Kennedy is preparing to start quickly this football season.
The Paterson school has fielded a program since 1900 and, according to all previous schedules searched, has never played a game in the month of August.
That will change in the 2024 season opener when coach Ron Jackson’s team hosts Stevenson of Bronx, N.Y.
“I don’t like to start Week 1 when everyone else starts Week 0,” Jackson said. “Because then, they’ve got an extra game on you, and the game speed – going from a game scrimmage to a regular-season game is a whole lot different. And then, you’ve got a team coming in Week 2 at full throttle, and you’re still ironing out the wrinkles.”
East Rutherford, NJ — August 6, 2024 — Kennedy head coach Ron Jackson at the Super Football Conference Media Day at MetLife Stadium, put on by the NY Jets.
Last season may have been the harshest illustrator of that point. The Knights opened on Sept. 1 against Orange, which had begun its season six days earlier.
They were outscored in their first three games, 112-0. Finally, in Game 4, they snapped a 25-game losing streak with a victory over Snyder of Jersey City.
“We’re looking at trying to start this season on a positive note,” Jackson said.
The tradition
Times have been tough recently at Kennedy with just three wins in four post-pandemic seasons. In the eight years prior to COVID, the team averaged five victories per year.
There is an extra incentive to score the first W of 2024, as it would be the 72nd of Jackson’s 21-year tenure. The 1988 Kennedy grad is currently tied with his varsity coach, Frank Bonadies (71-66-4), for the most in program history.
Coaching records from prior to 1918 are spotty, but the program earned just 46 wins in its first 19 campaigns. Of the 15 coaches the school has employed since then, Bonadies is the only one to guide the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kennedy-football-pushing-pace-more-081615722.html
Author : The Bergen Record
Publish date : 2024-08-23 08:16:15
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