If some people thought that Todd Smith — with his imposing demeanor and football lineman’s body — seemed incongruous as the coach of a girls’ cross country team, no one would be surprised by his latest coaching assignment.##M:[more]##
Smith takes over this year at the helm of the High School South varsity football program, after spending the past few years as the coach of the South girls’ cross country team
Smith replaces former Coach Louis Solomon, who left to go back to his alma mater, Franklin Township, where he was quarterback of a Central Jersey IV championship team some 10 years ago.
Smith brings a new game plan to the Pirates. Gone is the “run-and-shoot” offense that Solomon ran in his two seasons as South coach. It is replaced by a “Power I” formation that depends more on running backs and strong offensive line play than quarterback finesse and speedy wide receivers.
Smith hopes to improve on the sub-.500 record that the team posted over the past four years with an experience-heavy roster that boasts 18 returning seniors. Last year the Pirates started strong, winning three of the first four games. But that was all the wins the Pirates managed for the rest of the season.
For Smith, returning to the gridiron is like coming home again. He came to WW-P in 2002 to coach the girls cross country team after graduating in 2001 from the College of New Jersey, where he played intercollegiate football. He is also a fifth grade teacher at Millstone River School.
The Pirates open this year’s campaign with a home game against Nottingham on Saturday, September 10, at noon. Meanwhile, on the same date and time, High School North will play its season opener at home against Hightstown.
Aside from an appearance in the playoffs, the highlight of this season will likely be on Friday, October 21, when the Pirates will look to avenge a 20-14 overtime loss against the Knights in last year’s final game. This year’s North-South battle will be played under the lights at High School North.
The game will be only the fourth time that the cross-district rivals have faced off, with South having won, 23-9, in 2002, and North winning, 13-9, in 2003.
Players returning for the Pirates this year include quarterback Brian Morris, running backs Stuart Adams and Brandon Manley, as well as Drew Lachemayer (who along with teammate Ian Petri — a senior — and North’s Yoshua Lane, was honored by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation as 12th Man “Unsung Heroes” at a post-season dinner at the Elks Lodge in Hamilton).
Meanwhile, High School North will again be coached by Art Stubbs, who is in his third year running the varsity squad.
Last year Stubbs hoped that the big win against the Pirates would help light a fire for the 2005 season. Returning veterans were expected to include Enrique Gibens, a big tough defensive tackle, who was lost in mid-season last year when he injured his ACL in a game against Hamilton. Stubbs was also looking forward to the return of junior running back LeShean Thomas and receiver Conor Hayes.
With fleet-footed quarterback Jeff Torralba having graduated in June, the strong-armed Zach Weale is likely to be the signal-caller for the Knights in 2005. Last year, in order to allow Weale to gain some varsity experience, Weale played on the third offensive series of every game.
Over the winter, Stubbs brought a special weightlifting program to his team. Developed by Greg Shepard in 1973, “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” (BFS) is a complete weightlifting program that shows young athletes the proper way to train to achieve their maximum potential.
WW Lady Hawks Basketball
The West Windsor Lady Hawks 6th Grade Girls Travel Basketball Team will be holding registration and tryouts shortly for the upcoming 2005-’06 season. The season will include participation in an area travel girls basketball league as well as several area tournaments. For those interested in continuing to advance their basketball skills and participating on this team, please contact Bernie McNeilly (Head Coach) at either 609-750-0414 or at bmcneilly@louisberger.com .
