Jared Dockett
BLOOMFIELD, NJ – With a solid group of upperclassmen demonstrating outstanding leadership, Bloomfield head coach Mike Carter has reason to feel confident that his team will get the job done this season.
Indeed, the Bengals want to build off last year’s 6-4 playoff season.
“We got a lot of upperclassmen who are capable of being good leaders,” said Carter, who has been the Bengals head coach since 1991. “The kids know that we play a very competitive schedule and we got to get better every day, and they are doing that now. They’ve had a very good offseason. We’re just getting ready now and hopefully get ready to play Week 1.”
The Bengals boast strong depth. The quarterbacks are seniors Ryan Mondo and Joe Giliberti; junior John Ridley; and sophomore Kyle Tice.
The running backs include seniors Zavion Stevens, Brandon Fernandes, Carlos Afful, Ke-Vone Hall, TJ Cobbert, and Khair Bowman; junior Mike Williams, and sophomore Joe Orcita. Fernandes, Stevens, Afful and Hall played valuable minutes last season.
The receivers will be seniors Jared Dockett and Myles Toppin; juniors Joe White, Kevin Bretz, and Tahje Brown; and sophomores Will Robinson and Brandon Holt. Toppin, also a basketball player for BHS, is coming off an outstanding track season as a jumper. The tight ends are senior Danny Carter; and juniors Ahmad Peoples and Joe Bumpus.
Offensive linemen are seniors Al-Samad Henderson, Ron Vincent, Addison Valencia, and Liam Johnson; juniors Chris Lazard, Mike Abraham, Joe Pentz, and Joan Medina; and sophomores Xavier Gulley and Nate Rodriguez.
On defense, the linemen are Abraham, Pentz, Henderson, Vincent, Gulley, Valencia, Peoples, and Cobbert.
Linebackers will be Carter, Fernandes, Afful, Bumpus, and sophomore Dylan Coury. Carter was strong defensively last season.
The secondary comprises senior Barak Pipkins, Dockett, Toppin, Holt, Hall, Bowman, Williams, and Brown.
The kickers are junior Marcus Wolf and senior Victor Saccaro.
Coach Carter has praised the Bengals’ hard work during the preseason. The focus is to continue that hard work while strengthening team unity each day.
“I think the goal is to keep getting better, keep getting better each way, and the more we play as a team, I think the better off we’re going to be,” Coach Carter said. “Especially I think we have some kids with some talent. It’s a challenge to the staff and the kids to learn how to play together and when they do, hopefully good things can happen.”
Bengals schedule
Sept. 9, at Columbia, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16, Nutley, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24, at North Bergen, 2 p.m.
Sept. 30, West Orange, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14, Livingston, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22, at East Orange Campus, 1 p.m.
Oct. 28, Bayonne, 7 p.m.
Nov. 5, at Morristown, 1 p.m.
Nov. 24, at Montclair, 10:30 a.m.
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