Through the season’s first three games, Jude Berman did not lead Hopewell Valley Central High’s football team in receiving, rushing or tackles.
But he was definitely in the running for the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Berman did it all through HoVal’s 2-1 start. He had a pick-six on opening night against Montgomery, returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and caught three TD passes from Grayson Vlasac.
The senior receiver/cornerback did lead the ‘Dogs in two categories — kickoff return yardage, with 344 yards in eight returns, and interceptions with two.
To say it plainly, he’s a weapon. But a modest one.
“I can thank my coaches and teammates,” Berman said. “I get put into positions just to make plays and my teammates help, so that’s the only reason.”
There’s a little more to it than that.
According to coach Dave Caldwell, the secret to the varsity football/basketball player’s success is simple.
“It’s just a reflection of his work ethic,” Caldwell said. “Ever since he was a freshman he’s been like that. He’s a tireless worker like a lot of our kids.
“He’s a gym rat for basketball, he’ll come in on Sunday and shoot two hours, and he lifts weights here year-round for us. He tries to strengthen and prepare himself year-round. He’ll do a complete workout from 3:30 to 4:30 and then play a five o’clock basketball game.
“He’s just got that winner’s mentality. When you commit and you have a work ethic like that you expect to have success. That’s what he expects.”
His expectations were being met through the first one-third of the season. What’s a bit startling is that Berman barely played organized football until ninth grade. He did Pop Warner in second grade but quit after barely seeing the field.
From there, Berman focused on basketball but did not completely abandon football.
“I was really little in Pop Warner so I didn’t get any playing time,” he said. “I used to play football in the backyard with my friends growing up and waited until I grew into my body a little more. I was so focused on basketball I really didn’t see a need for football.”
When he arrived at Hopewell, Berman wanted to bulk up a little.
“I’m still kind of skinny (5-9, 160 pounds) but then I was really skinny so I knew I had to hit the weight room,” he recalled. “The football players would go in to lift, I decided to go in with them so I figured I might as well play, too. All my best friends were playing it.”
During his first year Berman played for the freshman team. Anxious to be a varsity player, he noticed that graduation left Hopewell with a cornerback vacancy.
“I wanted to find any way I could to get on the field,” Berman said. “There was an open corner spot, that’s just what I went for. I learned more about the position so I could earn the starting spot.”
He started every game, coming up with 35 tackles and one interception that he returned for a touchdown against Hamilton West. There were some growing pains, of course.
“I think I had a good season but that experience has helped me out a lot,” Berman said. “There were definitely some big kids. I remember my ‘Welcome to varsity moment,’ some kid just ripped the ball out of my hand when I was going for an interception. There were some times they put me on the better receiver side and that was a challenge.”
Playing for last year’s 10-1 team, Berman made 22 tackles, had two interceptions and also forced two fumbles.
“He’s not afraid to come down,” Caldwell said. “He knows his role and where he fits in with the run game. He knows where to hit people. You put your eyes to the thighs and he’s able to use his leverage and size to his advantage and make effective tackles.”
Berman played strictly defense his first two seasons as Hopewell had the numbers to two-platoon most of its positions. But with so many graduation losses, Caldwell has to play him both ways this fall.
Not to mention, use him as a return man.
But if ever there’s a guy up to the challenge, it’s Berman.
“He’s versatile,” Caldwell said. “You can put him in a ton of different spots and you know he will compete at a high level. He’s been stellar from his first game as a sophomore at corner. He just naturally is able to shut down their half of the field through his athleticism.
“Obviously he can do kickoff and punt return, he’s also a slot receiver, and he’d probably be one of our better running backs. As a freshman we did the wildcat and let him run the ball. He never complains. He played through some challenging pain and what not. He continues to expand his comfort zone and just be a guy who’s hard to kick off the field.”
While the coach would love to use Berman strictly at corner (where he is getting some college interest), the player himself has no problem going both ways. Entering a Sep. 20 game at Nottingham, Berman had caught six passes for 66 yards and ran nine times for 29 yards.
Apparently, playing pick-up football helped.
“It’s definitely been a lot of fun to play offense,” Berman said. “I always had some experience because me and my buddies used to throw the football around, but it’s just been fun to finally do that on the field and really make an impact on the game.”
Throwing it around with Vlasac – who’s in his first year as a varsity starter – was a bonus.
“Me and Grayson have been very good friends since sixth grade,” Berman said. “We’ve been playing backyard football together since the day we met. We’ve been throwing together for a while now. Anything that happens is barely a surprise to us.”
It’s hard to surprise any player who thrives on preparation.
“He watches film like we expect all our guys to but he’s a guy you don’t have to ask to do that; he works hard at that,” Caldwell said. “You don’t have to assign a task. He does it on his own and he’s the guy who communicates with the rest of the defense.
“He can have a football conversation with our defensive coordinator (Kevin Kley), offer suggestions and just be a part of the game plan.”
Berman feels his film work is one of the key reasons why he doesn’t get beat too often at corner.
“I have an idea of what routes they’re gonna run on certain plays and certain downs and distances,” he said. “You gotta know what coverage you’re in. When you’re mentally a step ahead, that’s what’s elevated my game more than anything else, plus having experience.”
As a receiver, Berman is not what one would call a burner, but he can accelerate and is crafty.
“He’s got good top end speed,” Caldwell said. “He’s a basketball player, he’s a lefty, he’s got a good quick first two or three steps and once he gets his motor going he’s got good top end speed.”
He showed that in his returns, as no one was able to run Berman down from behind.
But he also feels precision is important.
“You gotta know how to make the corner flip their hips and even if you’re not the fastest guy that extra step can get you some separation,” he said. “I would say playing corner definitely helps. I don’t have as much experience at receiver, but when I run a route, I like to imagine if I was playing corner what would give me an edge and try to use that (knowledge) on another guy.”
When it comes to his kickoff returns, Berman credits his blockers for giving him room to roam. But once he gets past that last wave, it’s all Jude.
“It’s definitely exciting,” he said. “Celebrating with my teammates in the endzone is always awesome. Once you see that green grass and there’s no one in front of you and you know no one will probably catch you, it’s pretty exciting.”
Berman is unsure about what college he will end up at next year, or whether he will play football. He is seeing how the recruiting process unfolds, and is getting more looks for football than basketball.
Whatever school he targets, having a 3.7 grade point average will help.
“They always talk about student-first, athlete-second,” Berman said. “I get all my homework done.”
And not just in the classroom, but in the film room as well.
It has served him well in both cases.
