Senior Kasi Hazzard is an offensive weapon for John P. Stevens High School.
He is listed on the roster as a running back/quarterback, but he also lines up at receiver and goes out for passes.
On Oct. 19 at South Brunswick High School, in J.P. Stevens’ 41-13 loss to the host Vikings, Hazzard produced all over the field.
In the second quarter, he caught a 44-yard pass on a third down and 13 and then hauled in a 31-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, he jolted up the middle for 60 yards, setting up the Hawks’ second touchdown of the game.
Hazzard finished with 176 total yards on Oct. 19, three catches for 85 yards and 10 carries for 91 yards against the 2017 Central Jersey, Group 5 state playoff champion.
“Kasi is a competitor. He’s a baller. He comes to play every day. He’s a vocal leader, he’s a team leader,” said J.P. Stevens coach Joe Riggi. “He’s an inspiration for these younger kids, too. If we played half as tough as Kasi plays, we’d be alright.”
Riggi moved Hazzard around against the Vikings, lining him up in the backfield, out wide and even under center.
“You have to worry about him. If he’s in the backfield, he’s a running threat. If he’s on the line of scrimmage, he’s a passing threat,” Riggi said. “So, hopefully we put teams in a bind with him. ‘Is he going to run? Is he going to pass?’ That kind of thing.”
Hazzard acted as a decoy on J.P. Stevens’ second touchdown, lining up under center and handing off to the Hawks’ starting quarterback, Joey Young. The defense followed Hazzard left, assuming he would keep the ball. Young raced up the right seam for a 25-yard score.
“We use Kasi to help out the offense very much,” Riggi said.
The senior could not help the Hawks on the lines at South Brunswick. J.P. Stevens lost the battle on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, allowing 316 rushing yards and five touchdowns on defense, and punting on six of nine possessions on offense.
“They came to play. South Brunswick came out and attacked us,” said Riggi. “That’s a game of them wanting it more and controlling the line of scrimmage.”
J.P. Stevens dropped to 3-4 with this defeat. The Hawks are out of contention for the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 5 sectional playoffs, but they still have one more regular season game, against Monroe Township High School on Oct. 26. Then, J.P. Stevens will play in a crossover consolation game against another team that misses the playoffs.
Finally, on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day, J.P. Stevens will battle Edison High School in a rivalry game.
Riggi said his team’s goal is to finish .500 or above.
“Hopefully we pick up a victory against Monroe to get us back to .500. We’re playing for that .500 season right now. It would be a good reward for these guys,” Riggi said. “The crossover game will be some team with a similar record to us. It’s another game to win. Every week we strive for another goal, and that’s going to be a good goal for us as well.”
