IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School football team enjoyed its best season in program history in 2021 when the Blue Knights won their first state sectional championship, beating Middletown South, 28-13, in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 final at home. Irvington capped the season by beating Section 1 champion Northern Highlands in the North Group 4 regional championship at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium to finish with an 11-2 record.
The Blue Knights have been simply dominant in Super Football Conference divisional play. They have gone undefeated in divisional play in each of the past five seasons. The Blue Knights enter this season on a 20-game divisional winning streak. They went 5-0 in 2017 and 4-0 in 2018, 2019 and 2021 in the Freedom White Division, and went 3-0 in the Liberty Red Division in 2020. They were 4-1 in the Freedom White in 2016, with the lone loss to Wayne Hills in the final regular season game.
Though the Blue Knights graduated a strong senior class, including at least 12 who have continued their careers on the collegiate level, seventh-year head coach Ashley “Smoke” Pierre returns a solid group that is looking to repeat as sectional and regional champions.
“I have a lot of guys that want to win. I got a lot of guys coming back,” Pierre said. “It’s interesting, I liked this team. It’s another opportunity to play some football and win some games. I‘m excited about it. We will always have talent, it’s just a matter of staying mentally and physically tough to battle all year long. That’s what we will continue to preach.”
The Blue Knights once again are blessed with seniors who have Division 1 collegiate talent. Among them are wide receiver and safety Adon Shuler, wide receiver and cornerback Nasir Addison, wide receiver Famah Toure and offensive lineman Tyrese George.
Shuler, a 6-foot, 197-pounder, committed to the University of Notre Dame in the summer 2021. He returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter that gave the Blue Knights a 6-0 lead in the win over Northern Highlands. Addison (University of Kentucky), Toure (Rutgers) and George (Long Island University) gave their verbal commitments this summer.
Shuler, Addison, senior linebacker Zaahmir Anderson, senior running back Kyshir Desir and offensive lineman Tyler Wint are the team captains.
Wint said the team is focused on repeating as champions.
“We have a lot of potential,” Wint said. “Obviously, we have that back-to-back mindset.”
The team’s camaraderie will be a key to winning the sectional and regionals titles again.
“That bond helped us last year, everybody getting close together, from the first team to the third team,” Wint said. “If we have that family bond, we are going to have a very successful season.”
Addison talked about how Pierre and the coaching staff always preach their “Irvington Tuff” motto, which is about overcoming adversity.
For the Blue Knights, it’s all about having faith in one another, “having each other’s back, trusting the process and trusting each other,” Addison said.
Desir feels the Blue Knights can have another special season.
“I feel we are going to do some big things here,” Desir said. “We are prepared for a back-to-back run. We just need to bond a little bit more together. We’re on the right track. I see everybody coming together. If we keep going like that, I know for sure, we are going to go back-to-back.”
Anderson was inspired by the team captains in previous years, such as Mykai Gbayor, Class of 2021, and Justin Evans-Jenkins, Class of 2022, who are both now playing at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. “Being a senior captain means a lot to me, especially like guys before me like Mykai and Justin and people like that,” Anderson said. “This year’s team, I like it a lot.”
Freshmen Nacir Ransom and Isiah Grier, junior C.J. Pittman and senior Jayden Boyd were battling for the quarterback spot, looking to replace graduated Saquan Gordon.
Despite having new quarterbacks, offensive coordinator Darnel Mangan said the team is returning about 75 percent of its production.
“It gives us an opportunity to be ahead of where we are,” Mangan said. “I think if we can get the ball into the playmakers’ hands, we will have a chance.”
The Blue Knights’ receiving corps is talented with Shuler, Addison, Toure and junior Kareem Corey.
“Those guys are special and dynamic,” Mangan said. “At any given time, any one of those ball carriers can break away for a big gain.”
Mangan also said Desir will be a dangerous running back.
“He’s reliable, very durable,” said Mangan, who graduated from West Side School in 2002. “For him to be small in stature, he plays like a big guy. He’s able to do a lot in the pass game. But he gets very, very physical in the run game.”
Having talented receivers will also prove beneficial to Desir.
“With those receivers, when you focus on stopping those guys, the run lanes open up,” Mangan said. “I think he benefits the most from defenses trying to take away those skillful guys on the perimeter.”
Defensively, senior Samuel Joseph will anchor the line at an end position, while Anderson will lead the linebacking corps. Shuler, Addison and Toure will lead the secondary.
The Blue Knights were scheduled to visit Woodbridge in the season opener on Friday, Aug. 26, after press time. Irvington then will face Millville on Sept. 2 at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium in a matchup of last year’s Group 4 regional champions. Millville won the South Jersey Group 4 regional title. The game is part of the Rumble on the Raritan, which will showcase several games at Rutgers during the weekend of Sept. 2-4.
The rest of the assistant coaches for Irvington are Nhemie Theodore, Quaseir Hopkins, Nixon Provillon, Kareem Huggins, Zaire Bethea, Luc Excellent, Charles Mickens, Lawrence Bender, Iffy Asoluka, Kevin Dees, Marco Soto and Quincy Enunwa, who was a former New York Jets wide receiver.
Irvington remains in the Freedom White Division, which also includes Columbia, Livingston, Montclair and Union City.
2022 Irvington football schedule
- Aug. 26: at Woodbridge, 6 p.m.
- Sept. 2: Millville (at Rutgers University), 8 p.m.
- Sept. 9: vs. East Orange Campus, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 17: vs. Columbia, 1 p.m.
- Sept. 24: at Seton Hall Prep, 1 p.m.
- Sept. 30: at Union City, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 8: vs. Montclair, 1 p.m.
- Oct. 13: vs. Livingston, 6 p.m.
- Oct. 21: at West Orange, 7 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens.
Irvington HS football team returns good corps in quest for state title repeat added by Joe Ragozzino on
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