Chris Johnsen begins his third season as the head football coach at Weehawken High School, knowing full well that the Indians have to show some improvement this year. They were 1-9 during Johnsen’s first season in 2008 and 2-8 last year.
“A lot of these kids have been playing for me for three years now,” Johnsen said. “I think we were more competitive last year, but playing in the new league this year is definitely going to help.”
Weehawken has moved away from the BCSL National that it played in for the last three decades for the newly formed North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJIC).
“We’re going to play teams that we can be more competitive against,” Johnsen said. “I think we should be better for it.”
Johnsen feels good about his team’s chances because the players are very optimistic.
“Their enthusiasm is sky high,” Johnsen said. “I think it helps because most of them have been around for three years. They know what to expect from me and I know what to expect from them. It’s their team as much as it is mine.”
Johnsen was impressed with the way his team handled a tough situation recently. A player who quit the team last year asked Johnsen if he could return. Johnsen told the youngster that it wasn’t his decision.
“I left it up to them,” Johnsen said. “They had to be the ones who accepted him back. That absolutely was a sign of this team’s maturity. They spoke up and handled the situation.”
Johnsen also feels like he’s a better coach as he enters his third season.
“The first year helped me a lot to grow as a coach,” Johnsen said. “Now, after two years, I know what I have to do. We might only have 22 kids right now, but 18 of them have been with me for one or two years. They know what to do as well. But we still have a lot of things to work on.”
Leading the way is three-year starting quarterback Jason Pineda (5-11, 170), who took over running the offense as a freshman and has never looked back.
The Indians will utilize a new offensive approach this season, running the triple option like Navy and Georgia Tech, to maximize the talents of Pineda, who is an experienced veteran even though he’s still only a junior.
“He’s a very good athlete and did well in our seven-on-seven drills this summer against some good teams like Union City, Memorial and Harrison,” Johnsen said. “He’s been tested and has handled it well.”
The Indians also welcome back their top running back in sophomore Damian Corredor (5-10, 180), who collected 800 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns last season as a freshman.
Junior Humberto Leigue (5-10, 180) is another returning veteran who will get his share of carries out of the Indian backfield this season.
Senior Jordy Martin (5-3, 130) is competing for playing time with sophomore Chris Cintron (5-8, 150) for the last backfield slot.
Johnsen said that the players are excited to put the new offensive formations into place.
“They love it,” Johnsen said. “They have been going home and watching reruns of Navy and Georgia Tech on the College Sports Network to learn the offense more. They’re really into it.”
The wide receiver is junior Kenny Manier (6-3, 190), who moves from tight end to wide receiver in the new offensive set. Manier made All-BCSL National last year as a tight end, so he should be able to handle the new position.
The offensive line features senior Uzzi Arias (6-0, 220) and junior Nick Steen (5-11, 210) at tackles with senior Victor Vangelakos (6-0, 220) getting into the mix at tackle. Senior Anthony Landi (6-0, 200) is the center, with junior Bobby Reiss (6-4, 275) and sophomore Luis Nunez (5-11, 220) manning the guard slots.
The Indians will use a 4-6 defensive set, with Manier returning to his slot at outside linebacker. Arias and Vangelakos will battle for time at defensive end along with Landi, who started there last year. Nunez and Reiss are the defensive tackles, with Chris Cintron at linebacker with brother Danny Cintron (5-11, 180), a senior.
Leigue and Corredor are the cornerbacks with Pineda at safety, where he earned All-BCSL recognition last year.
“Jason was a starter for us in the secondary before he became a quarterback,” Johnsen said. “He’s very good back there.”
The Indians open the 2010 season Sept. 11 with a game against Wood-Ridge.
“We should be a better team this year,” Johnsen said. “That’s our goal. We know we have to improve. The team is better and the league will help us.” – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.