Male Athlete of the Week
Ryan Natoli
Sport: Football
School: Midland Park
Class: Senior. Age: 17
Accomplishment: In the Warriors’ 32-20 upset of reigning conference champion Rutherford, Natoli amassed 276 all-purpose yards: 16 rushes for 205 (and two touchdowns) and 3 receptions for 46, plus 25 kickoff-return yards.
Ryan Natoli is helping to usher in a new era. He and Midland Park High School classmate Alexa Hermanns are the North Jersey Athletes of the Week
His 276 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns were key reasons Waldwick/Midland Park was able to start the tenure of new football coach Dan DiStasi with a memorable win. The senior running back/defensive back found the end zone from 22 and 62 yards away in an upset of three-time NJIC champion Rutherford last Friday.
“Hearing that both of us got [Athlete of the Week] was pretty cool,” Natoli said.
It’s historic, too. They are the first Midland Park athletes to earn the honor in the same week since The Record began naming Male and Female AOWs in the 2001-02 school year – making their school the eighth to earn that distinction.
Natoli began playing football for his hometown just before the Waldwick and Midland Park junior programs merged.
“I’ve been playing with the Waldwick kids since fifth grade, and it’s been fun,” he said. “When you’re with them for that long, you build a friendship with those guys. So, it’s not like just meeting new guys as soon as you get to high school.”
That makes the Warriors not only a strong co-op, but a strong program, period. Coaching transitions can be tough, but after 14-year veteran Greg Gruzdis stepped down, they are off to a strong start under DiStasi.
“From Day 1, our new coach has wanted to carry on this winning mentality,” Natoli said. “And we knew what we had to do… we just went in with this mindset of, we have to be the best that we can.”
The Warriors put that on display in their season opener by building an early 18-0 lead. They played ball control to the tune of 45 rushes for 325 yards, while holding Rutherford to 79 yards rushing.
Clearly, establishing rapport with teammates helps establish a ground game.
“When you have to dig deep, you know you’re with your friends, you’re with your guys, and it helps all of you together,” Natoli said. “It [gives you] the energy to rally together and beat a team like that.”
Natoli also plays basketball and baseball at Midland Park, taking after both of his parents. His mom, Kate (nee Hachadourian), lettered in three sports at Pascack Hills (Class of 1995), and dad Chris played football at Lacey in Ocean Township.
“They met on a vacation one time, and then, she kind of dragged him up here,” Ryan joked.
Natoli has yet to make any big decisions about his future. He is searching for the right college, but wherever it is, he’d like to study finance.
He’d also like to keep his focus in the present. Going 1-0 against an elite opponent like Rutherford is big, but future opponents should be just as amped up to face the Warriors.
“We can kind of keep it in our minds that we won,” Natoli said. “But now, every game is a big game. We can’t take any opponent lightly.”
