MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School football program has improved since Gary Mobley became the head coach in 2016.
Mobley, who was a highly successful head coach at Rahway prior to coming to Columbia, guided the Cougars to a 5-5 record in 2019 and a 4-3 record in 2020, after the team struggled mightily in his first three seasons.
The Cougars were happy to have a season at all last year during the pandemic.
“We were grateful to be able to play in 2020,” Mobley said in an interview with the News-Record. “We had a decent season. We were above .500 and glad to be able to play. We were incident free, COVID free. We had one game delayed with Belleville, but we got to make that up. We were just grateful for the opportunity and to have our guys get a chance to play.
We were senior-heavy, but some young guys got some playing time. What really was good about last year was that our underclassmen had a good season as far as freshmen and JV were concerned, so they got some good experience. Those guys gaining a little experience really helped.”
This year’s Cougars have promising talent, looking to achieve another fine season and qualify for the North Group 5 state playoffs.
Offensively, the ground attack will be led by senior four-year letter-winner Stephen Henry, who was an all-county performer last year, said Mobley.
Henry feels this is the best Columbia team in his four years.
“From the time I have been here since freshman year until now, the improvement has been crazy,” Henry said in an interview with the News-Record. “We went 1-9 freshman year, and we’ve only been building from here. I think this team is the best that I’ve had in all four years. I think this team has a real good chance to go to the state championship.”
Other notable skill players are junior quarterback Tarik Huff, sophomore running back Yassan Fields, and sophomore wide receivers Zhamir Rowan and Steven Memo.
Huff said the team has shown strong focus.
“We’re a young team and we’re striving to be good this year and actually make a difference,” Huff said in an interview with the News-Record. “We’re all good individuals, and we’re good at what we do. We have to do what we need to do and make ourselves better.”
Huff also believes Columbia football is on the rise with Mobley providing guidance.
“It’s a good program. Coach Mobe is a really good coach and disciplining us, too,” Huff said.
Fields is excited to get the chance to see major playing time.
“I’m excited,” he said. “Last year I played JV and freshman, so it was just a little here and there. Now I am playing with the older guys. Not too many sophomores play varsity, so I am just excited.”
The top linemen will be 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior guard/defensive end David Fadael; 6-foot-3, 305-pound senior offensive tackle/defensive tackle Dylan Dalambert; and 6-foot-3, 275-pound senior offensive tackle/defensive tackle David Darius.
Sophomore safety Max Gigante also will play a vital role.
In an interview with the News-Record, Dalambert and Fadael said they are very optimistic about the team’s chances for another successful season.
“I feel like I can be 100 percent more effective to my team this season,” said Dalambert, a two-year starter. “Last year, I was very effective being a tackle for my teammates, and this year I hope to get better stats, do better and help my team better.”
Fadael, in his fourth year on the team, said the Cougars, especially the younger players, have a good attitude.
“I like our determination,” Fadael said. “I like the drive. I like the demeanor. A lot of these underclassmen, they actually listen. They actually do certain things that they should be doing, and they are driven.”
Mobley likes the team’s chemistry. He and his staff are excited about helping the team improve.
“I love their demeanor,” Mobley said of his team. “I love the way that they compete. I love that they have a brotherhood and just love the potential of them. Becoming a high school coach, part of it is developing kids, developing your team. We are totally immersed in the development part, and we are enjoying it.”
Mobley and his staff want to take the program to bigger heights.
“When we first took over the program, our goal was to get us to respectability after the reputation that Columbia had, of losing streaks and things of that nature,” Mobley said. “I know that they had a successful season in 2010, but we are just trying to be consistent in our success level, trying to be more consistent in our competition level, so that we can go out and win games. It’s been a long road to try to get everybody up to speed as far as competition is concerned, but we feel like we are heading in the right direction. We enjoy the process of development and building the program almost from scratch. We feel good about the prospects. We feel good about the work that we are doing, and hopefully we can have success in 2021.”
Columbia went 8-2 in 2009 and 9-1 in 2010 under late head coach Dave Curtin. The team made the North 2, Group 4, playoffs both years, but lost in the first round to Westfield and Bridgewater–Raritan, respectively.
In Mobley’s first year at Columbia in 2016, the team qualified for the North 2, Group 5, playoffs despite having one win. They lost to Bridgewater–Raritan in the first round.
The Cougars will visit Morristown to kick off the season on Sept. 4.
Columbia has moved to the Freedom Red Division of the Super Football Conference after being in the Freedom White Division last season.
The other teams in the Freedom Red Division are Bloomfield, East Orange Campus, Livingston, Montclair, Newark East Side and West Orange.
Schedule
Sept. 3: vs. Morristown, 5 p.m.
Sept. 10: vs. Livingston, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17: vs. East Orange Campus, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24: at Barringer, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1: vs. West Orange, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9: at Montclair, 1 p.m.
Oct. 15: at Bloomfield, 7 p.m.
Oct. 22: at Newark East Side, 7 p.m.
Oct. 29: vs. Passaic County Tech, 7 p.m.
Columbia looks to continue major progress on the football field added by Joe Ragozzino on
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