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About The Cover
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ne of the things that makes Egg Harbor Township such a unique high school is the diversity of the student body. There are rich kids, poor kids, black, white, Hispanic, Asian. There are so many different kinds of students, and athletes, and so many back stories to tell. It’s a school with more than 2,000 kids and a lot of good sports teams. The Eagles’ football program has hovered around the .500 mark for the better part of a decade, but coach Kevin Stetser continues to stick to his believe that if you build the right kind of program, win-loss success will follow. This fall, he saw a huge jump in progress because of the kind of culture that has been built, and the type of football player who now roams the halls of EHT high. There’s no better example of what this program is about than senior two-way lineman Michelot Sine. He came from Haiti a half dozen years ago with not much more than the clothes he was wearing, and now he’s an inspiration to the entire student body. He has a perpetual smile and a motor that doesn’t stop, and he believes his high school football career was just the beginning of big things for him. Check out Page 12 to read more. Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
GLORY DAYS General Contact Information Phone: 856-336-2600 Email: sullyglorydays@gmail.com Publisher Dave O’Sullivan Email: sullyglorydays@gmail.com @GDsullysays on Twitter Contributors Amy D’Adamo, graphic design Mark Trible, special football writer Larry Henry Jr., correspondent Ben Hale, Social Media Volume 9, Issue 1 (Issue No. 160) 2021 Glory Days Magazine LLC, all rights reserved.
Story Idea? Email sullyglorydays@gmail.com or message Sully on Twitter @GDSullysays
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headlines u PRESENTED BY BUNTING FAMILY PHARMACY u What a run
The Mainland Regional girls soccer team came into the South Jersey Group 3 tournament as a No. 5 seed and not a whole lot was expected of the Mustangs considering they were on the same side of the bracket as No. 4 Delsea and No. 1 Ocean City, a team that had lost just two games in three years. But one of those losses was earlier this year to Mainland, so the Mustangs had confidence they could go toe-to-toe with the Red Raiders. Mainland took care of business in the first two rounds, winning two games with the help of just two goals, as the Stangs’ defense pitched a pair of shutouts. That defense came up huge again in the semifinals, limiting the state’s leading scorer, Ocean City’s Summer Reimet, to just one goal in an eventual 1-1 tie. In the ensuing penalty kick shootout, sophomore goalie Genevieve Morrison made two huge saves and senior Alyssa Turner converted her PK to send Mainland into the championship game. Against No. 3 Lacey in the title game Main-
land was on the ropes again but Camryn Dirkes scored with five minutes to go to send the game into overtime. Twenty minutes later, it was down to another PK shootout. This time, Lacey walked away the winner after a 3-2 edge in PKs. But it was a heck of a run, as Mainland went 3-1 in the playoffs and allowed just two goals.
Hold on to your hats
This weekend features the sectional championship games in football, and we’ve got a doozy for you in Millville as the Thunderbolts host undefeated Ocean City for the South Jersey Group 4 title game. Millville features Syra-
cuse recruit LeQuint Allen at tailback and freshman phenom Lotzeir Brooks at receiver, while Ocean City counters with one of the top defenses in South Jersey. Also, St. Augustine Prep hosts Don Bosco Prep in a huge Non-Public A semifinal, and Holy Spirit is still alive, as the Spartans travel north to face old nemesis DePaul Catholic.
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SENIOR CAPTAIN / SYDNEY SORRENTINO, HAMMONTON SOCCER
Holding the line Sweeper spent senior season as last line of defense for Blue Devils By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer hen trying to build a contending soccer program it’s critical to have a player such as Sydney Sorrentino to help lay the foundation for success. Ashley Koester just finished up her second year leading the Hammonton girls program and after a shortened 5-5 covid season in 2020, the Blue Devils went 5-8-2 this year and earned a berth in the state playoffs. The record may not have been glamorous, but this is a young team that scored quality wins over Egg Harbor Township and Middle Township and only lost 2-0 in the playoffs to Lacey Township, the eventual South Jersey Group 3 champion. Much of the Blue Devils’ success, especially on defense, can be attributed to Sorrentino, a high-level club player who set the tone in the back as the team’s sweeper. She could easily have led the team in scoring had she been up top as a forward, but Koester said she needed her in the back as the last line of defense in front of junior goalie Emma Peretti. “This year I played primarily sweeper, which limited my opportunities to get up the field with the offense, but I also really enjoyed the challenge of being the last one back,” Sorrentino said. “I really enjoyed the bond this team created. This year, our team was really close. We had so many pasta parties and team bonding events that really brought us together. “I just loved that I had a big role on the team,” added Sorrentino, who has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old. “We were a very young team this year, so my biggest role was to help develop the younger players and help them for the future. It was also important to me to carry myself the right way because everyone was always looking up at me to see how to react. I tried to always be there to motivate the
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Sydney Sorrentino was one of the top sweepers in the Cape-Atlantic League this season and helped lead Hammonton into the state playoffs. team and bring them up.” “I’ve only been coaching for two years here but she’s been excellent in the two years I’ve had her, and from what I’ve heard she had really good freshman and sophomore seasons as well. I tried to put her in a position where I can get the most out of her,” Koester explained. “I’d love to have her on the outside just to get her into the attack more often than we already have her there now because she’s that dangerous of a player, but we need her on our back line to help defensively. But even as a defensive player I’ll throw her up top often. Unfortunately, with our lack of experience on the back line, I needed her in the center of things to make sure she took care of anything that got through our defense. My first impression of her was, how can I get the most out of this kid? Obviously, she is a special player.” With Sorrentino manning the back, only three
teams all season were able to score more than two goals against Hammonton, a testament to how strong that combination of Sorrentino and Peretti was all year. Sorrentino said she took her captain’s role seriously, and tried to lead the way for the next generation of Blue Devils with an example of hard work, determination and hustle. “The amount of people I’ve played with — and I’ve played with some really good kids — I think they’ve helped me develop my character as a person as well as my soccer skills. That’s what I wanted to do this year with our younger girls. I wanted to help them develop, and I think playing soccer with really good people from the time I was 4 years old really helped build up my character and soccer skills,” said Sorrentino, who is also involved in activities such as
See Sorrentino, page 7
Nov. 18, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 7 Sorrentino, from page 6 student council and peer mediation at Hammonton High. “I definitely wanted to do what captains did for me, they helped me develop when I was younger, so I wanted to help the younger kids. I created a lot of really good bonds with the freshmen and sophomores, but also the juniors and seniors. I think bonding together helped us connect out there on the soccer field.” “As a captain, she’s a great leader. Having that kid who you don’t really have to worry about coaching them up — I have six or seven other kids who I really have to focus on and help develop, so to not have to worry about her, and, to have her as an example, like, hey, watch Sydney do this. She’s done a lot for us where we’ll say, ‘hey, Sydney’s doing it this way instead of this way, try that.’ She’s great to have in that respect,” Koester said. “All her teammates love her. She does a great job of being serious when we need to be serious, and getting the kids moving when we need to be moving, but she also understands that soccer is fun and they all chose to play this game because they love it. She does a really good job of having fun with it and getting the other kids involved and having fun with soccer. She knows
when we need to be serious, but she also knows when it’s time to have some fun and laugh and goof around with her teammates. “She’s a great kid who we’re really going to miss next year.” Sorrentino said she’d like to play soccer at the college level while potentially studying education or nursing. She looks back fondly on her high school soccer career, which included 20 wins and a lot of memories. “I think my career at Hammonton is always going to be a big part of my life. I’ve made a lot of really good friendships, and I’ll always remember playing with all the different grade level and just all these good players I played with,” she said. “I’ll also never forget the amount of fun I’ve had during my four years here — the playoff games, the bus rides — I think all that made high school soccer so much fun. Having the experience of playing sports in high school can help develop anybody’s character and skill. The past four years, I’ve become such a better person and a better player. I’ve learned so much from our coaching staff and the players I’ve played with.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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Eagles starting to spread wings EHT field hockey has gone from .500 to one of CAL’s best in just four years By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer couple years ago the Egg Harbor Township field hockey team was right around the .500 mark, finishing the 2018 season with a 10-8 record. But against the best competition — such as Ocean City, West Deptford and Cherokee — the Eagles were getting their doors blown off. Rebecca Macchia, a freshman goalie that season, was getting beat up in the cage by some of South Jersey’s best teams. Ocean City, a perennial state power, outscored the Eagles 13-0 in two CapeAtlantic League matchups, West Deptford handed EHT an 8-0 loss in an nonconference game, and in the opening round of the state playoffs Cherokee blasted the Eagles 9-0. The Eagles simply weren’t ready to compete with the best teams in South Jersey. But a lot can change in just a few short seasons in high school sports. This year, EHT posted a 17-4 record that included a huge overtime win over Ocean City that highlighted an 11game winning streak to start the season, and only one of the Eagles’ losses was by more than two goals. The Eagles earned the No. 3 seed in the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs but were upset by 14th-seeded Washington Township, 1-0. So, there is still a long way to go until EHT can start competing for sectional titles, but the Eagles certainly are on a big-time upward swing. “My freshman year we would get blown out and I’d be getting demolished, so I think coming from that to now having a winning team — and being on every type of team in between — kind of makes you learn a lot,” Macchia said prior to the playoffs.
state of the program
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The Egg Harbor field hockey program has relied on a solid group of seniors to help build the Eagles into a formidable team in the Cape-Atlantic League. This year, the Eagles went 17-4 and tied Ocean City for the CAL American Conference championship. “You learn how to handle a lot of situations, which is why I felt so prepared for this season. I’ve had so many different kinds of experiences.” So, how does a coach turn a team into a program? “We had some shifts and changes at the different coaching levels. I’ve had Carly (Smith) for several years in a row now at the freshman level, and everything you are teaching and building flows from one team to the next. She’s doing the same things and Lara (Subbotin) is adding to those basics, and we’ve had a lot of kids who are making that transition from freshman to JV, finding success there, and then playing two years of varsity,” said head
coach Kristi Troster, who took over the program six years ago after a stint coaching at the college level. “We have a lot more kids who are going through that complete process now and I think that’s why we have more balance. We have kids who are building their skills, finding success and discovering their love for the game along the way, where in years past lacrosse might have been their main sport and they’d just play field hockey to stay in shape. They are really doing skill building while they are here, and that’s been a big part of our success. “A lot of this group of seniors, all of them except for the goalie played freshman year together. So they got
that experience playing as a unit. A lot of them got time on the varsity as sophomores, then became starters as juniors and seniors.” Troster said she got some sage advice years ago from Michelle Andre, current head coach at Rowan University who has built the Profs into a Top 10 team in NCAA Division III. Troster and Andre coached together at Stockton University. “I coached with the head coach at Rowan and they are ranked sixth in the nation in Division III and she always told me you live and die by your junior class. How ready are they to con-
See Eagles, page 11
Nov. 18, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 11 Eagles, from page 8 tribute? This group (of seniors), as sophomores, the group that was above them was kind of at the same level. So I knew this group wasn’t necessarily going to be ready as sophomores, but they were going to be very good as juniors and seniors. This year’s junior class is strong and that’s always helpful. We have a strong junior and sophomore class to build with these seniors, and that’s been a perfect combination,” Troster said. “We have several starting seniors and probably more juniors in the starting lineup than any other class, and a lot of those girls play club field hockey. A lot of the younger girls who are starting this year play club in the offseason and that’s been another key piece and something I’ve been pushing for since I got here. We’re not going to be at the level of certain other teams if you just play the season and the summer preseason. Having a field hockey stick in your hand at other times of the year is very important.” EHT’s leading scorers — sophomore Jenna Gray and juniors Kara Wilson and Julia Zappile, all of whom had 12 goals this season — all return next year and Troster will only have to replace a handful of positions in the starting lineup, so the Eagles are set up nicely for 2022. But the reason they are might be less about talent and more about the foundation this year’s senior class has laid with their work ethic and the ability to accept whatever role they were asked to play. Troster has 10 seniors — Jessie Alkins, Kelli Bradeis, Paige Chardyczak, Dakota Dix, Emily Gargan, Addison Jacobs, Macchia, Emma Margiel, Ella Meisenhelter and Kierstyn Zinckgraf. Not all of them were starters and some didn’t play many minutes, but all brought a great attitude and work ethic to the field every day. “This is a really good group of personalities. I call them my ‘magical unicorns’ because we have a lot of kids who, I swear, should be living in the 1970s. They have a good vibe. We have the real serious people, and the people who are laid back who help kind of wind them down. It creates a good balance,” Troster said. “Everybody knows and understand their role, and they’ve accepted that and embraced that, and that really means a lot for your team morale and how everything functions. I have kids who know there are games when they might not play. Jesse went in during overtime against Ocean City and that was the first time she went in all game; she helps lead one of the breakaway plays to score the winning goal. It’s one of those things that when they are called upon they go with the flow. “I have some seniors who are realistic with themselves, and some seniors who just because they don’t have a starting role or don’t get as much playing time as others, they know they are part of a very good team and program,” she added. “It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not a good field hockey player or
“This is the best season I could have asked for as a senior. My freshman year, we lost a bunch of games but now we’re really good compared to then. The improvement has been really satisfying to see.”
Rebecca Macchia, EHT senior goalie
can’t play at the next level. It has different connotations now that we are in it to win it with all the best teams in the CAL. We’re not at the level of an Eastern yet, but it’s part of the process to try to build toward something like that. Those kids play together from the time they are little.” “I think we have a lot of great seniors, and a lot of them work really hard and are very dedicated. We’ve all been really dedicated to this program since we’ve been freshmen,” Macchia said. “We have a lot of talent, pride and team spirit, and we work together really well. A lot of our team gets along really well, and skills-wise we’ve all improved a lot. There are girls who play club and a lot of us put in work outside of the season so we’re better during the season. When I was a freshman, there weren’t as many people putting the work in outside of the season.” “I think since we’ve been freshmen we’ve all grown together, we’ve learned how to play together and how to use each other well on the field. Now we know how to make things work. It has taken a lot of hard work and determination. Every girl on this team, when we want something, we work for it,” Meisenhelter said. “It feels great (to have a season like this). There’s no way to describe the feeling of getting to this point. It’s a great way to end our careers and I’m so proud of everybody.” “It’s been our team chemistry and we’ve had a lot of good underclassmen come up the past couple of years. Field hockey is becoming a bigger sport (in EHT) and our feeder program is getting better, so everybody coming up is more talented. We’ve worked the last four years to try to make this a program and not just a team,” Jacobs added. “We’ve learned how to play better with each other. We have a lot of chemistry this year and we’ve learned how to communicate better. We all know where we have to go. I know where I need to be and everyone else knows where they need to be.” The highlight to this season certainly will be beating Ocean City. The Eagles won, 3-2, in overtime in mid-September, proving that EHT was a program to be reckoned with inside the Cape-Atlantic League. In the past three seasons, EHT has gone 33-6 in league games. “It was a really great feeling to beat Ocean City. That was one of the best things in my life, honestly. Beating them, that was a perfect part of this season,” Gargan said. “It’s so nice to win so many games because we’ve put in so much work and now it’s finally paying off now that we are seniors.” “I think those kinds of wins make them more ex-
cited to continue with the sport. When we’re finding success we keep more kids. Right now, volleyball is a new fall sport here and we’ve lost some kids to that — as a lot of field hockey programs have throughout the state. But I think having success makes it easier to make that choice to continue with field hockey. And we started a summer camp here about five years ago, so seeing the young kids and getting to work with them before they come here and building some of those relationships is important,” Troster said. “A couple of kids kind of fell in love with the game freshman year and started playing club. We have five or six kids who are doing that all the time now, where as when I first started here we had maybe one kid like that. But that makes you significantly higher level. Ocean City, almost all those kids play club, and they play club at the same place. Next year there is a new program starting down in Middle Township and we’ll have about a dozen kids playing club, and that does make a huge difference.” Troster said she believes this program can build a solid foundation based on the past couple of seasons, and the girls who have helped make EHT field hockey more than just a sport to play to stay in shape for another. “I think we have the potential (to keep this going). We have a couple of big spots to fill but we have a goalie coming in who transferred over from street hockey (sophomore Semra Alabarda), so she has the instincts and the potential,” Troster said. “Filling that goalie position will be a big deal because (Macchia) has been a four-year starter and has played at a high level. But (Alabarta) is excited to jump in there and get the training for it. And we have some young kids who are starting to step up and they can fill the defensive positions that will be vacated.” For this year’s seniors the season ended with a disappointing loss in the state playoffs, but they’ll be able to leave with the satisfaction of knowing they were instrumental in getting this program to a highly competitive level. “This is the best season I could have asked for as a senior,” Macchia said. “My freshman year, we lost a bunch of games but now we’re really good compared to then. The improvement has been really satisfying to see. And the success and growth I’ve seen from this team, you couldn’t ask for a better way to end your high school career.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY
Leaving his legacy Haitian native Michelot Sine helped breathe new life into the EHT football program and lead the Eagles back to the state playoffs By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer ake a step back in time and remember when you were 11 years old. Maybe you’re in fifth grade and life is pretty good, you live in a nice house, go to a nice school, parents take care of all your needs. Your biggest stress might be an upcoming science test, and you probably spend afternoons playing schoolyard football with your buddies. Or maybe, such as during this time of year, you’re helping dad on the weekend clean out those gutters from fallen leaves. Now imagine being that same age and stepping off a plane in a foreign country, where you don’t speak the language
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and the only people you know are your aunt and uncle. Your mom died giving birth to you, your six siblings are scattered in different countries, and outside that airport is the chilly January air of the northeastern United States — and you don’t even have a coat. To make matters even more difficult is the country you came from, the place that will always be your first home, Haiti. It’s a country full of strife, depravation, and where recently kidnappings and murders by gangs have become commonplace. That’s what life was like a half dozen years ago for current Egg Harbor Township football star Michelot Sine (pronounced MEESH-Lo Seen-A).
And the road he has traveled since has been a constant source of inspiration for his teammates, coaches, and the entire school, really. Think about this for a second — a kid who six years ago couldn’t even speak English is now on the verge of going to college in America, and possibly playing college football on a scholarship. When Eagles coach Kevin Stetser hears ANYBODY on his team complain about anything, all he has to do is point to Sine as an example of what overcoming adversity truly means. “He started coming to our youth weight room sessions when he was in middle school. He was a shy kid who didn’t say much. He would come in and work out with some of our older guys. We have a young man who played for us who is at Temple right now, Yvandy Rigby, and they are both Haitian. They made a little bit of a connection and I think that made Mich feel a little more comfortable,’ Stetser said. “His story is
awesome. He’s such a good kid, such a hard worker. He doesn’t miss anything. He rides his bike to and from practice, he works his tail off at practice, and it’s paying off. For him to really only be in the country for six years and only be playing football for four, to see how he has grown — the leap he took from last year to this year has been tremendous. He doesn’t come off the field for us, he leads the right way, he works hard, he’s a high character kid. He’s a great example for other kids. “We’re practicing in August, it’s hot as heck, and never a complaint, never ‘I can’t.’ He’s here every single day, working his tail off. And he enjoys it. It’s infectious with him. He’s got a great personality and he’s an awesome kid. We’re so thrilled that we ended up getting him for the last four years,” Stetser added. “He came here and he
See Legacy, page 13
Nov. 18, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 Legacy, from page 12 was new to all of this, and everything he has done has been to advance himself forward to become successful, and that’s what he’s done. He’s a tremendous young man and an amazing example to younger kids that there is no reason you can’t succeed if you’re willing to put the work in, and he’s that, 100 percent.” Sine has seemingly boundless energy. He plays both offensive and defensive line — the two most grueling positions in football — yet after every game he’s jumping around as if he’s a kid at a summer pool party. His wide smile is infectious, and even after losses he keeps things in perspective, showing gratitude for the opportunity to compete in a high school varsity football game. “It was crazy,” Sine said of when he came to America. “It was a whole new experience for me, I had to learn a new language, I was eating different types of food. It was a whole different process. I spoke zero English, I only spoke Creole and a little bit of French.
When I moved here, it took me about four years to learn English. I didn’t understand anything that people around me were saying, so I was always wondering what they were talking about. It was a long process to learn the language, and it was hard. In English there are a lot of words that sound the same but don’t mean the same thing, so it was very hard. “I have had to learn different things each and every day. It was hard to make friends because I didn’t speak the language, so when kids would say ‘hi’ to me I wouldn’t know what to say. I had to learn the language. I had an ESL teacher who helped me a lot and helped me read and write. I also watched a lot of cartoons growing up, so that helped me,” he added. “Back in Haiti it’s always hot and when I moved here you have to wear a jacket (in the winter). Nobody wears jackets in Haiti because it’s always hot. I moved here in January and it was cold. In Haiti, when I got on the plane, it was hot, and when I got
See Legacy, page 15
Glory Days photos/Sully
Nov. 18, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 15 Legacy, from page 13 here it was cold, so I was like, ‘what’s going on?’ It was crazy.” Sine is a solidly built, 6-foot-2, 250-pound interior lineman on both sides of the ball who rarely came off the field for the Eagles this year and led the team to a 7-4 record and their first state playoff berth in 11 years. With Sine paving the way on offense, EHT rolled up more than 2,000 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground, and on defense he was one of the Eagles’ leading tacklers. “He’s meant a lot to me. Since my freshman year he’s been blocking for me, and he’s been a great person. I couldn’t ask for a better teammate. We joke around all the time, but we’re here to make each other better,” said senior running back Rondell Vaughan Jr. “He’s been with us since freshman year, and he’s been getting better and better.” Sine said it was very important to all the seniors this year to go out with a winning record and a return to the state playoffs. “All these guys, we all played freshman year and we went 7-1. Junior year, when we were working out, all we talked about was making the playoffs our senior year. We didn’t want to have a losing record our senior year. We worked hard for this. We wanted to have a winning season, that’s something we’ve been focused on for a long time, and we want to start a new legacy here,” he said. “I’m a fun kid and I love having fun. Football is fun, it’s my passion and It’s something I love to do.” Sine said his first love was soccer, but ever since he strapped on the football pads his life has been brought into clearer focus. He now has a legitimate avenue to a college education. “I have a lot of passion for this game. I love football. I used to love soccer a lot but when I put the pads on for the first time I knew this was the sport I wanted to play. I love the contact, I love hitting people. It’s fun. I think about my future and what I want to be, and football can be a sport that helps me get to where I want to be. I want to get a scholarship and go to college. My goal is to make it to the NFL. It’s going to be hard, but I always work hard. I work my butt off to make it. I give 110 percent each and every play,” Sine said. “This is all part of God’s plan. He knew I was going to be here, around these people, and I’m here and enjoying the moment.” Stetser said Sine is a walking reminder, every day, of what is possible if a student-athlete is willing to put the work in, and sacrifice for the team. If somebody is willing to do all the little things when nobody is watching — like riding your bike to summer practice in 95 degree heat, without complaint. “We’re able to show other kids that regardless of your situation, if you’re willing to put in the work and you’re willing to sacrifice, and you’re willing to do what is necessary, you can succeed. There’s no reason to be held back from anything if you’re will-
ing to put in the work and do the things you need to do,” Stetser said. “I love coaching kids like him. Our ultimate goal is to win football games, there is no doubt about that, and we’ve talked for years about what we want to do here, but this job is about kids and about using football to have a better life; to be able to do things that maybe you would never have been able to do and to have the sport be an asset for you. Coaching kids like him gives you energy and you’re proud for them, and I love it. That’s the stuff that keeps me going more than anything else — seeing the impact that a program we’re trying to build can have. There may be down years with wins and losses, but as far as the type of culture we’re trying to build here, kids like Mich are the key to it. We get all kinds of kids here at EHT, and that should be our strength. We have kids from all walks of life, and when it comes together it makes us strong. Kids who have to struggle to succeed, when you build the program and it takes hold, it’s stronger and it’s more genuine.” Senior running back Mohamed Soumaworo knows how difficult the journey has been for Sine because he’s traveled that same road. He came to America from West Africa as a 10-year-old. “I can really relate to him because I moved here in 2013 from West Africa. I couldn’t speak English either at first, so it was kind of hard to get around,” he said. “I had a cousin who helped me. It was difficult. When I got here, school was really hard because I couldn’t understand anything. I had to repeat a grade, but after a few years I came to know English and how to get around better.” Sine said he thinks of his home country often and is saddened by some of the things happening there. But he has to remain focused on his own future and the opportunities that football are creating for him here
in the United States. “Haiti is not in a good place right now. I think everybody can see that. It’s a hard place, people don’t have enough food, kids can’t go to school, they have kidnappings and all that. Getting me out of Haiti was (my family’s) way of trying to give me a better life. There were a lot of bad things happening and they didn’t want me hanging around with bad people. It’s crazy, but it’s all in God’s hands right now. All of us Haitians wish it was better, but it is what it is right now. We pray to God that things will get better and change,” Sine said. “The schools are great here (in the USA). This country gives you a lot of opportunity to be what you want. You just have to know what you want to be and keep your mind straight. If you can do that, you’re going to make it. This country gives people a lot of opportunity to be great. In Haiti, we don’t have a lot of opportunity to do that, and this country gives you those opportunities.” Stetser said the EHT coaching staff is working hard to find the right fit at the college level for Sine, and while they will certainly be proud with whatever school he chooses, it won’t be easy to replace Sine when workouts for the 2022 season begin next summer. “We’d be in trouble without No. 58,” Stetser said. “And just the pleasure we get as a staff coaching him, it would be very different if he weren’t here. It would be a much different place, and it wouldn’t be better, I can tell you that. I know the goal is for him to go on to play college football. He’s done all the things he needs to do to make that happen, and we’re going to do the things we need to do to make that happen for him.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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FOOTBALL
EHT’s dynamic duo Soumaworo and Vaughan had 1,500+ yards and 17 TDs combined By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer very coach speaks confidently about his football team in the dog days of August, when official practice is just a week or two old and nobody has faced a 3rd-and-22 yet. But this past summer, when Egg Harbor Township coach Kevin Stetser talked about his squad, he knew his Eagles were going to be a team that competed for a state playoff spot. That’s saying something, considering the last time EHT made the playoffs was back in 2010. But Stetser and his staff have been building the culture at EHT, brick by brick, for nearly a decade now, and this year’s senior class was going to be the one to end the postseason drought. Why was Stetser so confident? Well, he had a pair of running backs, each of whom could make a run at 1,000 yards. Stetser favors the Wing-T style of offense, which means he loves to ground-and-pound, and having a senior duo like Rondell Vaughan Jr. and Mohamed Soumaworo meant Stetser could call about 50 running plays a game if he wanted to and let his big offensive line go to work. The Eagles got off to a slow start, dropping their first two games — including a 46-14 whitewashing at the hands of Washington Township. But in the third week of the season, EHT got back to what it does best and grinded out a 13-7 win over Oakcrest on the road. The Eagles won their next two games, and after a tough loss against
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Glory Days photo/Sully
Senior running backs Mohamed Soumaworo, left, and Rondell Vaughan Jr. helped lead Egg Harbor Township to the state playoffs this season for the first time since 2010. Ocean City, EHT ripped off four straight wins to earn a state playoff berth. EHT finished up 7-4 with all of its losses coming against playoff teams, and the Eagles racked up more than 2,000 rushing yards, averaging 33 carries per game. Vaughan led the way with nearly 800 yards on 141 carries with 10 touchdowns, while Soumaworo added 721 yards on 101 carries with seven scores. That duo accounted for 17 of EHT’s 25 rushing touchdowns. Stetser said the best part about Soumaworo and Vaughan was there never
was any jealousy or complaining about who was getting more carries. The No. 1 goal of both players was to help lead this team back to the state playoffs, no matter what it took. “It’s a great thing to have and it’s not tough to keep them happy. They are team-first guys. They are great kids that way,” Stetser said. “But they are both really good, so we tried to make sure they were both getting the appropriate amount of carries to be effective. If you look at this year, Rondell was really ahead but in the last few games Mo caught up. One might out-rush the other in a particular game, but they’ve
both been highly effective for us. And we’ve never heard a peep out of them (about carries). When Rondell is going well, Mo is blocking for him, and when Mo is going well, Rondell is blocking for him.” The beauty of the Wing-T offense is that there are specific plays designed for the fullback and others for the halfback, which means each guy was getting his fair share of carries. Soumaworo had at least 10 carries in seven of EHT’s 11 games, and rushed for 70 yards or more
See Duo, page 17
Nov. 18, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 17 Duo, from page 16 on seven occasions, including 153 in a 33-6 win over Atlantic City. Vaughan registered double-digit carries eight times and rushed for more than 100 yards four times, including a season-high 170 yards in a win over Cherry Hill West. He also had 138 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-0 win over Vineland. “Last year, I was mostly injured the whole season, but this year we knew this was our year. We just had to step up and show what we could do. We always rely on each other, and that’s the most important thing. Knowing if I get hurt, he’s there, or the other way around, is big,” Soumaworo said. “He’s a tough runner. It’s good to have somebody you can rely on. Certain running backs get tired before the fourth quarter, but me and Rondell go back and forth so neither one of us gets tired.” “Mo is a great back. We’ve been together since freshman year and it’s hard for teams to stop us. Sometimes we have bad games, but we bring each other back up and we’re always trying to better each other. We were waiting for this season. We knew the task that was in front of us,” Vaughan added. “His style, I love it. He fights for extra yards. Me, I try to get to the outside and use my speed. This was our last year, and we had to get to the playoffs. That’s something that’s been in my head since freshman year, that when I become a senior I want to compete in a playoff game.”
“They are great,” said senior offensive lineman Michelot Sine. “Mo is a really tough runner and he’ll get you those tough yards, Rondell is fast and if you give him the ball he’ll get you yards, too. We have two great running backs. Our goal was to get both of them to 1,000 yards. That’s what we worked for as linemen.” Even when EHT faced passing situations, both running backs usually remained on the field and provided added protection for junior quarterback Christian Rando, who threw for more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns. “With the type of offense we run they are playing two different positions. Rondell is playing the fullback out of the base Wing-T, where as Mo is running more of the halfback position. So, they are getting the ball on different plays. Rondell gets a lot of the trap plays where as Mo is hitting a lot of the power and sweep plays. Our offense is a two-back offense, so it was all within our game plan. What dictates it is who is going well that day, or are we able to hit a defense more inside the tackles, or outside,” Stetser explained. “They are both on the field together all the time. Even when we’re getting into our loose packages and gun packages, we have stuff where they are both still on the field. You won’t see too often when just one of them is on the field. That’s great, too, because you don’t know who is getting the ball. They are both highly effective and our offensive line did a great job this year. It made it difficult to game plan
against us.” It’s going to be difficult to replace this duo next fall, as Soumaworo and Vaughan accounted for nearly 75 percent of EHT’s rushing offense this season. But Stetser said what the team will miss most is their leadership. “They have been leaders and they have moved this thing forward for us — really, this whole senior class has. This class played a lot as sophomores and took their lumps; last year we had a decent season but it was tough through covid. But this group, with these two leading the way, have taken this program in the direction we’ve been pushing toward,” the coach said. “This is a year when you’re really starting to see a difference. They are great kids, we coach them hard and they have responded. We have the type of kids we want in the program, and they are holding each other accountable. When you have senior leadership like this, it doesn’t have to come from the coaches. These guys know what we want, we believe in them and they believe in us, so we’re delivering the same message. There weren’t a lot of big talks at the beginning of the season about expectations because we’ve been living this together for the past four years with these guys. “These guys deserve every bit of recognition they’ve gotten this year.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Vaughan and Soumaworo each rushed for more than 700 yards this season and combined to post 17 of EHT’s 25 rushing touchdowns. Glory Days photo/Sully
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SENIOR CAPTAIN / JOHN LINDSAY, OCEAN CITY SOCCER
‘A generational talent’ There’s a reason Lindsay has been the only 4-year starter under Aaron Bogushefsky By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer t was mid-October, 2018, when Ocean City took on St. Augustine Prep in the newly formed CapeAtlantic League Tournament for boys soccer. Nobody had ever heard the name John Lindsay. Some die-hard Red Raiders fans probably were familiar with his older brother, Russell, who helped lead Ocean City to a couple of sectional titles during his run as a goalkeeper a few years prior. But John Lindsay was a little known freshman who had just three career goals. He nearly equaled that on the biggest stage of his young career, scoring twice to help Ocean City take down the favorite Hermits, 2-1, to win the CAL championship. In the years to follow, John Lindsay has done a lot to make a name for himself, first as a quality midfielder and this year — his final campaign in the red-and-white — as one of the top strikers in South Jersey. This season Lindsay posted 24 goals and 12 assists, both tops on the team. Lindsay had 40 career goals and 16 assists, but, more importantly, had led his club to a 45-19-3 record as the only four-year varsity starter coach Aaron Bogushefsky has had during his illustrious 12-year career with the Red Raiders. “I think listening to his brother and coming to the games at a young age really helped because he realized how important the season is and the team is. Watching his brother play and go through three years of making it to the South Jersey Group 3 final — and winning it two of those three years — I think really cemented that in mind and he wants that so badly for himself,” Bogushefsky said. “We’ve come up short, two years ago we were there and lost, and he wants that so badly for his team and I think that’s what has fueled him all along. He’s been a competitor ever since he was a freshman. He scored both goals in the CAL final against St. Augustine, and we won that
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Glory Days photo/Sully
John Lindsay is the only four-year varsity starter that Ocean City boys soccer coach Aaron Bogushefsky has had during his 12-year career, and Lindsay led the Red Raiders in both scoring and assists this season. game 2-1. “Every year he’s had a little bit different role and this year he’s really taken on that leadership role. He was a captain last year, and this year he’s definitely the voice of our team and the heart and soul of what we do. He’s at the top of his game right now. I love watching him play, he’s one of the best talents I’ve ever had.” “Watching Russ, I always knew there was a different level of intensity at the high school level and he always told me get bigger, get stronger, get ready to take a hit. I just came in knowing my role and played the part I had to in most games to be able to compete on the varsity level. At first I was nervous but I had a great group of guys around me and they took me
under their wing immediately,” said Lindsay, who recently committed to Rowan University to continue his education and soccer career. “I always had to live up to the reputation of my brother, and he always had the reputation of being that guy who could rise to the moment in big games. Just watching him and the way he was able to respond in those moments, I really just took that in and used that to my advantage and implemented that into everything I do. The biggest thing is you need that team camaraderie, you need that brotherhood. You need everyone to be on the same page and you need to all be clicking at the same time,
See Lindsay, page 19
Nov. 18, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 19 Lindsay, from page 18 and when you can get that you can be something special.” Lindsay has been something special since his first day in a Red Raiders uniform, and it’s not difficult to get coach Bogushefsky to talk about his star player. “We play a specific way and a lot of guys (on other teams) who have a ton of goals are just turn-and-burn type of guys; John has so many more skills than that. He’s so dynamic on the ball. I remember thinking when I was a senior in high school that I was at the top of my game and nobody could touch me, I knew what I was doing and I was super confident. I look at him and it’s that to a greater degree. He’s fun to watch right now. I’m not going to say he’s untouchable or he’s the best there ever was, but he’s definitely at the top of his game and you can see that confidence show through,” Bogushefsky said. “He is multi-faceted and I can play him in any position. We played Williamstown and they have really good defense, so he was having a hard time finding the
net. But it was him who caused the play that allowed Jon Leap to score — a junior who had only scored one goal this year prior to that. So, he’s able to facilitate, too. He leads the team in goals but also in assists, so he’s really been a playmaker for us. If I put him anywhere he can get the job done and he can be elite at any position he wants.” Earning the captain’s band is a big deal in high school soccer, and Lindsay said he doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. “Coach always tells me I’m that guy everybody looks to out on the field, and to get the pulse of the team. Taking that in, I’ve put pressure on myself to do the best I can every day. And when you do that, you really begin to understand what it takes to become a winner and you want to implement that to your team so that everyone has the same mindset. Getting back to that brotherhood feeling, you want everybody to be working toward the same goal,” Lindsay said. “It’s everything to me, this captain’s band. I’ve dreamt about this since coming in as a freshman, looking up to my brother and him
being a captain when he was here, and everything that comes with a captaincy — leadership, how you carry yourself on and off the field, how you are able to talk to you teammates and coaches and bring everyone together. When you have tough games and take losses you have to be able to move on and teach each other valuable lessons.” One of the toughest things for any high school coach is to get a complete buy-in to what they are selling from their best players. But Bogushefsky said Lindsay has understood what Ocean City soccer is all about since his first day on the pitch four years ago. “We get a full buy-in from him. I’ve always said I’d rather take a team of B-minuses who buy in than a team full of A-pluses who don’t. You can win with those kinds of B-minuses. John is an A-plus player — and he buys in. I was a big Larry Bird guy growing up, and that guy was at practice before everybody and he left after everybody, and he led by example. And he had the voice to do it. I look at John and his work ethic is higher than everyone’s and he wants it,” Bogushefsky said.
“The thing I love about him is he respects me enough to fall in line (with the program). I’ll tell him what we need to do and he’s like, ‘alright, let’s do it.’ I go to him a lot for the pulse of the team and he always, without hesitation, will buy into everything I’m saying. That makes for a dynamic partnership. He can demand what he wants because he does play at such a high level. He’s respected across the board by friendly opponents and ones who are not so friendly to us. They respect him and they know he’s good.” What makes Lindsay so good? So much better than most of the other players on the field in any given game? “It’s two things. Number one, it’s physicality. He’s been in the gym and working with the program we’ve been giving him and he’s really dedicated himself to that. It shows. He’s not outmatched anywhere. On the other side of it, it’s the leadership abilities he has. He’s not a really lovey-dovey guy, if he’s upset, you’re going to know about it. But because he can perform so well
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Page 20 w Glory Days Magazine w Nov. 18, 2021 Lindsay, from page 19 on the greatest of stages he can be demanding of everybody, and everybody falls in line. He’s probably the clearest leader of a team I’ve ever had and it looks like he was made for that spot,” Bogushefsky said. “I relate him to LeBron James a little bit — when he first came into the NBA he was a young guy and everybody was like, ‘who is this guy trying to take my spot?’ But as time goes on he becomes a good member of the team, if not the best, and at the end here he’s the veteran who is saying, ‘this is how it goes, this is why you need to keep your head. We’re not going to win every battle, but we’re going to be in it.’ John really has that kind of voice on the team.” Lindsay credits Bogushefsky and his staff with taking the raw talents and turning him into the player he is today. “These past four years have really been something. Bogy is probably one of the most influential people I’ve had in my life. The way he makes this team gel as a unit and gets us to be better soccer players, and on top of that become better young men, it’s really incredible what this coaching staff does. I couldn’t be happier to wear this captain’s arm band for this team the past two years,” Lindsay said. “He really teaches you everything. He watches soccer every day and he
“Coach always tells me I’m that guy everybody looks to out on the field, and to get the pulse of the team. Taking that in, I’ve put pressure on myself to do the best I can every day. And when you do that, you really begin to understand what it takes to become a winner and you want to implement that to your team so that everyone has the same mindset.”
John Lindsay Ocean City senior striker and captain
talks to us like we are a professional team. We go out there and we perform like a professional team — we move the ball around, we keep possession, we make other teams really work to get the ball back. The way he implements that style to high school kids is really incredible and it’s something that when you learn how to play the right way, it feels really good. “It means a lot (to be able to play in college) and I have to thank my brother, my parents and the coaching staff here at Ocean City. It’s been great the past four years and it’s really opened my eyes up to a new way of playing soccer, and I can use that the next four years at Rowan University.” So how will Bogushefsky replace one of the best players he’s ever coached next year? Thankfully,
he’ll have about 10 months to figure that out. “He’s a generational talent that we’ve had,” the coach said. “I’ll be upset when he graduates — not because he scores goals and makes plays, but just his leadership and the buy-in that he brings. I really hope the younger guys are taking notes to see how this guy interacts and leads a team. He doesn’t care if you don’t like him in the moment, but he’s also not a jerk about it. He just wants everything to be right. He has that perfect balance of friendliness and competitiveness.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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Holy Spirit’s Gavin Roman runs the ball during the Spartans’ win over St. Joseph Academy earlier this season. Glory Days photo/Sully