St. Joseph Regional Green Knights
Photo by Army National Guard
North Jersey is no stranger to competitive high school football programs. This area of the Garden State boasts the top four powerhouse teams: Don Bosco Prep, Bergen Catholic, Paramus Catholic, and the current champion,
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale). With each fall bringing hard-fought wins (and losses), these football teams jockey to claim the number one spot in the state; and this past year, St. Joseph Regional out-performed its competitors by taking the Non-Public Group III state title after beating Delbarton 37-9.
With fourteen state titles in the past eighteen years, there is no question why St. Joseph Regional was honored on the 8th Annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard.
On Tuesday, Feb. 12, the Green Knights football team was not only being honored by MaxPreps and the Army National Guard, but they also received their diamond-encrusted state championship rings that night. As parents, students, and players entered the gym, it was hard not to stop and stare at the hardware the football team collected this past season. Displayed on the table were the coveted "Minuteman" trophy along with the Star Ledger No.1 football trophy and their Non-Public Group III state championship trophy.
Continuing with the night's celebrations, the seniors on the basketball team were recognized and took half court with their parents before the start of their game. Once the scoreboard buzzed for halftime, the crowd's attention was turned to the football team as Staff Sergeant Michael Biggins of the New Jersey Army National Guard awarded head coach Tony Karcich and the Green Knight seniors with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy and banner. SSG Biggins commended coach Karcich and his team for being ranked No. 29 out of more than 16,000 football teams according to the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings and bringing national recognition to a community that is very proud of their football team's accomplishments.
After the presentation, senior captains
Matthew Buckman,
Joel Campo, and
Shawn Flaherty showed off their shiny new rings while posing for pictures with the "Minuteman" trophy. After working so hard on and off the field since July, this was a welcome celebration for the team.
As we packed up to leave, Coach Karcich, very appreciative of the honor and recognition, half jokingly asked if we will return again next year to St. Joseph Regional … well to answer your question coach, we sure hope so!
