EAST ORANGE, NJ — It was a rainy Thanksgiving morning where the Barringer High School Blue Bears came up Park Avenue to visit their vaunted rivals, the East Orange Campus High School Jaguars, at Paul Robeson Stadium in East Orange. It was the 112th edition to the long-standing football rivalry that dates back to 1897 where the first game was played at East Orange’s Oval Park before moving to Ashland Stadium. Ashland Stadium was renamed to Martin Stadium in the 1920’s, which, for a better part of 70-plus years, it held its name until the mid 1990’s, when the East Orange school district decided to redo the entire stadium and rename it Paul Robeson Stadium.
The Jaguars came away with an emphatic 62-0 win against the Bears, finishing the season with a 10-3 record that included winning the New Jersey State Interscolastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state playoff championship.
The Jaguars were looking to rebound and end the season on a good note after they took a 42-0 thumping at the hands of Union City in the NJSIAA’s Group 5 state semifinal. Barringer was seeking its first win on the season and looked to build on their legacy after the retirement of Dave McCombs, who left teaching and coaching behind this past year. He turned the coaching reins over to new head coach Carlos Rodriguez, who has adopted the team into his own image. The Blue Bears graduated 15 seniors this year and they wanted to out on a high note after making their first playoff appearance as sophomores under McCombs. But the Jaguars had some things to get off their chest with their 22 seniors who were freshmen on the 2021 undefeated state sectional and North regional championship team.
“We wanted to go out on top as one of the best teams that East Orange Campus has ever had,” said senior wide receiver and defensive back Shakur Taylor, who led his squad in interceptions that included a pick-6 return. “We are brothers and acted like it in everything we do,” said teammate and senior wide receiver and defensive back Samaj Toney-El, who also was one of the three-deep threats fellow classmate Sa’eed Cole looked for when needing a big play or quick strike.
The rain-soaked game got going with the Jaguars taking the opening kickoff to their 32-yard line, giving Cole good field position to operate from. From there, it was a healthy dose of RB JaQuay Chambers and Tyshawn Sewell, with Cole taking a couple of designed runs that included a 30-yard scamper while marching down field 68 yards in 10 plays. Cole would do the honors in punching in the first touchdown with a 2-yard trot to cap off the drive with 6:40 remaining in the first quarter.
Barringer would never get going as the Jaguar defense, led by seniors Isaac Mathurin, Davion Thomas, Ernst Jeune, Darell James Jr., Emmanul Alexis, Alvins Collin and Wazyn King, made life terribly uncomfortable for the Blue Bears’ offense on their first possession of the game, forcing them to go three-and-out. East Orange would capitalize on the turnover on downs, setting up for a quick five-play, 16-yard drive that Cole would easily skip into the front door from 4 yards out, taking a 12-0 lead with 1:32 remaining.
The second quarter was turned into a turnover party at the expense of the Blue Bears, who could not get past their own 40-yard line for much of the game. On a fourth-and-long play to start the second quarter, the Jaguars had the Blue Bears pinned on their 8-yard line when the Jags pounced on a muffed Blue Bears snap, going up 18-0 when Cole found senior WR Emmanul Alexis on an 8-yard strike to give Alexis his first touchdown on the season with 9:28 left in the first half. The party was just getting started four plays later when Barringer attempted to punt where senior LB Ernst Jeune blocked and recovered the punt in the end zone for an East Orange defensive touchdown, extending the lead to 24-0 with 7:19 remaining in the half. Not even 13 seconds later Jaguars defense registered a Sack and Safety of Barringer QB Nyzir Kearney. Not to be out done, Cole found WR Alex Hanks, who slightly jogged before hitting the Turkey Express for a 40-yard pitch-and-catch through Blue Bear country for a 32-0 lead.
By this point, Cole found the end zone again when he hit the turbo button for a 42-yard gallop up the middle of the Blue Bears’ defense, which did not have an answer for the potent attack that was scoring at will with a 40-0 halftime lead.
Cole would take his final snap as East Orange’s QB going into the half, and successfully handing the reins off to sophomore QB Zachary Concepcion, who has an already-bright future.
The third quarter would be the result of yet another fumble by Barringer where East Orange LB Quadir Parrish would hop on the loose ball at the Blue Bears’ 11-yard line. With little resistance from the Blue Bears’ defense, senior RB Davion Thomas would rumble the 11 yards to push the needle up with Concepcion’s two-point conversion to 48-0.
The Blue Bears’ offense was forced to punt again where the Jags took over at the Barringer 25-yard line going into the final quarter. East Orange RB JaQuay Chambers kicked the back door in looking for dessert with a 28-yard touchdown, with Concepcion taking his second two-point conversion with 11:04 remaining in the game.
East Orange’s defense would seal Barringer’s fate with a 2-yard scoop and score by LB Abdoul Kafando after Barringer fumbled another snap, losing 43 yards and causing the game to be called with under four minutes remaining, giving East Orange a domineering 62-0 final score.
“We had a lot of adversity this year, where there was a possibility of canceling our season this year,” said Barringer head coach Carlos Rodriguez when it was clear that McCombs wasn’t coming back. He explained that he is looking to rebuild the program from the ground up, which includes a feeder program that will help maintain their competitive legacy. “We have mostly underclassmen and I hope that this will be the last time that we are coming in with a losing record.”
East Orange Campus head coach John Jacob felt that this was the best team he’s fielded since he took over two seasons ago. “We won our section, which is great; obviously we would rather play in the state final, but we have something to work towards in the offseason.”
He made it clear that he is expecting great things next year as he graduates 22 seniors in the Class of 2025.
Cole, who rushed four times for 40 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing three completions on seven attempts for 54 yards and two touchdowns, said he was happy to go out on top. He had to wait his turn when he made his quarterback debut as a sophomore. “I had faith that everything would work itself out,” he said, referring to now-graduated Raeden Oliver and Kyree Fisher. “With Raeden, I knew that I had to learn before taking a chance,” he stated, “but with Kyree, it was more about doing what was best for the team.” He plans to play college football next year and is being recruited as an athlete, while teammates Shakur Taylor and Samaj Toney-El are being recruited for the defensive side of the ball. With sure leadership under their belts, they will continue to bring their experiences with them everywhere they go. “We got ‘Sharks’ everywhere and we’re going to leave a legacy that will have others looking up to us in the community,” said Taylor. When asked to sum up their high school careers in three words, they chose leadership, adversity and fun. “Adversity is for the things we as individuals and as a team had to learn to get through,” said Cole. “Leadership is really being that brother and mentor for my team. We have to be the voice that the younger guys coming in will look to when things aren’t going right with our coaches, parents and teachers. Making sure that nobody gets out of sorts, when we are going to be the best versions of ourselves,” said Taylor. “Fun, because we have to have fun in everything we do together,” said Tony-El. They all agreed that the closeness and bond that they have experienced during their high school careers prepared them for their next endeavors after graduation.
East Orange Campus heads into the offseason with their third 10-plus win-season in school history, while continuing the winning tradition established by the former East Orange High School and Clifford J. Scott High School, which both had a combined 21 winning seasons, going back to the late 1960s. East Orange now holds a 64-39-9 all-time series lead over Barringer.
Photos Courtesy of Kerry E. Porter
East Orange Campus HS football team routs Barringer on Thanksgiving in 112th meeting to close out banner season added by Kerry E. Porter on
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