Tag: Brian Meeney

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas mourns sudden death of football coach Brian Meeney

In his third season with the Trojans’ football team, Brian Meeney had the young men who bought into the program, and it was all paying off, after a pair of four-win seasons, en route to a 9-1 record and the tying of a modern era shutout record, allowing just nine points the entire regular season, pitching seven shutouts in a highly successful 2021 campaign.

And just like that, he’s gone.

St. Thomas Aquinas High School announced on its website today that Meeney had died, leaving a huge hole in the school community.

“We are saddened to inform you of the passing of our football coach, Brian Meeney,” a post on the site said. “At this difficult time, please keep the Meeney family and the STA family in your prayers. Eternal Rest, Brian, eternal rest. May perpetual light shine upon Brian.”

Meeney was 46. NJ.com’s Mike Kinney reported Thursday afternoon that Meeney had a massive heart attack earlier that morning.

The school said counselors and Campus Ministry were available for students and staff throughout the day.

by Mike Pavlichko

Trojans will face another test when they open the playoffs against a South Jersey parochial power

St. Joseph of Hammonton nearly closed.

The Diocese of Camden gave up on it, but its students, parents, faculty, administration and alumni didn’t. Revived in the fall of 2020 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, they didn’t miss a beat, athletically or academically, and now operate independently.

That’s the kind of mindset St. Thomas Aquinas will face when the 6th-seeded Trojans (9-0) take on third-seed St. Joe’s-Hammonton (7-2).

But Aquinas has a never-give-up atttitude, too. In their third year under head coach Brian Meeney, they have built a program.

This year, it hit paydirt with a 9-0 regular season (including one forfeit) and seven shutouts, the second highest total ever in a season for a team from Middlesex County, a feat accomplished by just a handful of teams.

They’ve only allowed nine point all season, that coming in a 12-9 mud-caked victory over Delaware Valley in their regular season finale.

Click below to heard head coach Brian Meeney discuss the season, and preview their opening round matchup with the Wildcats:

by Mike Pavlichko

Moyer, Young, Hudson and Wyatt among the many contributors to Aquinas’ 4-0 start

Toughness.

Talk to any one of the St. Thomas Aquinas football players right now, and that’s they’re mantra.

Over and over again, it’s enough to drive you crazy. Unless you’re a fellow student, parent, or other fan of the Trojans. In which case, it’s a delight.

St. Thomas Aquinas is off to its best start since going 6-0-1 to start 1993, and its first 4-0 start since 1989, with all four wins coming by shutout.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko stopped by practice this week; click below to listen to the story of the Trojans so far in 2021:

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas finding historic success, wins fourth straight by shutout

There are only two high school football teams in the entire state of New Jersey who own 4-0 records, while whitewashing each opponent.

Cedar Creek is one; the other is St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Trojans are doing it on both sides of the ball, like in Friday night’s 46-0 win over A.L. Johnson in North Edison.

Sherrod Hudson ran for three touchdowns. John Wyatt had two touchdown receptions from quarterback Jaden Young. And Joel Marelis had a 72-yard scoring sprint.

Auqinas has also beaten Woodstown at home (6-0), and picked up road wins at Roselle (43-0) and Spotswood (59-0).

In Brian Meeney’s second year as head coach, following a 4-3 campaign in 2020 – the Trojans are outscoring their opponents 154-0 through their first four games, best in the Big Central, and are averaging 49.3 points per game in league play.

But they’re also on a historic streak.

Aquinas has not gone unbeaten in its first four games since starting the 1992 season 6-0-1, their streak stopped on November 7th of that year by Edison.

They’ve not started a year with four straight wins since 1989, when the Trojans went ran the table in the regular season and finished 10-1, their lone loss coming in the Parochial South A final to Notre Dame, 9-6.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk about the Johnson win and the season so far with Aquinas head coach Brian Meeney: