Video: Nate Estiverne scores Morristown’s first TD of 2016
By Kevin Coughlin
Talk about baptisms of fire.
John Power made his Morristown High School coaching debut on an afternoon so scorching, even the pigskin appeared to be sweating.
In the end, the Roxbury Gaels proved too hot to handle, defeating the Colonials 28-13 in a season opener that tested fans as much as players.
With the home bleachers closed for safety reasons, Morristown only had half its usual seating capacity. Fans of both teams sat on the visitors’ side, in temporary stands or on lawn chairs and blankets.
MHS students and the marching band had a new home, on rental bleachers behind the scoreboard end zone. The Roxbury pep band was tucked behind a fence at the far end of the sidelines.
“I’d like to be closer. But I’m where it’s safe,” said bare-chested senior Mark Winklemeier, festooned in maroon-and-white warpaint in the 91-degree sun. The 80-year-old home bleachers were deemed unsafe because of a structural crack.
“We’re a marching band. We’re flexible,” said Greg Boccuti, director of the Roxbury band.
Slideshow photos by Randi Unger and Kevin Coughlin
The Gaels, 8-2 last year, wasted no time turning up the heat on the Colonials, who seek to improve upon last season’s 3-7 mark.
Paul Shadel caught a Donovan Brady pass, took a hit, rolled, recovered, and galloped for a 57-yard touchdown in the game’s opening moments to give Roxbury a lead it never relinquished. Shadel’s knees never touched the artificial turf when he got knocked off his feet, according to the referees.
Nate Estiverne put the Colonials on the board late in the first half, grabbing a pass from Jake Buchner. Ryan Devaney’s extra point narrowed the gap to 21-7.
Buchner connected with Josh Szott in the fourth quarter, to make it 28-13. And that’s how things ended. It was Morristown’s sixth straight defeat by Roxbury since 2011.
Video: Szott scores for Colonials against the Gaels
“Nobody’s happy with a loss, but I was proud of the way the kids fought,” said Power, who left Columbia High School in Maplewood to succeed Chris Hull, whose 11-year stint as head coach included a state title in 2010.
“It was 21-nothing quickly. We made mistakes, and we kept fighting. The final score was 28-13, so we’ve got to build on that,” said Power.
Slideshow photos by Grace Prachthauser
One of Morristown’s positives was Buchner, the junior quarterback, the coach said.
“He was smart, he did what was asked of him, and he played within the offense. We really appreciate his efforts, along with the linemen and the skill kids, Jha’mil [King] and Nate [Estiverne] were great. Josh Szott fought through some injuries, Justin Burke was awesome. The line really came through today.”
The temperature was not responsible for the outcome, the coach said.
“It was as hot for Roxbury too, so we can’t make excuses about that. We just have to get in better shape and continue to fight,” he said.
Video: Coach John Power’s first post-game interview in Morristown
Watching from the hill was former Colonials running back Tre’shawn Gwyn, a 2015 graduate now attending the County College of Morris. Players don’t worry about heat when they’re competing, he recounted.
“Practice was worse. You’re getting yelled at,” Gwyn said.
Senior Victor Nazzaro, who plays clarinet in the Colonials marching band, downed three bottles of water before halftime. Although the band’s new uniforms don’t breathe much, it could have been worse.
“Our old uniforms were really bad. They had a scarf,” Nazzaro said.
Roxbury fan Bill O’Connell tried to put the weather in perspective.
“Just remember, four months from now, you’re going to say, ‘Where was that heat?'” he told a fellow fan.
The Morristown Ambulance Squad treated two spectators who were overcome by the heat.
Cheerleading Co-Captain Jade Jones worried that perspiration might make her teammates might drop each other during their intermission performance.
“It’s insane,” she said. “We’re all dripping sweat.”
Cheerleading Coach Chrissie Chase said the new layout is preferable to playing home games on the road, an option school officials considered. But now it’s harder for cheerleaders to pump up the crowd, Jones said, because fans are scattered in several locations.
“I absolutely hate it,” the cheerleader said. “It’s not the same home game. We kind of feel separated.”
The reconfigured stands also posed challenges for game announcer Brian DiDomenico. Last season he had press box seat above the 50-yard line. On Saturday, he strained to call plays from a hill near the field house, opposite the home end zone.
“Hopefully, everything will be on the up-and-up next year,” DiDomenico said.
In the meantime, “we’re going to make the best of it,” Carla Corry, mom of a Morristown cheerleader, resolved from her shaded hillside perch.
Janice Gabbidon, mother of Colonials defensive tackle El-Amin Bashir, expressed optimism for the team as well.
“We’ll get ’em next time,” she said. “We’re just getting warmed up.”
And how.
