Wayne Valley gets visit from Giants' Manning, Marshall
How will the Wayne Valley football team replace the recently graduated players from last year’s prolific passing attack (3,330 yards). That is likely the biggest question facing Wayne Valley football coach Roger Kotlarz this summer.
Kotlarz does, fortunately, have two good building blocks in seniors AJ Tedesco and Vinny Marrone. Tedesco is the lone returning starter in the passing attack. He snared 34 passes for 688 yards in last year’s 9-3 season.
While Marrone will be a first-year varsity quarterback, he does have plenty of experience. The highly versatile Marrone started every game at cornerback last year. He is also an exceptional runner and punts.
Seniors Greg Poloso and James Pollack, and juniors Nick Trani and David Trinidad also caught passes in key situations last year.
A robust schedule of 7-on-7s was arranged for this summer to help this group along. They have already taken part in 7-on-7s at Paramus and at Hasbrouck Heights, and in prestigious tournament at the Jets facility in Florham Park.
Nothing, however, may have benefited them more than last week’s “Gatorade Beat The Heat” 7-on-7 Tournament at Wayne Valley. Twelve strong high school teams took part. But the biggest benefit might be the fact that Eli Manning and Brandon Marshall of the Giants attended the tournament.
Both led drills, observed intently and advised the high school players from all 12 teams.
“I like helping out high school kids become better quarterbacks, better football players and to enjoy their high school football careers more,” Manning said. “It’s nice to come to Wayne Valley, where there is a great football tradition, and work with kids who want to get become better players or want to earn that starting job on the varsity. This fall, I’ll be rooting for all the kids and teams that are here today.”
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“It is really an honor to be here at Wayne Valley and talk football with a bunch of great kids,” Marshall added. “They all come from terrific football programs and are eager to learn more. I’m glad to do my part.”
As part of Gatorade’s “Beat The Heat Program,” both Manning and Marshall spoke about the importance of staying hydrated.
“You get into the summer months and you will have hot days," Manning said. "Just the importance of your health, staying hydrated, also the benefits of getting better performance and staying hydrated. ... I'm just here to encourage these kids to keep working and keep doing this and it will make them better."
"When I was in high school I didn't do a great job of taking care of myself because you're young and you don't really have to," Marshall added. "You can eat McDonald's every single day, have a triple-thick chocolate milkshake and you still go out there and think that you're performing because you're so young. I think statistics say that for every one percent you lose of hydration it kills your performance on the field. It's a great opportunity to plant these seeds in these kids."