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Morristown Beard Football builds on league title

Morristown Beard football coach Tahj Valentine is working with school officials, parents and other alumni on a five-year plan. Valentine, 24, has coached the Crimsons for two years, playing running back until graduating in 2018.

He is considered the youngest head coach on the New Jersey football team. He is the first black head coach of Morristown Beard and one of only two black head coaches on the Morris County football team.

Morristown Beard has 48 athletes on the roster, including 15 freshmen. Valentine said that's the highest number in the program's history, and he's still recruiting from within. He hopes to find a reliable kicker as well as plus-sized linemen.

“I tell the players, if they do their job and win, they're going to make it look fun for the other guys when they come out and play,” Valentine said.

The Crimsons have already played two weeks of 7-on-7 action against Parsippany, where former Morristown Beard defensive coordinator Tom Struble is now the head coach. They also competed in tournaments in Verona and Cedar Grove, reaching the finals of the latter before losing to the host team.

All of Morristown Beard's summer opponents have more students and are also larger than their competition in the Metropolitan Independent Football League. Ferris, which hosts the Crimsons in the season opener on Aug. 30, is a Group 4 school, but the rest are small private schools in the tri-state area.

“We decided to compete against big schools and see how the passing game is played in New Jersey,” Valentine said. “I'm happy with the direction our school is taking.”

Aqeel Daniels, an Edison University graduate who played receiver at Wagner, will succeed Struble as the Morristown Beard's new defensive coordinator. Robert Rollo returns for his second season as offensive coordinator.

“We can out-rebound and out-score any team if we do it right,” Valentine said. “It's really going to come down to our guys having the mental toughness and being able to stay focused and detail-oriented.”

Meet Tahj Valentine: How a former high school football star became a head coach at age 23

The tradition

Morristown Beard won the New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association title in 1972 and three years in a row from 1987 to 1989. Four more championships followed in 1995 and during another three-year winning streak from 1998 to 2000, when Tahj's father, Greg Valentine, played running back.

The Crimsons' move to the NJSIAA was less successful, reaching only one sectional final in 2007.

The challenge

How will Morristown Beard replace now-graduated running back Marcello Laracca? Laracca reported to Sacred Heart University for preseason training and took more than half of the Crimsons' rushing yards from last fall.

A lot is expected of senior quarterback Ryan Novak, who has been in the starting lineup since his freshman year. Last fall, he threw for 1,150 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Valentine said Novak has “improved his power and accuracy, but he needs to step up so we can get the job done.”

Morristown Beard will be more balanced this year, with WR/RB Marco Valastro and WR/CB Jawaad ​​Travis — both seniors who have been in the starting lineup for two seasons — expected to play important roles. Senior center/guard/middle linebacker Sean Rizzo will solidify the offensive line and defensive line.

expectations

Morristown Beard finished 6-4 last year and made it to the MIFL semifinals, where it lost to eventual champion Rye (New York) Country Day.

Valentine didn't mince words when asked how Morristown Beard would perform. He has high expectations and won't settle for anything less than the best performance.

“We're going to win the championship this year. The records say we're going to,” Valentine said. “It's going to come down to the guys really buying into the program and living up to the standard we're setting for them this year. I have a pretty good feeling, looking at where we were last year and what we have this year, that we're going to get to the championship game and win it.”

Time schedule

August 30: against Ferris

September 7: against Newark Academy

September 14th: in Montclair Kimberley

September 20: in Dobbs Ferry (New York)

28 September: against Pingry

October 5: against Capital Prep Harlem (New York) Charter

October 10: against Hackley (Tarrytown, New York)

October 19: at Poly Prep (Brooklyn, New York)

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