Over the first 5 games, SJR Football Head Coach Augie Hoffmann has led his team to a 4-1 record and a number 5 ranking in the state. The road ahead for the Green Knights includes top teams in NJ like Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, and DePaul Catholic. During the team's recent bye week, SJR Media's Cathal Donohoe had the chance to talk to Coach Hoffmann about the season and the stretch run coming up.
CD: You're at mid season point. How would you assess how the team has played?
AH: Outside of the St. Peter's game last week, I thought we've been making strides every game, getting better. I'm definitely not happy with the outcome last week; I think a lot of it has to do with all of us. We played slow, we were not as locked in as much as we needed to be, and the loss shows that. So we've got to use this week to get back to the basics and then get ready for Bosco.
CD: Already this year, Bosco has beaten Bergen, St. Peter's Prep is playing really well, and you guys have had a nice start to the season. It feels like Non-Public A is more open to winning than in the past 3-4 years. What has been your reaction to how interesting NJ football is this year?
AH: It reminds me of the way it used to be. There was more parity in the league back then. Obviously, Bergen Catholic has been on top for the last four years, so anytime they lose, everybody is shocked. But the whole league is really good. I think Don Bosco is really good, they're tough, and they play good football. And St. Peter's played well enough to beat us last week. So I think you're absolutely right, it is wide open. I think whoever can stay healthy and bring their team into November as healthy as they can has the best shot at winning.
CD: The defense was lights out for the first 3 games, then last week the defense allowed 21 points in the first half and allowed a game-winning drive. How do you look to take a step forward after taking a step back?
AH: The biggest thing is looking at the mistakes. You've got to go in and really evaluate why they were able to do certain things. And then how much of it was the scheme that we were running versus their (the players) execution and the mistakes we made. That's why the bye week comes at a good time, and we can get back to the basics, work on the fundamentals, and then be able to put a great game plan together, going forward.
CD: When you guys entered state play, a big problem has been stopping the opposing team's rushing game. Paramus Catholic had 127 yards, and St. Peter's Prep had 165 yards. How are you going to stop or limit that moving forward?
AH: It's a great question. We have to be more stout at the line of scrimmage. The majority of those PC runs came in one drive, and then, similar to last week at St. Peter's. We stuffed St. Peter's in the second half and then that one drive, and they scored and they won the game. So we have to be able to read our keys a little better at the linebacker position, and we have to tackle. At the end of the day, you got opportunities to wrap up the guy, and we didn't. So tackling is a big factor.
CD: Injury-wise, both Lamar Best and Nate Bailey went down 2 weeks ago. Will we expect to see them back after the bye?
AH: Yeah, I would think so. I think they're both tracking, really well with their physical therapy, so it looks to me like we should be at full go by then.
CD: How critical are Nate and Lamar down the road?
AH: You lose Nate Bailey, and you lose your starting quarterback. Nate makes up for a lot. There's a lot that he does that, you can't replicate. So they are both big losses.
CD: The rest of the schedule for October has you facing three of the best teams in the state: Bergen Catholic, DePaul, and Don Bosco. How do you prepare the guys for the most important games of the season when they're all packed together?
AH: I tell them all the time, we got four weeks right now, we got to just keep our head down and grind. Practices have to be more intense. They have to have more attention to detail. Everything has to step up because this is going to determine November. So the next four weeks, they're going to determine where we stand. Do we get home games, are we on the road? Obviously the goal is to be home throughout the playoffs. So there is a heavy price in front of us and we just make sure we're prepared.
