Rich Glover never thought that he would experience the kind of troubles he has endured since he took the Dickinson High School head football coaching position three years ago.
The former Snyder High School standout and University of Nebraska All-American nose guard who won the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman in his days with the Cornhuskers in 1972, Glover came back to his Jersey City roots three years ago to try to instill some life in the moribund Dickinson program.
It really hasn’t happened.
“To be honest, it has been tough,” Glover said. “We have some kids who work so hard with their weightlifting and conditioning to get ready, but then we don’t have a lot of kids who get on the field.”
Right now, the Rams are fielding around 20 to 25 players per practice. It’s the reason why some officials within the Jersey City Board of Education were considering discontinuing the sport last week.
Despite the lack of participation, which is downright shocking considering Dickinson is a Group IV enrollment school with more than 2,200 students, Glover trudges on.
“I still have to coach the kids we have,” said Glover, who was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995 and placed on the Sports Illustrated College Football Team of the Century in 1999. “I think it encourages me that we still have kids who come every day. I think that encourages the other kids as well. We have a good group of underclassmen who come steadily. That’s what keeps me going. I really felt that the fruits of our hard work would come this year in our third year. That’s what I was hoping for. We have a good number of kids who are back from last year. This should be their year.”
But the Rams haven’t been very successful in recent years. The 3-7 record the Rams posted in Glover’s first season in 2007 was easily the best mark. They were 1-9 last year and have posted one win or fewer in each of the last seven seasons other than 2007.
Glover has hopes that things will change this year. He feels he has some talented skilled players and just needs the offensive line to jell and develop.
Senior Jarell Boyd (6-2, 210) is the quarterback. Boyd was moved from wide receiver to quarterback at the end of last season.
“I think he looked forward to the chance to be the quarterback,” Glover said. “He really wants to play.”
Senior Melvin Daise (5-8, 215), junior Shamoir Griffin (5-10, 190) and senior Ruben Noel (5-7, 180) will all get time in the Rams’ backfield.
Senior Dan Jean (6-3, 170), who also serves as the placekicker and punter for the squad, is the leader of the receiving corps. Juniors Ricky Davis (5-10, 175) and Keyshawn Fuller (6-0, 180) will also get ample opportunity to catch Ford’s passes.
Senior Terick Rogers (6-1, 260) and junior Maurice Tynes (6-0, 240) are the tackles, with junior Tarell Rogers (5-8, 260), the younger brother of Terick, and junior Peter Bishara (6-4, 270) at the guards. Senior Mekhail Sarofiem (6-0, 250) is the starting center, with senior Michael Avilez (5-7, 240) getting playing time at both center and guard.
Senior Samir Awad (5-9, 220) is at one defensive end, with senior Marc Parra (6-3, 220) at the other.
The defensive tackles are Tynes and Terick Rogers, with Griffin and junior Joshua Wooten (5-9, 190) at the inside linebacker slots.
Daise and Davis are the outside linebackers, with Jean and Noel at cornerback. Fuller and Boyd return to the safety slots they occupied last season.
The Rams kick off the 2009 season against Ferris this weekend, but they will also face a tough schedule with games against St. Peter’s Prep, five-time defending Group III state champion Wayne Hills and perennial playoff contender Teaneck down the road.
“I hate it that we don’t play the other Jersey City schools,” Glover said. “It’s killing the natural rivalries we had. But we’re getting the chance to play some good schools and it’s definitely a challenge. I told the kids that there are people who think we’re going to drop football because of the numbers. I laid it out to them and let them know. In their minds, they’re determined not to let that happen. They want to play. We’re going to play.”
Whether the Jersey City Board of Education pulls the plug on Dickinson football or not remains to be seen. A decision had not been made by press time Thursday. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.