IRVINGTON, NJ — Irvington High School head football coach Ashley “Smoke” Pierre has been named the NJ.com state Coach of the Year for the football season.
Pierre, an Irvington native who completed his sixth year at the helm of Irvington football, guided the Blue Knights to their first-ever state sectional championship this fall. The Blue Knights were the No. 1 seed in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4, playoffs and defeated Linden in the quarterfinals, Colonia in the semifinals and Middletown South in the championship, all held at the IHS Sports Complex.
Irvington then defeated an undefeated Northern Highlands team, 19-14, in the North, Group 4, regional championship game held at Rutgers University on Dec. 4 to cap an 11-2 season. The victory was especially sweet for the Blue Knights, who avenged a North 1, Group 4, semifinal loss to Northern Highlands in 2019, the last time the playoffs were held. Last season’s playoffs were canceled due to the pandemic.
During Pierre’s tenure, the Blue Knights have been one of the best teams in the state. They have won a Super Football Conference divisional championship in each of the past five seasons. In fact, the Blue Knights have not lost a divisional game in that span and will enter next season on a 20-game divisional winning streak.
In 2018, the Blue Knights advanced to their second-ever state sectional championship game.
In his six seasons, Pierre has a whopping 49-17 record for a .742 winning percentage. His teams went 8-2 in 2016, 8-3 in 2017, 8-4 in 2018, 7-4 in 2019, 7-2 in 2020 and 11-2 this season.
Photo Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens
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