The 2008 high school football season was one to totally forget for the Bruins of North Bergen. They were totally decimated by injuries and illness. They lost games that North Bergen teams don’t normally lose. Their legendary head coach was slowed by cancer. It was a complete and utter nightmare.
The end result was a 3-7 record and the first time that North Bergen failed to qualify for the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV playoffs since 1987, ending a Hudson County record of 21 straight playoff appearances.
It was also only the third time in 46 years of coaching high school football that Vince Ascolese had to endure a losing season.
How about that for a powerful one-two to the solar plexus? A losing season combined with a cancer diagnosis. That was a lot to place on the plate of Hudson County’s all-time leader in coaching victories, the highly respected legend who stands No. 3 all-time in New Jersey coaching wins.
“I have to be honest,” Ascolese said. “I wasn’t happy. It was hard to take. I tried to rationalize it, but the best thing to keep me going was that most of these kids were going to come back again for next year. If it was only the third losing year, then I was very lucky that it was only three. There are other coaches who have had far worse. We all struggled through last year and left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths.”
As for the players? How about being the first Bruin team to stay home come playoff time after two full decades, for more than they had all been on the planet? That had to stick to their collective stomachs like peanut butter to the roofs of their mouths.
“I think they were all very upset like I was,” Ascolese said. “It was all very hard to take. They were embarrassed. In the weight room during the winter, we talked about it and we all said that we couldn’t allow for it to happen again.”
So the Bruins went to work collectively to make sure that 2008 was a complete aberration. They pushed themselves in the off-season. Many of the key performers on last year’s dreadful campaign were vowing to come back better and stronger in 2009, kids like quarterback Peter Ramanand and running back Carlos Mateo, kids who had some moments of brilliance last season, but also took their lumps a little and learned.
Then, in the off-season, the Bruins decided to change their offensive philosophy a little. Out went the traditional Delaware Wing-T that Ascolese utilized since he was a rookie coach in Hoboken. In came the new-fangled shotgun option offense that was best suited for Ramanand’s talents. It was a radical change, but it was one that was made to change the face of the Bruins.
“It’s been fun,” Ascolese said. “We have the people who can play that offense.”
It’s worked. Because the Bruins are once again among Hudson County’s elite. They currently own a 4-1 record, already surpassing last year’s total win total. The coach is healthy, thank God, and is enjoying this football season. More than likely, the Bruins will earn a berth in this year’s state playoffs. It was only a year’s absence.
Plain and simple, the Bruins are back.
For one, unlike last year, they’ve been relatively healthy. The only injury all season was the dinged shoulder that kept Ramanand on the sidelines for last weekend’s game against Dickinson. Sophomore Sergio Rodriguez started the game, but then eventually, starting fullback John Stark, who used to be a tight end, showed his versatility by moving into the signal caller’s slot.
Stark guided the Bruins to a 41-15 victory by scoring three rushing touchdowns and passing for a two-point PAT conversion. Not bad for someone who never played a down at quarterback in high school before.
“We worked him there and he was originally a quarterback when he was younger,” Ascolese said. “He just came in and took over.”
Mateo continued his solid season by running for two long touchdowns of 38 and 55 yards respectively.
“Honestly, we haven’t gotten from Carlos what I really expected of him,” Ascolese said. “He has tremendous potential. He showed good signs in the Dickinson game.”
The coach’s grandson, Vincent Ascolese III, scored his first varsity touchdown on a 43-yard interception return from his starting linebacker slot.
“He’s been doing a good job and playing well,” the elder Ascolese said of his grandson.
Stark has been solid at linebacker and Chris Vann has been stellar in the secondary.
“We’ve been playing very well defensively,” Ascolese said. “That’s been a key. We’re also staying healthy. We’ve been fortunate that way. That’s another key.”
The Bruins currently sit in fourth place in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV power point standings, behind Roxbury, Fair Lawn, and Passaic County Tech. A win this weekend against state-ranked St. Peter’s Prep would more than likely clinch a return trip to the state playoffs.
“It’s a great opportunity to play them,” Ascolese said. “It’s a great chance to show everyone that we have a good football team. I am not worried about the state playoffs.”
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Bruins. They have five-time defending Group III state champs Wayne Hills pending next week.
But make no mistake about it. The Bruins are back. The record says so. So does the playoff situation.
There were many who were ready to throw dirt on the entire Bruin program a year ago. Not so fast. Not as long as Vince Ascolese is coaching those Bruins.
“I’m sure there were people writing us off, no doubt about that,” Ascolese said. “The kids have proved everyone wrong.”
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.