Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
The last time the Piscataway football team won a state sectional title was in a tremendous, undefeated, 13-0 season in 2018, when they beat Union City for the North 2, Group 5 title, then took out Ridgewood at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands in the North Group 5 “regional championship.”
Since then, Piscataway – as a school – sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has slowly built itself back into championship form.
It may have been the most difficult task since Dan Higgins took over the program from Joe Kuronyi – under whom he worked as an assistant – in 2003, a year in which the Chiefs also won a state championship.
This year may be the closest they’ve been, and they haven’t played a game yet.
As they say, Piscataway is loaded. They return Landon Pernell and Elan McCrorey at quarterback – the two combined for 1,353 yards, 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions last year – along with top receiver Jahai Johnson, now a senior, who caught 22 passes for just under 400 yards last year, and top back James Bodley, also now a senior, who scampered for 460 yards last season.
And most of their young defense is back, too, including guys like linebacker Riley Wingate, lineman Horace Thompson and linebacker Joshua Stephens, who were all juniors last year.
Yes, this may be the Piscataway football team we have come to know and love over the years. And no one could be more excited than Higgins.
Click below to hear from Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins and senior receiver Jahai Johnson at Big Central Media Day:
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