When John Policano takes a look at the big picture, entering year two as the head football coach at Kearny, he sees a rebuilding program that is on the right track, especially at the sub-varsity levels.
“It’s going really, really well as far as what I would say, as a rebuilding program, we should be,” said Policano, who has consistently had 60 players regularly participating in practice this summer and is seeing several freshmen – both newcomers and experienced kids – joining the program.
It hasn’t all been smooth, most notably the 1-8 record the Kardinals had on the varsity level a year ago. Policano and veteran coordinators Keith Mair and Mike Hinchcliffe know rebuilding a program that has never qualified for the state tournament is going to take time, but believes there are enough returning players to continue to make progress.
Two of those top experienced players are currently vying for the starting quarterback job in seniors Luis Rodriguez and Jonah Menendez. Rodriguez threw for 397 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury in the fourth game. Both will be on the field a lot even if not the quarterback with Rodriguez set to be at one of the running back spots and Menendez set to play at tight end.
“I’d say they’re both kind of similar,” Policano said. “I think Luis is maybe a step ahead of him speed wise, but Jonah is a tough kid and he’s not afraid to run.”
Another key piece back for Kearny is senior Chase Negron, who rushed for a team-best 431 yards as the fullback in the Kardinals’ Wing-T offense.
Younger brother Mason Negron, a sophomore, is in line to start at one of the halfback positions with Rodriguez and sophomore Nas Mitchell-Andrade vying for the other spot.
Jayden Fernandez and first-year sophomore Miguel Betancourt are also vying for carries out of the backfield.
Senior Chris Ruiz is set to start at receiver with fellow senior David Parker also in the mix. Menendez is sure to see time as well at receiver and tight end, a position that will also feature Diego Villatora, a junior.
Up front, senior captain Ethan Sanchez is a returning starter at left tackle and junior Gio Selay returns at center. Senior Eli Ardolino is a returning starter at right guard and Ryan Rodriguez is at left guard. The line should be bolstered by the return of left tackle Giovanni Olivo, who didn’t play last season.
Brian Villatoro, Nicholas Pereira and Jose Palacios provided added depth along the offensive line.
Sanchez and Selay will also start at defensive tackle with Chase Negron and Brian Villatoro starting on the ends with Olivo Pereira also in the rotation. Policano is also hoping for a boost up front from sophomore Abe Ramadam, who has been injured most of the offseason, but had a big freshman year last fall.
Arguably Kearny’s top defensive linemen last year was Ardolino, who moves to linebacker, but could also still see time on the line in a pinch.
“He’s really morphed into a really good linebacker this year and he’s really aggressive,” Policano said. “He’s probably our most aggressive hitter on the team and his work ethic is just tremendous.”
Menendez is returning starter at linebacker as well,w hileDiego Villatoro and Palacios will also get extensive time at linebacker
Mason Negron is set to start at safety and headline a secondary that includes Parker and Ruiz at the corners. Mitchell-Andrade, Lucas Francisco and Luis Rodriguez are all going to see extensive time at defensive back as well.
Marcello Lima, a first year player from Brazil, is the likely kicker with Mitchell-Andrade serving as the team’s top kick returner, though Rodriguez, Betancourt and freshman Raphael Andrade could also end up in the role.
Kearny begins the season on Thursday, Sept. 5 at longtime Hudson County power and Ivy White Division favorite North Bergen. After a Sept. 13 road game at Memorial of West New York, the Kardinals have back-to-back home games against Dickinson (Sept. 19) and Ferris (Sept. 27).
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)