Story By Darren Cooper / Record Sports Department
There is something new in New Milford.
Work is nearing completion on a renovated athletic field that will be the home for the Knights this season and beyond, replacing the grass surface. There will be two fields side by side, and for once, no more playing in the mud by Halloween.
“It’s going to be great, the kids are so excited,” New Milford coach Bill Wilde said. “We had some men working on the [old] field the other day it rained and they couldn’t believe how wet it got so quickly.”
On the field, the Knights are coming off a 6-3 season. They won the NJIC Liberty Division, but injuries drained them down the stretch and they lost their last three contests.
New Milford always has talent. The school has produced Division I players five years in a row and senior linebacker/tight end Tyler Picinic will likely make it six (he has offers from Navy, Albany, Fordham and others). The Knights will use him all over the field to take advantage of the match-up problems he presents.
Wilde said its one of his smallest freshman classes ever, but believes the numbers coming up in the next few years are strong. Wilde is a big believer in the importance of a freshman program, but said the program will just have to adapt.
With a new field under construction, it’s fair to say that it’s a new day in New Milford, but the Knights don’t have to change much. They’ve been championship contenders for years.
The tradition
If there was a Running Back High School in North Jersey, it just might be New Milford.
Starting with Ed Marinaro (Heisman runner-up in 1971 with Colgate), the Knights always had a top back, including Mike McSherry, Jeff Bliss, A.J. Scoppa, Dante Tobler. Last year, Bart Nativo was the featured back.
New Milford has won two sectional titles in the playoff era, back in 1985 and 1986.
The challenge
New Milford hasn’t beaten Hasbrouck Heights since 2003, and the Aviators will always lurk as one of the Knights’ rivals.
New Milford has had steady coaching (Wilde started in 2005), a good system year-to-year and plenty of talent. They’ve had some bad luck.
This year, the challenge will be a strong division with improved Pompton Lakes and emerging Lyndhurst. New Milford hasn’t lost to Lyndhurst since 2004.
Expectations
First of all, let’s hope that the new field at New Milford is ready in time for the home opener against Harrison. That will certainly give the Knights an emotional boost.
New Milford is perennially a Top 20 team in North Jersey that will be in the hunt for an NJIC title.
