BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield High School football team is looking to improve from last season with a good group of returning players.
Head coach Mike Carter, entering his 32nd year as the Bengals coach, has been encouraged by his team’s dedication.
“This group of kids have put in a lot of hard work,” said Carter following a practice session on Tuesday morning, Aug. 16, at Foley Field. “We have a lot of work to get to where we want to be, but overall the work ethic is good. They are maturing, and, hopefully, we can really come together as a family and make things happen.”
The Bengals went 3-7 last season, which was an improvement after going 1-6 in 2020 and 1-9 in 2019. They are seeking their first winning season since 2017, when they finished 6-5. That season, the Bengals defeated Passaic County Tech in the quarterfinals before losing to Union City in the semifinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state playoffs.
This year’s senior captains are Nathaniel Brown and Zaire LaRue, who are both wide receivers and defensive backs; Jayden Evans, who is a fullback and linebacker; Joey Jones and Xavier Calderon, who are both running backs and linebackers; and offensive lineman and defensive lineman Christopher Francois.
“I like everything about this team,” Evans said. “The energy is better than it was last year. We are working hard. I love the coaching staff. They are pushing us to be the best we can be.”
Brown added, “I like the players, the intensity, the coaches. We are all working hard.”
LaRue made honorable mention in the all–Super Football Conference Freedom Red Division last season.
The quarterbacks will be senior John Puente, junior Trevor Frantantoni and sophomore Andrew Kaminski.
Seniors Nassiah Jackson, Mike Richard and Eli Valentin are the tight ends.
Senior Lavon Barrett is another running back.
Senior Alexavier Hansen, juniors William Cordero and Alonzo Nesbitt, and sophomore Gabe McCulloch will be the key players on the offensive and defensive lines.
Carter said the keys to success are to “continue to improve every day and really work on basic fundamentals, knowing how to block, tackle and communicate.”
Notes: In 2012, the Bengals produced one of their best seasons.Not only did they win their first state playoff game in the current playoff format with a victory over Randolph in the quarterfinals, they managed to reach the North 1, Group 5 state sectional final at MetLife Stadium, where they fell to Montclair in a heartbreaking 16-13 double-overtime decision to finish with a 9-3 record. . Carter’s son, Michael Carter Jr., was the senior starting quarterback on the team, but he was injured in the semifinal win over Union City and played only as a punter in the sectional final. Montclair and Bloomfield were Thanksgiving Day rivals. Montclair defeated Bloomfield, 14-7, that season on Thanksgiving, and the two teams met in the sectional final just two weeks later.
Michael Carter Jr. and Mike Carter’s other son, Dan Carter, are on the Bengals coaching staff this season. Dan Carter is a 2017 BHS graduate who played football and had a standout baseball career at William Paterson University.
The Bengals will visit Nutley on Sept. 1 to kick off the season at Tangorra Field/Park Oval. It will be Nutley’s first home football game with the new permanent lighting system that was installed this past spring.
The other assistant coaches for Bloomfield are Ed Capozzi, Ed Sadloch and Jay Taggart. The freshmen coaches are Larry Tuorto and James Romano. The athletic trainer is Carli McMorrow.
Sadloch was the head coach at Cedar Grove for 25 years, from 1991 to 2015, leading the program to 20 NJSIAA state playoff berths and five state sectional titles.
The Bengals are in the Super Football Conference Freedom Red Division. The other teams in the division are Barringer, Dickinson, East Orange Campus and West Orange.
2022 Bloomfield schedule
- Sept. 1: at Nutley, 6:30 p.m.
- Sept. 9: vs. West Orange, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 16: vs. Livingston, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 24: at East Orange Campus, 1 p.m.
- Sept. 30: vs. Dickinson, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 7: at Columbia, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 15: at Barringer, 1 p.m.
- Oct. 21: vs. Belleville, 7 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Jerry Simon and Joe Ragozzino.
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