By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Despite finishing the 2016 season with a 4-6 record, Zoran Milich knows that the Montgomery High football team wasn’t all that far away from being a state playoff team last year.
“We are in a tough league,” said Milich, who is set to begin his 18th season as the Cougars’ head coach. “Hillsborough is loaded. Bridgewater is loaded. We play both of them. We open with Ridge. We have Immaculata and Hunterdon Central. There really aren’t any breaks. Last year we were 4-6 and could have been 7-3 if a couple of things went the right way.
“When we go out of (the Skyland) conference, we do well. When we step out of the conference it is a little easier. You just don’t know with the conference we are in. We were 4-6 and we were a good team last year. Some of those teams we could play 10 times and split them 5-5 or maybe go 4-6.”
Four of Montgomery’s six defeats last year came by 10 points or less.
This year the Cougars return six starters on offense, but just four on the defensive side of the ball. Just how long it takes for the newcomers to come together on defense may determine the kind of season Montgomery has this year.
“We are inexperienced on defense,” Milich said. “We lost our whole defensive line, so that is a big adjustment we have to make. We only have one of our four linebackers returning, but we do three guys back in the secondary. So we have some shoes to fill. And we lost Jared Reinson, who has all our records for defense. He came in as a freshman and made his mark right away.”
On defense, senior Grant Papa returns at linebacker, while the defensive backfield has returning players in seniors Will Keller, Reese Hilton-Clarke and Kyle Kuminski.
The offense lost quarterback Michael Patrizio and running back Messiah Devine. But there is a solid returning nucleus that should help get the Cougars headed to the right direction.
Senior running back Damion Bland and senior receiver Ryan Cashman are the top returning skill players. Four seniors return on the offensive line — tackles Chandler Turner and Ryan Cocuzzo, guard Arsham Moghaddam and center Dempsey Shovin.
“We are solid on offense, we just don’t know who we are yet as a team,” said Milich, whose squad will serve as the host to Ridge in the season opener on Sept. 8. “Our first quad scrimmage was not very good. We played better teams in or second quad and I thought we did well. We don’t have the team speed we have had in the past. Two of the last three years we’ve had some real good team speed. This year we’re not as fast.”
Among the newcomers who could make a difference on offense this year are senior quarterback Brian Thompson, senior tight end Christian Boyle, senior lineman Alec Drift, senior receiver Dileepa Ariyawansa and junior running back Josh Perera.
Newcomers looking to make an impact on defense include seniors Aubrie Barnes (LB), Jackson Devine (DL), Jon May (DL), Mike Patron (DL), Collin Szczepanski (LB), Dylan Leedy (DL), as well as juniors Al Villaverde (DL), Kyle Wierzbicki (LB), Rydell Johnson (DB) and Tim Walker (DB).
“Our schedule is so tough it makes it hard to predict how we will do,” Milich said. “We play all good teams and the games are all competitive. If you make a mistake here or there that can make a difference.”
One thing that the Cougars can always count on is strong support from its faithful fans.
Home games are always a Friday night happening in Montgomery and this year’s schedule includes Epilepsy Awareness Night for the opener against Ridge, as well as a Pink Out on Oct. 20 against Phillipsburg and Senior Night Oct. 27 against Immaculata.
“We get great fan support,” Milich said. “Our student section is always filled. We have a great band, cheerleaders and dance team. And the parents and community are awesome. The games are really a great night for the community.”
