Even returning home hasn’t completely quelled Dwayne Williams’ concern heading into a new football season.
No one can blame the new Bayonne football coach, one of the greatest program players of all time who took the job after 3 years at the helm of Barringer. Last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams lost 4 family members—including his 91 year-old mother, Linda—to the disease.
Williams admitted he struggled with both the personal and professional aspects of the pandemic—Barringer played just 3 games last season—but that he is keeping a positive attitude heading into the 2021 N.J. football season.
Yet even with the most difficult part of his life in the rearview mirror, even that attitude is difficult to maintain.
“God don’t make mistakes. It’s all part of God’s plan,” Williams said at Wednesday’s SFC Media Day at MetLife Stadium. " But with everything going on (last year) and with how much the (Barringer) players wanted to play, I didn’t want to rush them out.”
That concern from last year, as it turns out, is shared by several of Williams’ counterparts across the largest football conference in the country. Several teams, both in and out of the Super Football Conference, have already experienced shutdowns due to positive tests and/or contact tracing with more seemingly on the way before the ball is even kicked.
Last season over half of New Jersey’s football teams had at least 1 game or scrimmage affected by a COVID-19 cancelation. After living through a year in which every program constantly looked over its shoulder waiting for the hammer to drop, SFC coaches fear 2021 may be even more problematic than 2020.
“We went from landmines to airstrikes,” River Dell coach D.J. Nimphius said. “I don’t know where it goes. You open up every email from a parent and you hold your breath. You don’t know what the protocols are. It seems pretty simple to me, if you’re unvaccinated and there’s an outbreak, you’re out. If you’re vaccinated, you’re in unless you decide to get tested.”
Added Morris Hills coach Mike Sabo, “Last year I was worried about the tests and the masks and all that on top of the football. Now, with kids back in school this year, I have to worry about who they’re sitting next to in English class.”
Some, such as Wayne Valley’s Roger Kotlarz, expressed frustration with where everything stands compared to last season.
Wayne Valley was able to play 6 games last season but did lose 2 games late in the season—1 when Wayne Township reverted to in-person learning and cancelled all athletic events (including the football game against Passaic Valley) and when Wayne Valley’s Thanksgiving opponent in River Dell ended its season prematurely due to COVID-19.
“I feel like we’re back to a lot of stuff from a year ago,” Kotlarz said. “It is a little disappointing we’re not able to leave all this behind to last year.”
While the concerns remain, other programs are attempting to turn that sense of dread into a positive—capitalizing on what many were not able to in 2020.
Delbarton, for example, had arguably its best season in program history behind a 25-man senior class until a cancelation right before kickoff of its game against Bergen Catholic put the rest of the Green Wave season on the shelf.
Another Morris County school, Morristown, hardly had a chance to prove its worth on the football field. The Colonials had several shutdowns and, after playing in only 3 games, played its last contest Oct. 23.
“With everything that went on, last year was incredibly disappointing,” Morristown coach John Power said. “We’re excited to get back onto the field but, at the same time, we still need to remain vigilant.”
NJ.com’s Pat Lanni contributed to this report
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Cautious optimism, continued COVID-19 concerns highlight SFC Media Day - nj.com
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