On Thursday, August 31, the Columbia High School Football team will host Livingston High School in their home opener at newly-renovated Lynn V. Profeta Field at the Underhill Sports Complex.
The Cougars have had a successful summer of training and turned in exemplary performances in major regional 7 v 7 tournaments. In early July, the Cougars made it to the championship game in the NY Jets-hosted tournament, losing to highly-touted Erasmus Hall of Brooklyn. Bouncing back two weeks later, the Cougars went 7-0 in the West Orange 7 v 7 tournament and brought home the championship trophy, besting squads including those from Hillside and Union.
Photo by Tim Parlin
The team is led by head coach Gary Mobley and a strong senior class. The thirteen-strong senior leadership is made up of William Fanka, Steve Memo, Ethan Parlin, Jordan Paul-Pierre, Krishad Clark, Henry Aaron, Zahmir Rowan, Max Gigante, John Richards, Charlie Morrison, Ryan Duval, Yassan “Pop” Fields and Max Archer. The seniors are supported by a talented and growing group of juniors and sophomores. Mobley and his coaches are are pleased with the squad of 9th graders who came out this year.
The Cougars have been fueled all summer by the way their matchup against Livingston a year ago ended. With under a minute left in the game, then-senior Quarterback Tarik Huff dropped back and completed a pass to Zhamir Rowan for what appeared to be a Cougar first down around the Lancer 30, only for Rowan’s outstretched arm to be ruled short of the marker by the officials. The Cougars are fired up to have another shot at the Lancers, and have been waiting patiently for a full year to get their revenge.
Photo by Tim Parlin
Mobley has deemed this year’s team the “redeem team”, as the Cougars hope to redeem themselves of last season, which was all things considered, not a full accounting of the depth of talent, drive, and determination the team has.
In the Cougars’ Week 2 matchup against Paterson Eastside, the Cougars will come in with a similar mindset. The Cougars came up just short again in week 2 of the 2022 season against the Ghosts in a heartbreaking 3-0 loss. In 2022 the Cougars started the season 0-2, with 2 well- played games they felt as they should have won. Beginning this week on August 31st, the Cougars look to turn that around.
Please come out and cheer on the Cougars and see the newly-renovated Underhill Field on Thursday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m.
Photo by Tim Parlin
Photo credits Aidan Heindl:
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