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GOOD AFTERNOON.I'M A COMMISSIONER AT LARGE HERE IN ESSEX COUNTY, AND THIS IS A HAPPY OCCASION.
AND AS I STAND HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUE, COMMISSIONER LEN LUCIANO, WE ARE PROUD TO HONOR SOME OF THE FINEST STUDENT ATHLETES FROM ESSEX COUNTY.
NOW, I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT THIS FEELS VERY PERSONAL TO ME.
I TAUGHT AT WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.
I TAUGHT ENGLISH, AND IN 30 YEARS I LEARNED THE SCHOOL WELL IN MY SLEEP.
I COULD WALK FROM ONE ROOM TO ANOTHER AND I WAS IN THREE CLASSROOMS. MY FIRST CLASSROOM WAS A ROOM FACING PLEASANT VALLEY WAY.
MY SECOND CLASSROOM WAS A ROOM RIGHT DOWN FROM THE OFFICE, NOT FACING ANY STREET, BUT OFF CONOR AVENUE.
AND THEN MY THIRD CLASSROOM WAS IN A TRAILER WHILE, WHILE THEY WERE REBUILDING PARTS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO IN 30 YEARS, I WAS IN THREE ROOMS. AND I KNOW THE HIGH SCHOOL WELL, AND I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW THE HIGH SCHOOL WELL, BUT AFTER FOUR YEARS THERE, YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT THE WAY I DID AFTER 30 YEARS.
BEFORE WE WELCOME TO THE PODIUM, THE CO THE COACH OF THE WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM COMMISSIONER LUCIANO WOULD LIKE TO OFFER HIS GREETINGS.
LEN, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER SEABOLD.
UM, AND TO EVERYBODY HERE IN THE AUDIENCE AND TO THOSE AT HOME, I'M LETTING LUCIANO, AND I'M THE DISTRICT FOUR COMMISSIONER.
UM, WE USED TO BE CALLED FREEHOLDERS.
JUST THREE YEARS AGO WE CHANGED OVER TO THE TITLE COMMISSIONER.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, TO STAY ON THE SCRIPT, YOU KNOW, I'M EXTREMELY PROUD TO STILL BE HERE AFTER 12 YEARS.
UM, AND I, I'M A CURRENT RESIDENT OF WEST ORANGE.
I LIVE OFF OF PLEASANT VALLEY WAY, UH, ALTHOUGH I GRADUATED FROM LIVINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL WHEN I WAS A LANCER.
SO WE USED TO PLAY WEST ORANGE ALL THE TIME.
UM, BUT I DEFINITELY FOLLOWED YOUR SEASON AND THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE FOOTBALL TEAM TEAM HAS REALLY DONE AN AMAZING JOB IN OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
IN THE 2022 SEASON, SPEAKING FOR OUR BOARD, WE'RE MADE UP OF NINE MEMBERS, FIVE DISTRICTS LIKE MYSELF AND FOUR, AND THE DISTRICTS MAKE UP JUST A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TOWNS.
AND THEN THE FOUR AT LARGE COMMISSIONERS LIKE COMMISSIONER SEABOLD REPRESENT THE ENTIRE COUNTY, WHICH IS 20, UM, I BELIEVE 22 MUNICIPALITIES, RIGHT PAT.
UM, SO AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS FOR SPENDING THE TIME TO COME DOWN HERE.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, OUR DAY IN AND OUT, UM, IS IS FILLED WITH GOVERNMENT STUFF, BUT WE LOVE TO HONOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, INCLUDING THE, THE, THE YOUNG MEN THAT ARE HERE BEFORE US, THE COACH, THE PARENTS, THE ADVOCATES, EVERYBODY, THE TEACHERS THAT PUTS IN TIME TO GET YOU TO THE ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS THAT YOU HAVE.
ONE PERSON WHO SHOULD ALSO BE COMMENDED FOR SUPPORTING THE TEAM IS ME THE MOUNTAIN.
THE MOUNTAINEERS END ZONE CLUB PRESIDENT AND BOOSTER MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE.
MELVA HAS GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND IN HER ENTHUSIASM AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THIS TEAM AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING US ALL TOGETHER TODAY.
WE, WE ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR CLERK TO THE BOARD, DEBORAH DAVIS FORD AND HER STAFF WHO ARE DILIGENT IN PUTTING THESE PRESENTATIONS TOGETHER.
AND NOW I'M GONNA TURN THE MICROPHONE BACK OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, COMMISSIONER PATRICIA SEABOLD.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER LUCIANO.
LET ME BEGIN BY ASKING EVERYONE TO PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL'S FOOTBALL TEAM'S HEAD COACH DARNELL GRANT TO THE PODIUM.
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THE WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM HAD A TREMENDOUS SEASON IN 2022.THESE ARE SOME OF HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COMBINATION.
THE MOUNTAINEERS WERE THE NUMBER SIX SEATED TEAM BEFORE DEFEATING WATCH ON HIGH SCHOOL, 1810, AND THEN RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL 34 31 AND ULTIMATELY DEFEATED NUMBER ONE SEATED PHILLIPSBURG HIGH SCHOOL IN THE STATE TOURNAMENT COMPETITION.
THEY ACHIEVED THE NORTH JERSEY SECTION TWO GROUP FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE NJ S I A A ROTHMAN ORTHOPEDICS STATE SECTIONAL FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN ITS PROGRAM HISTORY.
BY BEATING PHILLIPSBURG 28 7, THEY NOT ONLY WON THEIR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP IN SCHOOL HISTORY, BUT ALSO COMPILED A REMARKABLE RECORD OF VICTORIES AND DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES WITH THE OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF NO LESS THAN 16 INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS.
COACH GRANT HIMSELF WAS NAMED 2022 COACH OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW JERSEY SUPER FOOTBALL CONFERENCE.
SO IT IS WITH TREMENDOUS PRIDE THAT WE PRESENT HIM WITH HIS COMMENDATION AND CONGRATULATE THE WEST ORANGE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM.
ALL THE ASSISTANT, ALL THE ASSISTANT COACHES AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR ELLI, OR THERE'S SUPERLATIVE SEASON THAT CLINCHED THE NORTH JERSEY SECTION TWO GROUP FIVE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
SO IF YOU WOULD COACH, PLEASE SAY A FEW WORDS.
I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO OUR, UH, SAY THANK YOU TO OUR COMMISSIONERS OUTGROW UP MESS COUNTY BOY, MYSELF, AND AS ALWAYS, WHICH FREEHOLDERS OF MY CHILDHOOD, BUT OUR COMMISSIONERS.
UM, ON BEHALF OF THE WEST ORANGE FOOTBALL PROGRAM, AGAIN, I'M SO GRATEFUL, UH, FOR OUR COUNTY, FOR OUR TOWNSHIP, FOR OUR TEAM.
I'D LIKE TO FIRST THANK, UH, MY, MY PLAYERS SOME HERE ATTENDANCE, OTHER GUY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE RUNNING TRACK OR WRESTLING OR PLAYING BASKETBALL, BUT PLEASE GET MY TEAM AROUND APPLAUSE, PLEASE.
UH, THERE IS NO WAY ANY OF THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT THE BEST.
UH, MY RIGHT HAND MAN, THE BEST ASSISTANT COACH IN THE STATE OF JERSEY, MR. CYRUS HARVEY.
AND THEN ALSO I JUST WANT TO THANK AND SO THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL FOR THE HARDEST WORKING, MOST DEDICATED GROUP OF PARENTS I'VE EVER SEEN.
AND MY 20 SOME YEARS BEING HEAD COACH, UH, MELVIN MULLENS LEADS US AND SHE'S THE HEAD OF OUR, OUR WEST STARS MOUNT ENZO CLUB, AND SHE'S JUST SO FANTASTIC.
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE WHO'S STALL WORTH FOR US AND JUST PUTTING OUR YOUNG MEN FIRST AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE AN ADVOCATE.
AND WHETHER IT'S COOKING DINNER ON FRIDAY NIGHTS, ON THURSDAY NIGHTS, OR IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, MAKING SURE THE BOYS GET WHAT THEY DESERVE.
AGAIN, I'M JUST SO THANKFUL TO THIS BODY.
I'M SO THANKFUL FOR MY TEAM AND MY PARENTS.
UH, AND BEFORE YOU BRING ALL THE BOYS UP, I'M GONNA ASK YOU MAYBE TO BRING A CAPTAIN OR TWO UP, BUT I ALSO JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE FOR THE RECORD, ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONER COLLEAGUES, BRENDAN GILL FROM MONTCLAIR IS HERE.
AND WE WOULD, LIKE, I WAS AT THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON.
I'M NOT GONNA SAY HOW HAPPENED.
HE'S A BIG MONTCLAIR, BIG MONTCLAIR HIGH SCHOOL MOUNT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, GOOD JOB GUYS, AND, UH, COACH, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU.
WE WOULD LIKE TO BRING ALL THE BOYS UP FOR A PICTURE AND TO GET ACCOMMODATION, BUT, BUT IF THERE'S ONE OR TWO THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP AHEAD TO SPEAK, WE WOULD, FIRST WE HAVE TO TAKE THIS PICTURE.
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YOU GONNA BRING UP THE TEAM NOW? YEP.WE'LL BRING UP, UH, SA KAREEM AND, UH, JARVIS JONES TO COME ON, SPEAK FOR US.
UM, YOU JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT THAT WE RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE SEASON.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THANK MY TEAMMATES FOR PUSHING ME EVERY DAY IN PRACTICE.
UH, I THANK MY MY MOM, MISS RONK.
UH, MS. BRUCE, I APOLOGIZE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF STAYING ON ME AND, UM, MAKING SURE MY PRIORITY IS ALWAYS STRAIGHT.
WE THANK, UH, ALL OUR COACHES DEFINITELY FOR, UM, INSTILLING THE, A WORK ETHIC THAT I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE WITHOUT THEM.
AND, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY, WE APPRECIATE YOU GUYS FOR THE SUPPORT YOU SHOW AND YOUR NAME.
MY NAME IS SARE, HEADED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.
UH, I JUST WANNA THANK WEST ORANGE, THE WHOLE ATHLETIC BOY.
SEE, JUST BUILDING ME BECOME A BETTER MAN EVERY DAY.
THEY JUST INSTILL A LOT OF, A LOT OF, A LOT OF MORALS INTO ME AND I JUST THANK THEM FOR THAT.
AND I THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING US, BRINGING US OUT HERE.
AND YOUR JARVIS JONES GONNA THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT.
YOU AND YOU GUYS CAN BRING UP YOUR TEAM.
DO YOU WANT THE PODIUM TO, DO YOU GUYS WANT TO GET IN PICTURES? CAN WE HAVE OUR BOOSTER MOM UP THERE? CAN YOU LADIES MOVE UP FRONT, COME RIGHT UP THE MIDDLE? MM-HMM.
NO, IT'S TALKING TO EXCELLENT.
THERE'S A YOUNG MAN RIGHT THERE THAT'S.