The New York-New Jersey All-Star Football Classic, formerly known better as The Governor's Bowl, was played last Sunday afternoon, with a strong contingent of local players participating, including one local who was the defensive player of the game.
New Jersey secured a thrilling 21-14 victory when North Bergen's Evan Rodriguez came from his free safety position to pull down an interception in the end zone on the game's final play.
It was the second interception of the game for Rodriguez, who is headed to the University of West Virginia on a scholarship in the fall. Earlier in the game, Rodriguez picked off a pass and returned it 42 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up New Jersey's second touchdown of the game.
It was a great showcase for Rodriguez in his final high school football game.
Other locals to play for the winning New Jersey squad included Will Thompson and Shariff Harris of St. Peter's Prep, Manny Abreu of Union Hill and Darius Kinney, who played his high school football at Hudson Catholic, then transferred to a private school in Newark after the first semester was over.
Thompson (Boston College), Harris (Pittsburgh) and Abreu (Rutgers) are all Division I-bound like Rodriguez. Kinney will attend a prep school in the fall with the hope of securing a Division I scholarship in the future.... The New Jersey Scholastic Baseball Coaches Association will hold its 30th annual All-Star Classic this weekend in Mercer County Park in West Windsor and there will be a slew of local players participating in the game. Seven local standouts and one coach, Frank Clark of Emerson, will represent Hudson County and be a part of the Northeast All-Star team that will face off in the first game against the South All-Stars Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Also selected to the team were Yoken Castro of Emerson, Ed Rosado of St. Mary's, Mike Lang of St. Peter's Prep, Gabe Ramirez of Hudson Catholic, Mike McGuckin of Bayonne, Francisco Ramirez of HCIAA Coviello champ Hudson Catholic and Danny Arocho of HCIAA Seglio champ and NJSIAA Group I finalist Hoboken.
It's definitely the biggest contingent of Hudson County products in the annual All-Star classic in almost a decade. So obviously, the state coaches believe that there is a lot of baseball talent right here in Hudson County...
Make sure to secure your copy of the Hudson Reporter next week, when the 2007 Hudson Reporter All-Area Baseball and All-Area Softball Teams are announced. It should be an interesting blend of talented performers and it should be very interesting to see who gets named as the respective Baseball and Softball Most Valuable Players.
Also, in two weeks, the weekly EXTRA INNINGS summer baseball feature will commence, with stories and updates on some of the best baseball and softball action taking place in the area during the summer months. The EXTRA INNINGS weekly feature focuses on the best stories that come from local baseball and softball leagues throughout the area.
If you have any noteworthy information to contribute to the EXTRA INNINGS, feel free to contact Jim Hague by voice mail at 201-798-7800, ext. 751, by general mail at 1400 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, or via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com.
Please include a telephone contact name and number, in order to secure further information for a possible story.... - Jim Hague
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