By Jim Hague
Observer Sports Writer
Danny Cordeiro never thinks like he’s doing anything special when it comes to playing sports. The recent North Arlington High School graduate simply went about his business and kept himself busy as an athlete.
“I try not to think too much about it,” Cordeiro said. “It never crossed my mind what I was doing.”
However, what Cordeiro was doing was carving his place permanently in the history of North Arlington High School athletics. If he’s not the best all-around athlete in the school’s history, Cordeiro is very close. For sure, he had a historic career of firsts that will never be duplicated.
Cordeiro was a superstar soccer player for the Vikings for four seasons, culminating in an All-State performance as a senior. He scored 30 goals and added 19 assists during his senior campaign, earning a scholarship to New Jersey Institute of Technology in the process.
But Cordeiro was also a phenomenal performer in track and field.
During the indoor track season, Cordeiro won the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I championship in the 800-meter and 1,600-meter run and added the overall Group I championship in the 800, becoming the school’s first overall state champion in track and field. Remarkably, it was the first official year of the North Arlington indoor track program.
In the 800-meter run, Cordeiro finished seventh overall at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
During the outdoor track season in the spring, it was more of the same for Cordeiro. He won both the 800 and 1,600-meter runs at the state sectionals, as well as capturing a gold medal in the triple jump. Cordeiro also finished fourth in the long jump, capping off one of the best all-around individual performances at a state sectional meet.
Cordeiro then won the over all state championship again in the 800-meter run, running a blistering 1:55.36 to win his second overall Group I state championship by almost a full second.
Cordeiro capped his extraordinary career with a seventh place finish at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, crossing the finish line in 1:53.37.
“I still prefer people talking to me about soccer,” Cordeiro said before competing in the Meet of Champions in June. I am glad that people are talking to me about both sports, but I’m still a soccer player. I think on paper, it looks like I’m better in track. I didn’t run track before high school. I didn’t even think about it. It just started off as something I did to stay in shape for soccer. Over the years, it’s become a separate thing.”
Cordeiro recently was named as The Observer Male Athlete of the Year for the 2013-2014 scholastic sports season. He received his award from Observer general manager Robert Pezzolla with his coaches, school administrators and his family present.
Incredibly, Cordeiro becomes the fifth North Arlington athlete to receive the year-end honor since 2008.
Michael Gross was the first NA product to gain the honor in 2008, followed by Peter Santos (2010), Tyler Krychkowski (2012) and A.J. Nocciolo (2013). It means that North Arlington has produced the last three Observer Male Athletes of the Year. That’s pretty impressive.
Like Santos and Krychkowski before him, Cordeiro gained his first accolades on the soccer field.
“I started playing when I was four years old,” Cordeiro said. “I grew up around the sport. My father (Carlos) played soccer and introduced me to it. For the most part, soccer came easy to me. I started playing on travel teams with kids much older than me. I was always one of the better players when I was younger.”
Cordeiro did earn berths on the famed Kearny Thistle travel team and was selected to play for the historic Pasco 18-and-under club team out of Passaic County Tech in Wayne.
Cordeiro was almost like a carte blanche performer last fall playing with the Vikings.
“I wouldn’t say I was a true center midfielder this year,” Cordeiro said. “Coach (Jesse Dembowski) gave me a lot of freedom to put me in more of a scoring role. I was always more of a playmaker before, but Coach gave me the chance to move around a little and do what’s best for the team. I tried to move up and score more.”
In one week, Cordeiro had six goals in one game against rival St. Mary’s of Rutherford and four in a game against neighboring Lyndhurst.
“We’ve had some great kids over the years, but Danny was the best,” Dembowski said. “He was the true captain. When he came onto the field, he was ready to play. There was all or nothing with Danny. He was there to win. He was phenomenal.”
Cordeiro ended his career with 55 goals.
“I’ll remember his personality more than anything,” Dembowski said. “He was dedicated all year to all of his sports. It’s a little shocking that we’ve had so many (Athletes of the Year).”
Cordeiro said that track and field came to him by accident.
“I really had no idea what track was all about,” Cordeiro said. “Someone suggested it to me and I just sort of developed. I love to compete in general and track is very individualized. It’s a one-onone competition. It’s awesome to compete in any sport, but I loved track. When I first started, I would get nervous and throw up after the race, but then I got used to it.”
Cordeiro knew he was a good soccer player. The track success caught him by surprise.
“I never would have imagined all that could happen,” Cordeiro said. “It was our first year of indoor track and then we carried that into the outdoor season. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Indoor track head coach John Zukatus loved Cordeiro’s intensity.
“His drive was tremendous,” Zukatus said. “He always wanted to make himself better and better. He’s going to be remembered here for a very long time. He set the bar very high. I wasn’t too shocked that he was able to do what he did. I knew he had it in him. But it’s pretty impressive to win Group I. I think he’s going to go pretty far in life.”
Outdoor track coach Joe Cioffi said that Cordeiro was all about hard work.
“Nothing he does surprises me,” Cioffi said. “He’s a determined kid. He proved he could accomplish all of his goals. His name is going to be associated with North Arlington track for a long time. His name is going to be brought up any time a North Arlington track athlete does anything.”
Cioffi said that one aspect of Cordeiro will stick out.
“I’m going to remember his determination,” Cioffi said. “He told me before the indoor track season that he wanted to win Group I. Well, he won Group I, both indoor and outdoor. Every single heat he ran in this year, he won. To do that twice, both indoor and outdoor, is a remarkable accomplishment. He’s one of the guys who helped put North Arlington track on the map. He took us where we wanted to go. I’m amazed by what he’s done for the last four years, considering he never ran before.”
Cordeiro was asked what it was like to win top honors as the local Athlete of the Year.
“It’s definitely humbling,” Cordeiro said. “I have to thank my coaches for helping me along. It’s all humbling.”
Cordeiro will now head to the New Jersey Institute of Technology to play soccer.
“I may try to run track, considering how well I do with my grades,” Cordeiro said. “Soccer is what brought me to what I wanted to do, getting a college scholarship. I definitely don’t want to do too much right away. I’ll try to run indoor track in college.”
Cordeiro credited his parents (Carlos and Maria) for his athletic and academic success.
“They definitely stressed the importance of school and getting good grades,” Cordeiro said. “They said that if I got good grades, I could go wherever I wanted. I just had to put my head to it and do it.”
Much like Cordeiro said in soccer and track and field. His determination carried him a long way, bringing him to a pedestal of greatness that no other North Arlington athlete had ever reached – and may never reach again.
