the place.”
The Marauders will kick off the entire 2015 New Jersey football season when they play host to the Avalon School of Maryland Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. It’s a game that was moved back and forth between Caven Point Cochrane Stadium and Rutgers’ High Point Solutions Stadium, but will now remain in Jersey City.
“We have our hands full with this team to start the season,” Hansen said. “They have seven [NCAA] Division I prospects on their team and a pretty good sized line. We will see right away how well we do.”
But Hansen likes the prospects.
“A lot of people thought we were going to be down because of the people we lost,” Hansen said. “We’re just going to come out and play and see what we have.”
Count on the Marauders to be playing into November – and possibly beyond.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com.