Rivalries refocused in Snapple Bowl
by WoodbridgeFootball.com / MyCentralJersey.com / NJ.com on 07/21/16
WOODBRIDGE - On Thanksgiving, they’re more likely to tackle each other than share cranberry sauce. But on Thursday, autumn foes came together as teammates in Snapple Bowl XXIII at Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium.
The annual summertime game for charity draws allegiances down Middlesex and Union county lines — one of the charms of the event. Perhaps strange at first, players soon find out it isn't so bad playing alongside school rivals.
“Definitely, playing with Metuchen and South River, it was cool not hating them,” Highland Park receiver Noah Pointer said with a laugh. “They’re cool dudes. It was pretty cool playing with them.”
Highland Park and Metuchen, smaller schools 15 minutes apart along Route 27, have tussled since 1937. In another longtime Middlesex County series, Carteret has played Perth Amboy 89 times. In Union County, Plainfield and Westfield first met in 1900 and have played every year since, except for a dozen times before 1944. Other longtime Union County rivalries include Roselle vs. Roselle Park and Linden against Union.
Beyond natural rivalries that span generations, the game features opponents who faced off during the scholastic season.
“It’s interesting over the years to see the kids that compete against each other during the regular season,” said Scott Miller, Union coordinator and head coach at Brearley. “They’re big rivals, but once we get here, it seems like there’s that mutual respect that they have for each other regardless of what school they’re from. … I think the kids really enjoy it because we haven’t had any issues since I’ve been doing this, and I’ve been doing this for about 12 years now. It just seems that the kids seem to jell.”
Family ties
Bill Nyers, Middlesex's offensive coordinator, can mark all the years through the Snapple Bowl's history. Nyers’ son Anthony was born around Snapple Bowl I. Nyers first coached in Snapple Bowl II. Father and son have a picture taken together at Snapple Bowl V. Now, in the 23rd game, 22-year-old Anthony coached alongside his father.
“Being able to work together in the all-star game is pretty cool,” said Bill Nyers, who stepped down as Woodbridge’s head coach this past winter. “It’s pretty neat.”
Anthony Nyers is Woodbridge's all-time leading receiver (2008-11). He went on to play at East Stroudsburg and Kean universities. After a knee injury ended his career, he joined the Woodbridge coaching staff in the middle of last season. He’s now the team’s offensive coordinator while finishing his degree at Kean. Although he's been around football his entire life, Anthony said he didn’t think about coaching until he finished playing.
Nyers’ brother Rich is also a longtime coach who is formerly the head skipper at J.F. Kennedy.
“It’s pretty much the topic of conversation every time we sit down,” Bill Nyers said. “Now it’s even more so that he’s doing the X’s and O’s. I’m very proud of Anthony. Just what he did in high school and in college and the fact that he’s continuing on the family tree and coaching. It means a lot.”
The future generation
The youngest Snapple Bowl team member is smaller than a football. Six-month-old Makayla Plancher was at Middlesex practices last week wearing her pink onesie that flashed her name and “Middlesex Snapple Bowl cheerleader” on it. The bowl’s founder and organizer, Marcus Borden, also got her one for next year, size 18 months. She posed for pictures with the cheerleaders, including a shot in which she tried to eat the football.
Like the Nyers, Makayla has a Snapple Bowl lineage. In 2000, her mother, Marissa Plancher, was a sophomore in Borden’s Spanish class at East Brunswick High School when he asked if anyone wanted to volunteer for the Snapple Bowl. Seventeen years later, Plancher is still going strong. She hasn’t missed a game in that span doing important behind-the-scenes work, as well as visiting the Lakeview School, a program of the Edison-based New Jersey Institute for Disabilities, with the players.
“This is the highlight of my summer,” Plancher said. “This is what I look forward to every year. And now that I have a child of my own, it makes you appreciate the little things, but it’s something that I can establish with her to show her to be grateful for everything and to show her how to help others. It’s nice to be able to give back and to show others your appreciation.”
One more snap
On July 12, Westfield’s Jelani Pierre was helping at a youth basketball camp when he looked up and saw Blue Devils football coach Jim DeSarno, who is also Union’s offensive coordinator. Turns out, the team needed another receiver. Before he knew it, Pierre was at practice that night.
Pierre used the word “surreal” to describe the turn of events and said, “I’m really glad that I got added.”
He just figured his football career was over after the Blue Devils won the NJSIAA North 2 Group V title with a 10-7 win over Bridgewater-Raritan at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 3.
“It was fun,” Pierre said of his season. “This is my first year starting, so I wanted to go out with a bang, and we won the championship, so it was a blast.”
For the record, it’s not like Pierre exactly got soft during the summer. He’s been working out in preparation for joining Iona College’s track and field team as a sprinter and long jumper. This spring, he helped Westfield win the Union County Relays, which snapped Union Catholic’s five-year championship run. In the North 2 Group IV sectional, Pierre won the long jump.
All-around athletes
In addition to Pierre, the Snapple Bowl featured several players who also earned star status in other sports. They included Sayreville offensive lineman Anthony Porcaro, who finished fourth this past winter in the NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament at heavyweight, and New Providence’s Andy Urness, who took fifth in the javelin at the spring Meet of Champions with a throw of 186-06.
Familiar coin toss
Lakeview School alumnus George Prenderville, a familiar site on the sidelines, has attended every Snapple Bowl game and pregame banquet.
Prenderville was back on the field yet again Thursday night, this time participating in the opening coin toss.
