WEST ORANGE, NJ – For the past few seasons, the Irvington High School football program has produced talented players.
Under the guidance of head coach “Smoke” Pierre and his coaching staff, the Blue Knights have worked hard on and off the field, and the results have proven successful, with back-to-back eight-win playoff seasons in 2016 and 2017.
Major college scouts, indeed, have noticed Irvington HS players, offering athletic scholarships.
On Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 7, the Blue Knights football team celebrated their scholarships during its annual National Signing Day ceremony.
In front of a packed audience of family members, friends and fellow students, eight Irvington High School seniors officially announced that they signed their national letters of intent in accepting football scholarships. In his address to the audience, Irvington athletic director Dr. John Taylor noted Irvington had the most players out of any public school in the state, sign letters of intent.
The eight seniors are:
- Jasiah Provillon, wide receiver, North Carolina State University.
- Lancine Turay, defensive end, Univesity of North Carolina.
- Brandon Robinson, quarterback, Liberty University, Lynchurg, Va.
- Kevin Kirkpatrick, defensive end, Dodge City Community College, Kansas.
- Keyon Means-Bowman, defensive back, Wagner University, Staten Island, N.Y.
- Jason Antwi, defensive back, Monmouth University.
- Darryl Hill Jr., defensive back, American International College, Springfield, Mass.
- Nim Salaam, running back, American International College.
In addition, defensive lineman Jalen Scott will attend Peddie School in Hightstown with the chance to eventually sign a national letter of intent.
Andrew Potts, emcee of the ceremony, introduced each player, one by one, reading off their accomplishments as they individually posed with family and coaches for photos.
Coach Pierre, who will enter his third year at the helm in the fall, thanked the administration for their support. Pierre mentioned that approximately $3 million in total scholarship money was awarded to the players.
Assistant coach Nhemie Theodore addressed the audience and mentioned the names of the other assistant coaches. With the guidance of everyone on the coaching staff, Theodore talked about how it “takes a village” to develop the student-athletes and alluded to the program’s theme of “Irvington tough.”
In her address, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Neely Hackett thanked the coaches and parents, and congratulated the players.
The ceremony included performances by the Irvington cheerleaders, marching band, and Blue Knight “steppers.” The ceremony ended with players posing for more photos with friends and family.
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