“This is my 15th season at Burlington Township and we’ve made the playoffs 13 times, so that is also what we aim for.”
For the Burlington Township High School Falcons football team, 2016 was a success, even though the team didn’t come home with any trophies. Tom Maderia’s bunch went 9–2 overall and 4–1 in the West Jersey Football League’s Capitol Division, second behind Lenape High School. Their only division loss was to Lenape, a Group V school that eventually lost in the December title game at Rowan University to Timber Creek High School.
The Falcons lost several talented players to graduation this summer, including Rutgers’ wide receiver Everett Wormley, Lackawanna’s defensive end Sirvon Wigglesworth and Shippensburg cornerback Nasir Brister.
“We lost a lot of talented players this summer, and it’s going to be hard to replace that production,” Maderia said. “Our secondary was hit the hardest, losing four out of five starters to graduation.”
Offensively, the Falcons will see a new quarterback in junior Danny Grozozski (5-feet 9 inches, 175 pounds), who is making the jump from junior varsity. Out wide, the Falcons have a slew of talent to get the ball to in junior Justin Johnson (5-feet 10 inches, 175 pounds), junior Isaiah Pae (6-feet five inches, 195 pounds) and senior Kadin Pegram (5-feet 9 inches, 150 pounds).
“Our receivers are very good, and I think we have some of the best around the area,” Maderia said. “I’m looking forward to see what our quarterback can do when the regular season kicks off, because he has impressed in camp.”
A huge piece to the offense’s success will lie with the ability of senior offensive lineman Alex Desire. Desire (6-feet 5 inches, 285 pounds) was a first-team all conference selection a year ago, and has several FCS schools interested in his services after high school.
“It’s tough to find one guy that can lead your line, and overall they are a solid unit,” Maderia said. “Alex’s size and ability are a tremendous asset to the team, but we need them all to come together and play as one.”
Defensively, the Falcons have several returning players who will be counted on for leadership. Junior cornerback Omar Rogers (6-feet, 190 pounds) recorded 80 tackles and seven tackles for a loss, while senior linebacker Nick Schipsi (5-feet 9 inches, 185 pounds) had 74 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.
Another way for the Falcons to get points is senior kicker Russell Gawlak (6-feet 3 inches, 200 pounds) who was a first-team all conference kicker last year. Gawlak is a former soccer player who made the switch to football.
The goal for the team this year, like every year, according to Maderia, is to “be competitive.” “With the likes of Lenape and RV (Rancocas Valley), it won’t be easy, but our goal is to be competitive in the conference,” Maderia said. “This is my 15th season at Burlington Township, and we’ve made the playoffs 13 times, so that is also what we aim for.”
With both Lenape and Rancocas Valley returning a lot of talent, there could easily be a three-team race for the Capitol Division crown.
“We can compete, that’s all we can do,” Maderia said. “We have two Group V schools in our conference, which makes it tough. I have no problem with our schedule, and it’s going to be a different opponent each and every week.”
The Falcons open their season on Sept. 8 at Notre Dame High School.
For more information regarding the BTHS Football team, check http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/burlington-township-falcons-(burlington,nj)/football/home.htm.
