Despite the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Providence High School was still able to continue with the football, cheerleading, soccer, tennis, and cross country fall sports seasons.

Vincent Carangelo, Head of the NPHS Athletic Department, explained that restrictions had to be made so all teams could adapt while continuing to play against other schools: “Even though fall sports athletes have had the most challenging time trying to adapt [to these new restrictions], it has really brought out the best in all athletes because of the excitement to be back and being able to play.”

One of the most memorable moments a senior athlete has is their senior night.  One adjustment the Athletic Department made this year in order to make sure each senior was acknowledged on every sports team, was to move the senior nights  much earlier in the season. 

Football:

The football team started their pre-season workouts in August, then started playing in September and have been undefeated so far. They played in a few scrimmages before their first official game at home on October 2, 2020 vs. Roselle Park, which they won 40-22/  The next game took place on October 9, 2020  where they beat Dumont 27-14.

The most recent game at home, October 16, 2020 was an astonishing 47-12 win against Dunellen. This home game was also the football senior night where Tim Walsh, Sean Michaels, Rohit Dasari, Gavin Duffy, Ryan Glatz, Peter Grant, Jack Gullo, Ethan Marcantuone, Charlie Palmer, and Jacob Weid were recognized for their dedication to the football team over the past four years. 

This group of seniors has been with Coach Parlevecchio from the start, since he became head varsity coach their freshman year. They won the Conference in 2018 and have been part of many other accomplishments. They have really helped to build the program up and been great leaders to the underclassmen and have set a great example especially in the off season. These group of seniors have set the bar very high for the rising underclassmen on the team and will leave a great legacy at NPHS football. 

Coach Parlevecchio says, “These boys will definitely be hard to replace next year, but I am excited to see how they will continue to improve as the season goes on, and I am very proud of all they have accomplished. We hope to keep winning definitely and hope to win in the postseason, which is the next step these seniors hope to take and win on Thanksgiving to keep the trophy here!”

Cheerleading:  

The cheerleading team had their senior night on Friday, October 16, 2020. The seniors recognized were Gabrielle Arace, Hannah Flanagan, Jacob Franco, Mia McCarthy, Gabrielle Rozean, and Katherine Zimmerman. Most of these seniors have been cheering since the freshman year, or earlier PAL days.

This group of seniors was among the first ever in New Providence history to attend Cheerleading States in 2018, and have won a lot of first place competitions ever since. They have performed at all of the home football games as well as competing in the fall and winter.  Some of these seniors were even a part of the 2019 States Champions win. Their season started with summer workouts in August, but they weren’t allowed to do contact stunting until the second week of September. They have cheered at all three games so far with a halftime routine choreographed by new head varsity coach, Claudia Ralph. 

Coach Ralph says, “Skills have improved so much since I started coaching this team a few months ago, but most importantly, all the seniors, captains or not, lead by example and their other teammates listen to them and want to be like them, so they have been very helpful in regards to leadership.” 

Since Coach Ralph is new, she also explained how she has helped the team with really changing the styles of cheerleading they are doing: “The skill set will be a huge loss next year, especially because these seniors make the team a cohesive group. But they have set such a great example for their younger teammates and we really hope to take it to the next level as the season continues into winter.”

Girls Soccer:

The soccer program has been a substantial success in NPHS sports history, especially in the past few years. Coach Murphy says that since their freshman year, the girls soccer team has improved their record tremendously. These seniors have been very instrumental in helping foster the program. 

Coach Murphy says, “This year, the seniors have kept the team happy and joyful despite all we are going through with the COVID-19 pandemic. And throughout the four years, they have been good leaders and shown underclassmen how to act in the program.”

In the Fall 2020 season, the girls have had 5 games so far, with 3 wins and 2 losses. Their senior night took place on October 6, 2020 where they won 2-0 against Union. The seniors celebrated that night were Amy Maurer, Cate Munn, Emma Keneally, Alexandra Bannworth, Sarah Wachtel, and Hannah Kelly. 

Maurer will continue her soccer career at Rutgers University this upcoming fall.

These seniors have left a strong legacy and next year will definitely be different without their leadership. These girls know what being on varsity is like and are a valuable asset to the team. Coach Murphy is happy that the seniors are able to play out the season and wishes them the best of luck.