East Orange Campus has another strong football team following last year’s perfect championship season

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EAST ORANGE, NJ — The buzz from last year’s perfect 13-0 championship season is still palpable.

But the East Orange Campus High School football team recognizes that this is a new season. The Jaguars are focused only on getting better every day.

“We’re just focused on coming here every day and grinding through the process,” said first-year head coach John Jacob. “We’re taking the same approach as we did last year.”

Jacob served as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons under Rae Oliver, who was the head coach for five seasons, from 2017 to 2021.

The Jaguars last season defeated Passaic County Tech, 35-7, in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state championship game. EOCHS then defeated North 2 champion Clifton, 30-24, in triple overtime in the North Jersey, Group 5 regional championship game at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium. The game ended on linebacker Ahmad Nalls’ 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown. On the play, Clifton quarterback Kyle Vellis tried to sneak in from the 1-yard line and lost the ball, which Nalls picked up and returned the other way. Clifton coaches argued that Vellis’ knee was on the ground before he lost the ball. The referees reviewed the play on instant replay and upheld the decision.

The Jaguars will face Clifton in this year’s season opener at Clifton on Sept. 1.

The Jaguars lost several key players to graduation, including Nalls, who is playing at Kent State. Quarterback Raeden Oliver, Rae Oliver’s son, who is at Rutgers University; running back Damon Phillips; and linebacker Kyle Louis, who is at the University of Pittsburgh, are other notable graduation losses.

The Jaguars, though, have several returning players who are working hard, much to Jacob’s delight.

“It’s a great group of kids who come to work hard every day,” said Jacob, who was the head coach at West Orange High School from 2002 to 2012. “The greatest strength is everybody’s willingness to do what we ask of them.”

Junior Kyree Fisher, a transfer from Parsippany High School, will be the starting quarterback. Fisher can be dangerous as both a passer and a runner.

“He is proficient to run the ball and proficient to throw,” Jacob said.

Fisher felt welcomed by his teammates.

“It’s a lot of love. I felt welcomed,” Fisher said. “I just like the feeling and being out here with them.”

The receiving corps consists of seniors Josh Richards, BJ Covington, Michael Henderson, Na’il Johnson and Emeka Oguguo; junior Adrian Gentles; and sophomore Shakur Taylor. In the regional final last season, Richards caught a touchdown pass from Raeden Oliver late in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 17-17 and force overtime. Richards then caught another touchdown from Oliver in the second overtime to make it 24-17 before Clifton answered with a touchdown to send it to a third overtime. This summer Richards verbally committed to the University of Maryland.

“As great of a player he is, he is even a better leader,” Jacob said of Richards.

The offensive line consists of senior tackles EJ Pullins and Jaiden Stokes, senior guard Auco Williams, sophomore guard Alvins Collins, and senior center Zamir Grissom.

Senior Kymanie Deacon and junior Corey Woolridge will contribute from the tight end and halfback spots.

Defensively, cornerback Covington and safety Richards will lead the secondary. The line will be led by Pullins. The linebackers are Woolridge, and seniors Kasim Cross and Irijah Wright.

The Jaguars, indeed, want to taste more success this season.

“We are hungry and trying to start over and recalibrate and not focus too much on what we did in the past, but rebuilding and focus on a new goal,” Covington said.

Pullins agreed.

“We’re very hungry and still hungry; we’re still chasing,“ Pullins said.

The Jaguars also have shown a strong team bond.

“I feel like the connection is there, the bonding is there,” Stokes said. “We’re working on a few things, but everything is going to be good this season. I trust my guys, and the guys trust me. We are going to do our thing this season.”

Richards added, “I love this team. We have a lot of young guys, but they are hungry. We set the blueprint last year, and everybody is going to follow this year and keep up the good work.”

The assistant coaches are Keion Wade, linebackers and running backs; Leander Knight, defensive coordinator; Roger Hutchins, secondary; John Pullins, linemen; Eric Palmer, quarterbacks; and Chris Joseph, receivers. The freshmen coaches are Baja Rowe and Justin Burns. The volunteer coaches are Kevin Bembry, Sylvester Hill, Terrence Knox, Rob Randolph, Mike Pennix and Jihad Abu Hanif.

This year, the NJSIAA playoffs will be played down to group state champions for the public schools for the first time.

East Orange Campus is in the Super Football Conference Freedom Red Division. The other teams in the division are Barringer, Bloomfield, Dickinson and West Orange.

2022 East Orange Campus football schedule