Highland Park players celebrate a win for the first time in almost seven years, after a 46-29 win at Point Pleasant Beach on November 2, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
The last time the Highland Park football team won a game before last year was Thanksgiving, 2016. They had beaten arch-rival Metuchen 35-7 in front of their home crowd to cap a successful 6-4 season.
The Owls would lose their next 51 games, slowly building into the state’s longest active losing streak, before a game scheduled at the last minute. Head coach Shawn Harrison wanted one more opportunity for his guys. He could see the team’s improvement. Just one more shot.
And they made it count.
The final was 46-29 on November second down in Point Pleasant Beach. Owls over the Garnet Gulls in a battle of the birds. The streak was over.
Now, as Highland Park gets set to embark on its 2024 season in a couple of weeks with a Friday night, September 6th game at Dunellen, it’s all looking forward. Key players are back. Numbers are as good as or better than they’ve been, and a weight has been lifted from everyone’s shoulders.
After all, the Owls are starting a season coming off a win for the first time in seven years.
Click below to hear from Highland Park head coach Shawn Harrison and senior quarterback Markos Hantsoulis:
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.