The high school football season is only two weeks old and St. Peter’s Prep has already been elevated into the No. 1 ranking in the entire state, courtesy of a 41-28 victory over Blessed Trinity of Atlanta in a game played in Dublin, Ireland.
But it’s a position that veteran head coach Rich Hansen isn’t too fond of.
“You know what I like about rankings?” Hansen asked. “Nothing. I hate them. Especially at this point of the season. They are totally subjective and don’t mean anything, but they can be potentially destructive and dangerous for a team.”
Hansen said that he heard his players talking about the No. 1 rating from NJ.com and put a kibosh to that almost immediately.
“I told them that the goal is to be No. 1 in December not September,” Hansen said. “That ranking is going to rotate about seven or eight times this year. This week, it’s our turn. But we have to focus on Saturday.”
The Marauders are set to face the Peddie School at Caven Point Cochrane Stadium. Peddie is a team with at least five NCAA Division I prospects. It will be a major battle for the Marauders.
“We’ve played a lot of talented teams in the past and we will see other talented teams this season,” Hansen said. “We have our share of talented players, too. Despite the ranking, we have to worry about one thing. We have to focus on us. The process doesn’t change, no matter what the ranking says. We have to worry about what makes us better and keeps us sharp.”
Hansen continued about the state ranking.
“What other people think about us doesn’t matter,” Hansen said. “Right now, it’s been a distraction that we didn’t need.”
Hansen said that the Marauders thoroughly enjoyed their journey across the pond, especially since they returned home with a victory and unscathed.
“We left with 72 players and came home with 72,” Hansen said. “We didn’t have any major injuries. I thought it was a great trip. Our kids were unbelievable. I had so many people come up to me and complimented me about the way the kids handled themselves, how respectful they were. We also played so well, so that made the trip go so smoothly.”
Hansen said that the Ireland trip went a long way to creating team camaraderie.
“It was great for team building,” Hansen said. “And the kids had a good time along the way. It was an once-in-a-lifetime deal. Personally, I can check that off my list of things I always wanted to do. It was something we’ll always remember.”
Hansen was asked if the Marauders might make another trip in the future.
“People are talking about different options,” Hansen said. “We need 100 percent from our administration and alumni. We raised a lot of money to help pay for Ireland, in excess of six figures. We can only do it if we have everyone on board. I’d like to think we could do it again. But for now, Ireland is in the rearview mirror and we will think about other options after the season is over.”
The Marauders remain a team with two quarterbacks. Senior Johnathan Lewis and junior Maasai Maynor are still sharing repetitions in practice, with Lewis getting more of the snaps. But Hansen doesn’t mind having two quarterbacks sharing the load.
“It’s not a problem for us,” Hansen said. “I don’t think we’re waiting with baited breath to see who the starting quarterback is this week. Both share the responsibilities. It’s not a problem for us. John has more experience, so that probably gives him the upper hand. But the whole idea is to have them compete every day in practice.”
While Lewis played most of the game in Ireland, Maynor did get about 12 snaps and attempted five passes with three runs.
“We don’t have packages in our offense for one or the other,” Hansen said. “They both do the same things in our offense. They both do it very well and I’m confident in the formula.”
Lewis, the Rutgers commit, is the one who will gain most of the attention, considering he was one of the first to give Rutgers a commitment after Chris Ash became the head coach. But Maynor is lightning quick and just might be a tad faster than former Marauder great signal caller Brandon Wimbush (now at Notre Dame).
So having two quarterbacks is not a distraction for the Marauders. In fact, Hansen likes having both of them sharing the top duties.
“It’s not a problem because they both handle the offense very well,” Hansen said. “That and their personalities really make it work well. I think Maasai has to become more selfish with the ball, but I’m happy with the way things are working out.”
Now, if someone can just remove the No. 1 ranking from the Marauders without them losing a game. A poor outing against Peddie without a loss and perhaps St. Joseph’s of Montvale doing well in a win over Delbarton? In the world of the new-fangled Super Football Conference, anything can happen.
For now, the Marauders are atop the rankings. It remains to be seen if the Marauders can stay there.
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com. You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com