Story by Nick Gantaifis – Record Sports Department
A strong finish to the 2018 season left coach Rande Roca reason to be optimistic.
Despite losing the first five games, the Manchester coach found a silver lining when his Falcons won three of their final four games to close out the season.
“We struggled the first half of the season and it was disappointing, especially after the season we had a year before,” said Roca, whose Falcons turned in an 8-3 record and reached the North 1, Group 2 sectional semifinals in 2017. “We thought 2018 was going to be the year we took the next step, but it didn’t work out that way. But we finished strong and a lot of our younger guys got the opportunity to play and see the field.”
Manchester’s first win of the season came in Week 6 when the Falcons defeated Palisades Park, 48-12, on the road. Victories followed against Harrison, 39-26, and Elmwood Park, 42-10, before the Haledon-based school fell to Sussex Tech, 28-7, in the season finale.
Roca, who is in his second tenure as head coach at Manchester, has been with the program for more than two decades. His first go-round with the Falcons went from 2000-2009, and he returned as head coach in 2012. Prior to 2000, he served as an assistant at Manchester under three different head coaches.
The tradition
Manchester has never won a state sectional title.
The Falcons have qualified for the postseason three times with appearances in 1996, 2003 and 2017.
They won their only league title in 1996 under coach Mike Columbo (1993-1997).
The challenge
Numbers and turnout are always an issue, but Roca is optimistic about the future as 28 players came out for the freshman team.
Untested sophomore quarterback Xander Colon gets the start and has impressed the coaching staff in the early going.
“He’s quick, smart and a fast learner,” Roca said. “He’s inexperienced, but we have veteran players back on offense that will help ease Xander along.”
