By Andy Loigu

Update on a previous post!!!!!

Streaks retain hold on Beater Board, moved on to sectional playoff

Despite a rash of injuries which would seriously hamper most teams, the Warren Hills Blue Streaks took to the gridiron at Hackettstown and were triumphant, by a whopping 36-7 score.

They kept the Beater Board in their possession for the third straight year.

Each year, for the past four decades, the winner of the Warren Hills versus Hackettstown football showdown has been given possession of the Beater Board at a joint luncheon of the Hackettstown and Washington Rotary Clubs.

To honor the agricultural history of Warren County, a farm implement was selected as the prize trophy for the winning team in this long lasting series which is nearing its 100th year. A Beater Board is basically a hand held square shaped block of boards, fastened to make a flat surfaced tool to press hay into bales for transport.

On the gridiron, small in numbers, the Warren Hills team functined amazingly well at a time of adversity, as resourceful coach Marcus Gurdineer had to place some players at unfamiliar positions. For instance, senior linebacker Anthony Ferroni also saw action as a fullback in the offensive backfield. The Blue Streaks’ seniors made comments to the effect that “we wanted to come out tonight and prove who we are.” They showed themselves to be resilient, and then some.

They came well prepared after learning their new assignments on the practice field. 

Early in the game Hackettstown put on an impressive 67-yard drive, but was stopped at the eight-yard line when sophomore Mekhi Garrett made a key momentum changing interception. It marked the turning point as Warren Hills dominated the play thereafter.

Josh Lee passed for 88 yards for the winners, with 38 of them coming on tosses to Evan Mathew. On the ground, to take time off the clock and protect the lead, John Korczukowski rushed for 85 yards, moving the chains and getting first downs. Dave Rhinehart intercepted two passes to keep Hackettstown from getting back into the game.

With six wins on the season, the Blue Streaks will continue playing, as they have earned a spot as the number four seed in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 3 playoffs.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building. 

Previous Post……….98th Beater Board battle appears doubtful – Warren Hills vs. Hackettstown

By Andy Loigu

Due to a large number of players suffering injuries at the same time, Warren Hills forfeited its football game last Friday with Montville. Their 98th meeting with traditional rival Hackettstown, with the Beater Board going to the winner, scheduled for October 20 at Hackettstown’s Morrison Stadium, may also be called off.

After 97 games, the long series of contests between the Blue Streaks and Tigers has been evenly matched, with Warren Hills leading 48 wins to 43, with six battles ending in a tie score. It has been a game which young men in the area have grown up watching, with the dream of playing in the annual spectacle when their time comes.It is a special event each fall and it would be a major disappointment for it to go unplayed this year.

With five wins, Warren Hills has a chance to play in the state playoffs, if enough of their injuries heal quickly.

REMEMBERING BOB STEM

As Phillipsburg anticipates its longtime Thanksgiving Day game with Easton, the Stateliners’ community mourns the recent passing of Bob Stem at the age of 84. As a football player, coach and longtime teacher for 35 years, he positively impacted many lives at PHS.

He learned the intricacies of the center position from Phillipsburg legend Jim Ringo, who is posthumously honored in the Warren County Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of pro football.

Stem followed Ringo’s footsteps to Syracuse University, where he played center for the Orange, helping them to an 11-0 season in 1959 which included a 23-14 win over Texas in the national championship game.

I found him to be a very friendly man in my interactions with him. He could have had a long career in the professional coaching ranks, but he told me his preference was to coach at the high school level in P’burg. “In the pros, you’re a piece of meat,” he said. “In P’burg, you are family.”

At Bethlehem Catholic and Phillipsburg he had 285 coaching wins, including 112 victories with the burg. He led the Stateliners to state playoff championships in 1977, 2005, 2008 and 2009.

My favorite quote from Stem came the night before the 2005 Easton game, as P’burg held a perfect 11-0 record behind a shut-down defense. “If we shut them out, we have a chance to win,” he said with a smile. A shutout was, indeed, what the Liners delivered the next morning, by a 17-0 tally. In 2010 Stem finished his coaching career with a 3-0 win over Easton in overtime.

Stem’s caring personality was revealed to me on a night when he saw me walking to my car on a typical Friday, after the Liners won in front of a packed home stadium under the lights. He offered me a ride. “No, thanks, coach, I need the exercise,” I said. “You sure,” he replied. “It’s cold out and we’re not getting any younger.”

Thanks for the ride, coach, and for so many memories. Rest in peace.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.