Sayreville War Memorial High School enjoyed a memorable football season in 2018.
The Bombers finished 11-1 and won two state championships, the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 5 sectional playoff title and the NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 5 Bowl Championship.
They achieved that championship campaign with productive line play on both sides, rushing for 225 yards per game and registering more than three sacks per contest.
Since the lines were so integral to Sayreville’s statewide success last fall, it was fitting that two of the team’s key men up front, Agustin Delvalle and Benedict Arthur, made the Middlesex County All-Star team for the Autoland Classic that was played on July 18 at Kean University.
Delvalle and Arthur helped Middlesex County defeat the Union County All-Star squad, 23-7, at Alumni Stadium in Union.
Line play was key to that victory. It helped North Brunswick Township High School kicker Aaron Ahr drill three field goals and two extra points. It sprang Saint Joseph Regional High School running back Jordan Davis for a 13-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. And it even sparked a shutout effort by Middlesex County’s defense in the second half.
The annual all-star game, originally called the Snapple Bowl, pits recent graduates from Middlesex County and Union County against each other. It also raises funds for the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside and the Lakeview School of Edison, a program of the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities.
Middlesex County’s 2019 victory increased its all-time series lead to 16-10.
Delvalle and Arthur both enjoyed playing in the game and appreciated the opportunity.
“It’s something very special because you work all your life and get rewarded at the end,” Delvalle said. “That’s something that’s really special for me.”
“It means a lot to me. It’s my last high school football game,” Arthur said. “I feel honored.”
Delvalle, a 5-7, 230-pound anchor on the line, thrived on offense in 2018 for the Bombers, starting at center and paving the way for an electric running and short passing attack. Arthur, a 6-2, 235-pound force, flourished as a defensive tackle, recording 61 tackles for Sayreville.
Their high school football experiences prepared both players for their next steps. Delvalle is enlisting in the United States Air Force. Arthur is going to play football at Utica College in New York State.
“Since I was little I’ve always had that push to drive a plane and be a pilot,” Delvalle said. “So the Air Force is a great choice for me.”
“The coach at Utica showed me a lot and came to a lot of my games,” Arthur said.
When Delvalle was a little kid, his dad bought him a plane simulator and he started playing with it non stop.
“That was it,” he said.
Arthur plans on studying criminal justice at Utica. He wants to be a police officer when he graduates, just like his father.
“I want to do the right thing,” Arthur said.
Old Bridge High School also had a representative in the Autoland Classic, outside linebacker Constantino Sacasa. He aided Middlesex County’s strong defensive effort on July 18.
“It’s an honor to be out here with some of the best players in both counties,” Sacasa said. “I’m thankful.”
At Old Bridge, Sacasa was a part of an 8-3 campaign in 2017 and a 3-7 season in 2018. He said he learned more from the 3-7 campaign.
“You learn what it means to tough it through,” he said.
Sacasa had two offers to play Division 1 collegiate football, at Campbell University and Elon University. But he turned them down to go to Rutgers University and study engineering. He wants to be a mechanical and aerospace engineer.
“It’s something I’ve had a passion for since I was young,” Sacasa said. “The mathematics and all that.”
