Nutley HS football team looks to build off last year’s progress

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NUTLEY — For the Nutley High School football program, last season saw the Raiders make dramatic improvements by the end of year, under the guidance of first-year head coach Chris Helm.

It’s now Year 2 for Helm and he has reason to feel excited, as the Raiders return a strong core, looking to continue their progress. “I thought last year was a very good year for us in Year 1,” said Helm on Tuesday morning, Aug. 13, following the second official day of practice at Tangorra Field/Park Oval. “We had a lot of things to change, and by the time midseason came, we were a different team.”

The Raiders, indeed, came a long way during last season. In the opener, they lost to West Milford, 37-0. But when they battled Wayne Valley in a tight game in the eighth game of the year, the Raiders made quite an impression, despite the 27-7 loss.

“The ultimate compliment was when we played Wayne Valley and it was a one-score game with six minutes left,” said Helm, a 2001 NHS graduate and former standout Raider running back-linebacker. “The officiating crew that was on that game was on our first game versus West Milford, and they couldn’t believe it was the same (Nutley) team. So that just showed we had a lot of growth during the year, especially with young kids. It’s never easy, but they bought in and are doing a great job.”

The Raiders ended the season on a high note, winning their final two games to finish 3-7.

This year’s team has strong depth, with 91 players in the program.

Helm has been delighted with the leadership of his seniors, particularly the three senior captains who are returnees: quarterback Clark Mohrbutter, running back-defensive end Tyler Von Roth and two-way lineman Dom Farro.

Von Roth and Farro were first-team picks on the All–Super Football Conference–Patriot White Division last year, as selected by the divisional coaches.

All of the seniors have led by example for the younger players, most of whom are also experienced. “It’s a good jell going on,” Helm said.

Von Roth and sophomore returning running back Aidan Rotbaum will power the ground game. Leading the wide receiving group will be Jaylyn Caraballo, a talented returning junior who made all-division honorable mention, and junior Jeremiah Tirado, who is back after missing last year due to a knee injury. Tirado also will anchor a strong secondary unit as a safety.

Along with Farro, the offensive line returns seniors Matt Serritella, Justin Bido, Gerard Russo, Sander Boissard and brothers Gerald and Andrew Santangelo; and junior Josh Selgado.

Led by Tirado in the secondary and Von Roth at end, the Raiders have a stout defense. The linebacking unit particularly is formidable, with Rotbaum, juniors Santino Cundiff and Sean Vilchez, Boissard and Gerald Santangelo. Rotbaum, as a freshman, made the all-division second team last season.

Helm said the goals for the team are to win the Patriot White Division, qualify for the playoffs and play for a championship. Some observers may think that the Raiders are not quite there yet. But with continued hard work and focus, those goals are attainable. “If we stay healthy and we stay the course, I think a lot of people are going to be pleasantly surprised by the result. I know a lot of people feel we are a few years away. But we’re not worried about other people,” Helm said. “The kids are buying into themselves and getting better every day.”

With Belleville moving to the SFC–Ivy White Division, the Raiders will not face their longtime rival for the first time since 2019. They had met every year since 1944, except for just three seasons (2016, 2017 and 2019). Nutley had won 12 straight meetings and 23 of the past 24 meetings since 1997. The teams played on Columbus Day weekend for nearly 40 years. The game was then moved to Thanksgiving from 1984 to 2011. Nutley played Belleville in its season opener from 2012 to 2015. The teams played on Thanksgiving again in 2020, but the last three seasons, the meetings did not fall on the holiday. The two Ivy divisions comprise teams that have struggled to compete in recent years and are not eligible for the postseason.

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