DECEMBER 12, 2015
BY ED MILLS
STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD
Rene White possesses the impressive individual numbers – school records for single-season and career goals and total points. But what he is really all about is serving as a vital component in the most successful four-year period for Hawthorne Christian – in any sport for any team.
Rene White has been a difference-maker for the Hawthorne Christian boys soccer team.BUY THIS PHOTO
CHRIS PEDOTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Rene White has been a difference-maker for the Hawthorne Christian boys soccer team.
White, a lightning-quick, deceptively powerful 6-foot, 165-pound senior forward, had 31 goals and 14 assists this season and has 127 career goals and 48 assists. His offensive skills helped Hawthorne Christian (15-4) win its first Passaic County boys soccer tournament.
In his four years as a starter the Defenders went 65-14-5 (.804 winning percentage) and also earned a state sectional championship (2014).
For his top-quality work in helping turn Hawthorne Christian into one of the top programs in Passaic County and North Jersey, White is The Record boys soccer Player of the Year.
“Rene has shown a high level of improvement each season he has been here; he has really raised the bar significantly across the board,” coach Tyler Van Dyk said.
“It wasn’t Rene alone because we have a lot of players who contribute, but he set the tone. He was not only so gifted with his skills, but also with his leadership and ability to motivate and inspire his teammates.”
White burst onto the scene with 28 goals and seven assists as a freshman and earned the first of his four All-NJIC Patriot Division honors.
He scored 34 goals each of the next two seasons with 10 assists in 2013 and 17 in 2014. As a senior he helped the Defenders earn the No. 8 spot in The Record final Top 25 rankings.
He still was able to dominate in 2015 despite playing much of the season with a torn ligament in his left ankle. He suffered the injury against Park Ridge on Sept. 29, aggravated it in the PCT final Oct. 24 and had an MRI that diagnosed its full extent a few days before the Nov. 6 North Non-Public B quarterfinals. White had a goal and assist in that game but could only play 15 first-half minutes.
“It really impacted my mobility, but I should be ready to go for my club team [The Sports Factory in Wayne] in a couple of weeks for the winter season,” said White, who was home schooled in Bloomfield before attending Hawthorne Christian starting in the sixth grade.
“I think my better conditioning this season – combining use of plyometrics [jump training] and increased distance running along with short-burst sprinting – really made a major difference.”
White plans to play soccer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and major in business at the Newark campus next fall.
“What makes Rene so dangerous – all the time – is that he’s a world-class finisher,” Van Dyk said.
“He receives a lot of double and even triple-team coverage, but he has gotten so accustomed to the pressure that he can still make that split-second decision and find separation.
“Four things separate Rene: 1. First-touch ability. 2. Speed. 3. Finishing. 4. His intangible instincts for being in the right place at the right time, something you can’t teach. That’s what sets him apart.”
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-soccer/defenders-heart-and-soul-1.1472757
