Wednesday, August 25, 2021
The Observer | www.theobserver.com
Sports & Recreation WITH
9
Harrison’s native son Lucas returns home to coach grid team
Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com
Belleville fields get major $6 million facelift Calling it “one of the best municipal projects in the state,” Belleville Mayor Michael Melham proudly discussed the project that will enable the Belleville High School facility to undergo a $6 million facelift that will not only restore three heavily used athletic fields, including the main field, known as Doc Ellis Field at Belleville Municipal Stadium, but will give Belleville a state-of-theart eight-lane track that will enable the town to host major track and field events in the future. “It’s the largest public project that the town has taken on,” Melham said as he overlooked the work already started on the project last week. “It’s very unique for Belleville. It’s a great relationship between the town and the Board of Education.” The funding for the project will come from a $2 million Green Acres Fund grant, $3.5 million in low interest 20-year bonds and $500,000 from the Board of Education to install new lighting for the complex. Just having that cooperation between the elected officials and the Board of Ed is impressive. But this project had to be a joint effort, considering that most of the land used by the high school teams is owned by
the town. The facility, under the design of Neglia Engineering of Lyndhurst, will be totally equipped with FieldTurf artificial surfaces, which will enable the fields to recover quicker after rain and snowstorms. In the past, the fields would need days to drain and dry. Now, the teams – both from the high schools and also from Belleville Recreation leagues – will be able to play right away after inclement weather. “We are quadrupling the amount of FieldTurf fields in town,” Melham said. “We will now have 60,000 square feet of turf fields.” The improvements to the main facility are expected to be ready by the time that the Buccaneers play their second game of the season against rival Nutley Sept. 18. “We promised Coach (Jermain) Johnson that he would have the field back by the time they’re expected to play,” Melham said. “We’re going to make good on that promise.” Those improvements were well underway last week. The improvements also include renovation to two facilities – known as the JV fields – that are basically See VIEW, Page 11
Photo by Jim Hague
Ray Lucas, the all-time best athlete in the history of Harrison High School, has returned home to take over the head football coaching reins.
By Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com When Jonathan Jackson decided to resign from his head football coaching position at Harrison High School earlier this month after just one season, it left the Blue Tide in the lurch. Jackson, who went back to his native Bayonne to become an assistant under new coach Dwayne Williams, handed in his resignation papers just one month before the Blue Tide was scheduled to open their 2021 season against Bogota. Needless to say, it left athletic director Kim Huaranga in a bind to find a replacement. At the same time, four women inside a home in Harrison approached the lone male in the household. Cecy Lucas and her three daughters did the hard sell to Ray Lucas, the best athlete to ever grace Harrison High. Lucas, the former Blue Tide standout who went on
to have a great college career at Rutgers and later played in the National Football League with the New England Patriots, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, has been the executive director of the Harrison Housing Authority for the last two years. Lucas has never turned his back on his native hometown and always been willing to lend a helping hand. But the Lucas girls wanted Ray to take over the Harrison program. “My wife and kids first came after me,” Lucas said. “They started with me just three days after he (Jackson) resigned. Then someone said, ‘Why would you want to take over the team that no one wanted?’ That line angered me. I was once the kid nobody wanted. I want all the kids that nobody wants.” So sure enough, Lucas has decided to become the head coach of the Blue Tide, the 10th head coach Harrison has employed over the last 17 seasons. Lucas has no head coaching
experience, but that should not deter the fact that he is taking on the challenge of trying to lead a program that has had a revolving door in the coaching ranks. After all, Lucas is the best athlete Harrison has ever produced. If he can’t get the most out of Harrison athletes, no one can. “It means so much to me,” Lucas said. “Harrison kids shouldn’t have nothing to look forward to. I’m running practices and loving it.” Lucas has also encouraged his long-time friend Nick Landy to serve as an assistant coach. Nick Landy was an assistant coach when his brother, Mike, was the head coach in the early 2000s and has been the head boys’ volleyball coach since the program started a decade ago. The two have worked together at the Camp Fatima for handicapped youngsters for the past six years. “I told Nick Landy that it was time for a change with See LUCAS, Page 10
