A revolving door of varsity football coaches left
Ross Scheuerman at a crossroads prior to his senior season at
Allentown High School. Should he stay or should he play elsewhere?
Then the Redbirds hired Jay Graber as their new head coach, who instilled a sense of optimism that permeated throughout the program. As quickly as he hits a hole, Allentown's star tailback decided to stay put.
"I was thinking about going to a prep school," Scheuerman admitted. "But when he got the job, I knew he was going to change the program."
Graber helped Allentown reverse field in a way few could have imagined. Entering Friday night's game at rival Robbinsville, the Redbirds (5-2) likely need a win and a Wall loss to earn their first-ever state playoff berth in the Central Group 3 bracket.
Considering Allentown's lack of success through the years, even thinking about the playoffs is unprecedented.
"It's been a great experience for the kids," said Graber, who coached the Allentown freshmen in 2009. "They really deserve it. Especially the seniors. I'm their fourth coach in four years."
That explains why Scheuerman, who is considering several Patriot League schools, considered prep school and why the Redbirds were previously overlooked when it came to state-playoff prognostications. But Graber's dedication and focus helped redefine the Redbirds almost instantly in the offseason.
Then the regular season began and Allentown sprinted out to a 5-0 start behind the running of Scheuerman (1,062 yards, 19 touchdowns), including a 224-yard, seven-touchdown showing in a 74-44 victory over Trenton Central. Suddenly, they were on the verge of tying the school record for wins (6-3 in 1967) and posting their first winning record in 42 years (5-4 in 1968).
"They were willing to do whatever it took to be successful," Graber said. "They had endured so much to that point, they were willing to do whatever it took."
Successive losses to rivals New Egypt and West Windsor-Plainsboro North - the latter a 35-27 loss last Saturday despite a 149-yard, four-touchdown performance from Scheuerman - took some of the shine off the Redbirds' best-ever start, but make no mistake: Just being part of the state playoff picture is a huge step forward for a program that has previously been a stranger to success.
"That'd be amazing for me," Scheuerman said of making the postseason. "It's my senior year, I've been through a lot. It would be huge, especially for the younger guys who look up to us. We could get better and better every year."
In addition to Allentown's game against Robbinsville, here are nine other games around the Garden State with playoff implications:
* Ramapo (Franklin Lakes) at Northern Valley (Old Tappan), Friday: Ramapo (7-1) faces yet another stern challenge a week after bowing to Wayne Hills when it faces the rival Golden Knights (7-0) and dual-threat quarterback
Devin Fuller. The winner of this game likely gets the second seed in the North 1, Group 3 bracket while the loser should edge out High Point for the third seed based on accumulation of residual points. Senior quarterback
Tyler Ward is the architect of a multi-faceted Green Raider attack that averages 25 points per game.
* Paramus at Teaneck, Saturday: Led by senior quarterback
John Robertson, who verbally committed to Villanova, the Spartans (4-3) are outside of the top eight but could earn a top-six seed in North 1, Group 3 with a victory here. Paramus is a sleeper in its group as it was a blocked field goal away from knocking off St. Joseph. Its other two losses are to bracket favorites Wayne Hills and Old Tappan.
* Shabazz (Newark) at Nutley, Saturday: This one has North 2, Group 2 and North 2, Group 3 implications. Shabazz (4-3) will look to extend its two-game win streak and push past current eight-seed Hanover Park for an invite to the North 2, Group 2 party. Meanwhile, Nutley (5-2) is already assured of playing in the North 2, Group 3 first round next Saturday, but could secure a top-four seed and begin its title quest on its home turf with a win over its Super Essex Conference rival.
* Colonia at Wall Township, Friday: Certainly Colonia (4-3) is a sentimental favorite in light of former standout Eric LeGrand was paralyzed after suffering a spinal cord injury while playing for Rutgers on Oct. 16. A win here would continue to help the healing and earn the Patriots the second seed in next week's North 2, Group 3 playoffs.
Greg Jones has lifted Colonia to three straight wins, but Wall (5-2) has been victorious in its last five and needs to triumph here to stave off Allentown for the eighth seed in Central Group 3.
* Plainfield at Linden, Friday: After last Saturday's 30-24 overtime loss to Westfield, Linden (5-2) needs a win here and a Westfield loss to an Immaculata team the Tigers beat a few weeks back, to break the top-eight in North 2, Group 4. Plainfield (4-3) can potentially move into a top-five, or even top-four, seed in North 2, Group 3.
* South Brunswick (Monmouth Junction) at East Brunswick, Friday: South Brunswick (4-3) currently owns the eighth seed in the Central Group 4 bracket, but has won five in a row and could climb into the top six with a victory over its neighboring rival. East Brunswick (4-3) is 10th in the same group's power-point rankings, but a victory here combined with a loss by ninth-place Howell against 7-1 Brick Memorial could help the Bears sneak into the playoffs.
* Middletown South at Lacey Township (Lanoka Harbor), Saturday: This battle of Shore Conference rivals leaves everything to gain for Middletown South (6-1), which could claim the top seed in Central Group 3 by springing an upset here. However, Lacey (8-0) already secured the No. 1 seed in South Group 3 and has allowed only 26 points thus far.
* Point Pleasant Boro at Manchester Township (Lakehurst), Friday: If Collingswood can upset South Group 1 stalwart Woodbury, these Shore Conference rivals might be playing for one invitation to the South Group 2 bracket. Currently the seventh seed, Point Pleasant Boro (4-3) has won three straight games - including a 14-7 victory over Raritan last Saturday days after former head coach Calvin Thompson resigned for personal reasons and senior running back/defensive back Eric Mount's father passed away.
Meanwhile, Manchester Township (4-3) will look to rebound from a 41-40 overtime loss to Pinelands behind the electric running of
Joe Johnson, who has rushed for 582 yards over his last two outings.
* St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) at Wayne Hills (Wayne), Saturday: Yes, St. Joseph (5-2) is already assured it will get to defend its Non-Public Group 3 crown. However, the Green Knights, currently seeded third, could grab a top-two seed and avoid a second loss to a public-school power with a win here. For Wayne Hills (8-0), this is a chance to exact a measure of revenge against the Green Knights, who ended the Patriots' 55-game winning streak (second longest in state history) last October, before beginning its quest for a sixth North 1, Group 3 championship in seven seasons.
