ORANGE, NJ — The Orange High School football team has adopted the “DAWGS” mentality this season.
To the Tornadoes, “DAWGS” is an acronym — discipline, accountability, winning, grinding and swag.
The last part is very important.
“You gotta play with swag, baby,” said head coach Khalfani Alleyne.
Last season, Alleyne became the interim head coach after longtime head coach Randy Daniel resigned following the second game of the season against West Side, which the Tornadoes had to forfeit. Alleyne, a 2001 OHS graduate who played for Daniel, was officially named the head coach this spring.
The Tornadoes won just one game last season, the sixth game of the season, against Barringer at home. Orange finished with a 1-8 record.
In the spring and summer, the Tornadoes participated in several camps and got to learn more about Alleyne and his coaching staff’s system. More importantly, the team developed a strong bond.
“I like the work ethic,” Alleyne said. “I like the direction that we are heading in. We got a good group of kids, hard workers, guys who want it and want to win and want to be great, and a coaching staff that complements that.”
Junior Maurice Williams returns as the starting quarterback.
“He is a dynamic athlete,” Alleyne said. “He knows the offense and has a lot of experience. He has started since he was a freshman, and we worked hard all off-season. He is a student of the game.”
Williams has a trio of speedy receivers. Senior 6-foot-1, 160-pound returning receiver Khyron Hill is an “athletic freak,” said Alleyne. Senior Jalen Phillips is a returning player. Senior receiver Jabril Bridgeman is back at Orange after spending his junior year at East Orange Campus High School.
Junior running back and defensive back Bi’Shay Sanders, a transfer from Montclair Immaculate Conception, will be a key contributor.
Senior 6-foot-3, 300-pound center Sir’Ron Canty-Venegas will anchor the offensive line.
Senior outside linebacker Gideon Antwi will be one of the leaders on defense. Antwi is an excellent student and the team’s student-athlete of the year last season.
Alleyne said the team’s goal is to win the Super Football Conference Patriot Red Division title. The other teams in the division are Bayonne, Lincoln, Newark West Side and North Bergen.
The Tornadoes have shown tremendous courage.
“One of our biggest strengths is the heart of the team. The kids have big hearts,” Alleyne said.
Some of the players expressed their thoughts about the team and the season.
Williams, the starting quarterback, mentioned that the team has developed a strong bond. “This year, I like that we got swag, we got a brotherhood,” he said.
Hill said the team has shown discipline.
“We can do a lot of flashy things on the field but also be disciplined at the same time,” Hill said. “It’s a lot of energy coming into this year.”
Phillips praised the coaching staff in guiding the team. “The coaches are helping us,” Phillips said. “Our head coach is doing everything he can and making this program as good as it can be. It’s really working. I like how this season is going.”
Antwi said the Tornadoes understand the importance of accountability “and keeping this brotherhood strong.”
Bridgeman experienced winning state sectional and regional championships at East Orange Campus, and hopes to experience the same with Orange.
“I feel like I can win a ring for my city,” Bridgeman said. “It’s good to be back. Playing with my teammates is fun.”
The Tornadoes will kick off the season on Sept. 1 against Paterson Kennedy at Bauerle Field in Paterson.
The assistant coaches are Omar Mitchell, defensive coordinator; Clario Sampson, special teams and secondary; Kevin Boateng, running backs and linebacker; and Joe Cook, Reginald Miles, Russell Mason and Te’airr Michael, who will all coach linemen. Alleyne will be the offensive coordinator. The equipment managers are Billy Hathaway and Hantz Nicholas. The academic coach is Chacaya Harris, who is the first female coach in the program.
2022 Orange football schedule
- Sept. 1: at Paterson Kennedy, 6 p.m.
- Sept. 9: vs. Bayonne, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 17: at West Side, 1 p.m.
- Sept. 23: vs. Barringer, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 1: vs. Millburn, 1 p.m.
- Oct. 8: at North Bergen, 2 p.m.
- Oct. 15: at Dickinson, 1 p.m.
- Oct. 21: vs. Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Photos by Joe Ragozzino.
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