Lys Rubens Blanc greets the community during the Maplewood-South Orange Board of Education meeting on Monday, Feb. 3.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Lys Rubens Blanc recently has been named as the new Columbia High School football coach.
“Our program will develop talent,” Blanc explained to a crowd of interested high school parents on Monday, Feb. 3, at Columbia’s Black Box Theatre. “We’ve produced college coaches and a current NFL player (Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Yosh Nijman)– solid proof that Columbia’s athletic program can prepare student-athletes for the next level.”
Blanc is a graduate of Irvington High School, where he played as a running back and defensive back. He played collegiately at Kean University.
Blanc was an assistant coach at Hillside High School, helping the program to a 2022 state sectional championship, under head coach Barris Grant.
Columbia athletic director Sjocquelyn Winstead sees Blanc as more than a coach. “He doesn’t just develop athletes,” Winstead said. “He cultivates leaders in high school sports programs.”
Winstead and Blanc are working to establish a middle school football program in the community, which will launch by fall 2026. This initiative will create the much-needed feeder program that is missing in the Maplewood and South Orange youth communities.
CHS principal Frank Sanchez said, “High school sports are such a powerful way to help our students grow, both on and off the field. Coach Blanc truly understands this. His strong academic background and coaching experience show our students that they can excel in both their studies and athletics, proving that success in one area fuels success in the other.”
Blanc replaced Gary Mobley, who was the head coach of the CHS Cougars for the past nine seasons. The Cougars went 1-7 this past fall.
Photos Courtesy of Columbia High School
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