IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School football team’s historic season last fall was achieved thanks in part by the guidance and inspiration from coaches, teachers, family members and the community as a whole.
That was the message delivered by IHS head coach Ashley “Smoke” Pierre in his remarks addressing the audience of a ceremony that honored 14 seniors who officially announced their college commitments to continue their football careers on athletic scholarships.
The buzz of the Blue Knights’ first-ever state sectional and regional championships was still palpable during the early-afternoon ceremony that took place in front of a packed IHS gym with fellow students, coaches, administrators and family members in attendance. The IHS marching and cheerleaders also performed during the ceremony.
The seniors were all seated together in front of a long table. Running back/defensive back Raheem Wright, wide receiver/defensive back Andrew Lucas, linebacker Isaiah Augustin and linebacker Stanley Corneille will all attend Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison. Defensive back Mohammed Diakite and linebacker Lensley Therlonge will head to American International College in Springfield, Mass. The rest of the seniors in the ceremony were two-way lineman Jeffrey Gunn, who will attend Caldwell University; defensive tackle Nasir Shabazz will attend Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa.; defensive end Tafari Thompson, who will attend Independence Community College in Kansas; defensive end Zamar Grove, who will attend Temple University; wide receiver Zaheem Crawford-Patterson, who will attend the University of Maine; linebacker Trenton Jones, who will attend Kean University; quarterback Saquan Gordon, who will attend Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina; and two-way lineman Justin Evans-Jenkins, who will attend at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Evans-Jenkins was honored watith own ceremony at the IHS gym in December.
Crawford-Patterson, who carries a 3.7 GPA and scored 1,200 on the SAT, has experienced the thrill of winning state sectional titles in three sports at Irvington, with basketball in 2020 and spring track-and-field in 2021, in addition to football.
“It feels like I am leaving a legacy and a big mark on Irvington,” he told the Irvington Herald immediately after the ceremony. “It feels amazing, really.”
Crawford-Patterson said Maine is like “another family. At Irvington, I had people who were going to have my back no matter what and I found the exact same thing at Maine.”
He was also grateful to have played for coach Pierre, who he said always has the best interests of his players in mind.
“Playing for coach Smoke is not easy,” Crawford-Patterson said. “He is going to make sure that he is going to get the best out of you, no matter what he has to say or do. It’s really amazing.”
Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owenstt
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