The football world was stunned and saddened by the death of Nick Mangold a week ago, and no team could have been hit harder by his loss than the group of players at Delbarton.
The longtime New York Jets center, who died at age 41 from complications from kidney disease, had been in his second season as offensive line coach for the Green Wave.
The news of Mangold’s passing came less than 24 hours after Delbarton, No. 19 in the NJ.com Top 20, posted a signature win over then-No. 4 DePaul.
The Green Wave’s clash with No. 16 Paramus Catholic on Saturday marked the Morris County team’s return to the gridiron for the first time since Mangold’s death.
On an emotional afternoon, Delbarton saw a one-point lead disappear in a 21-point run by the visitors, then went blow for blow with the Paladins in the second half before falling, 34-21, at Cocoziello Field at William O. Regan Stadium in Morristown.
As laser focused as football teams try to remain over the trials and tribulations of any given season, dealing with the death of a coach goes beyond the challenge most student-athletes encounter over the course of their careers.
For the coaching staff, the need to fill Mangold’s responsibilities within the program pale in comparison to the loss of a friend who had spent countless hours giving back to the game they all loved.
Delbarton head coach Brian Bowers was tasked with the difficult task of keeping the Green Wave in business-as-usual mode going into the regular-season finale, but he acknowledged the challenges in doing so.
“It was a difficult week, no bones about that,” Bowers said.
“Our kids have done a great job really supporting one another. It’s difficult for teenagers to go through any loss, let alone the loss of someone they love so much like coach Mangold. It’s been hard, but I feel like our ability to be a family unit makes me proud of every one of them.”
After ceding a touchdown on a 48-yard pass from Rowan Martin to Austin Barrett on Paramus Catholic’s second drive, Delbarton responded with a drive of its own. Matt Tafuri plunged into the end zone from one yard out and a successful extra point by Robert Lannon staked the Green Wave to a 7-6 lead with 53 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Martin, Chukwuma Odoh and Achylles DuPont accounted for the majority of the yardage and two touchdowns for a Paladin offense that rattled off three consecutive scoring drives spanning to the 5:12 mark of the third quarter, but Delbarton responded with a pair of deep shots by Gavin Gilardi to continue its fight.
Gilardi connected with Girard Yoo as the clock hit triple zeroes in the third and Grant Van Raaphorst at the 6:21 mark of the fourth for a pair of 41-yard touchdown passes as Delbarton found the end zone on its final two offensive drives.
The Green Wave put forth a valiant effort under difficult circumstances for the teenagers who took the field Saturday. Bowers reiterated his pride in his players’ effort under the circumstances.
“I thought they practiced hard this week and played hard today,” Bowers said. “There was no issue with the efforts today, we just didn’t make as many plays as Paramus Catholic did. They came out and took the momentum and every time we tried to take it back they made a play. That’s what the game came down to, but the effort was there, the kids did a great job all week long and I’m super proud of them.”
Entering the game in the unenviable position of clashing with Delbarton in the wake of the tragedy, Paramus Catholic head coach Greg Russo found himself in familiar territory.
In his prior stop as Northern Highlands’ head coach, Russo was on the opposite sideline when rival Ramapo mourned the sudden death of longtime head coach Drew Gibbs ahead of a sectional title game in 2021, a dramatic 35-30 contest won by Highlands.
The balancing act of mourning for a member of the coaching fraternity while keeping players on task is a difficult one, and Russo spoke on how his players could hold Mangold’s memory in their own way by playing football with the passion Mangold displayed as a player and coach.
“We’re all mourning for coach Mangold, and if we want to honor him we’ve got to play the best football we can play. That’s what he would have wanted,” Russo said.
“There’s an inclination when you’re the other team in these situations where you might feel like you’re the bad guy, but you’re still a football team … win or lose he’d want to see the best football possible so that’s how we talked about it.”
While not knowing the former Jet on a personal level, Russo watched throughout Mangold’s playing career, which featured seven Pro Bowls and induction into the Jets’ Ring of Honor at MetLife Stadium, leading to his current candidacy for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2026.
Mangold’s post-playing career decision to give back to the next generation of the game stands out as an admirable quality Russo, likely echoing the feelings of so many other coaches.
“Our special teams coach played with Nick and I’ve talked to him over the years,” Russo said. “Nothing but respect for him and what he did for the game.”
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