Sports

Sports & Recreation

Kearny’s crew teams having solid seasons, prepare for Nationals in late May

Photo courtesy of Lissette Gomez

Assistant Coach Jennifer Harris, JAckie Narucki, Vanessa Salgado, Sofia Faleiro, Emilia Sikorski, Julia Sikorski and head coach Dave Paszkiewicz.

By Jason Bernstein

Observer Sports Writer

Neither the Kearny boys’ or girls’ crew teams might have anticipated a trip to nationals were in their future when they first started practicing for this season. But after finishing in second place at the Lightweight 4+ event at the Garden State Scholastic Championship Regatta on April 30, both Kardinals teams are heading to the nationals.

The National Scholastic Rowing Association of America Regatta is set for Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-28, at the Cooper River in Camden County Park.

“They are delighted, they are super-excited. I think everyone is surprised that we made it,” boys’ head coach Lissette Gomez said. “We might not have been expected to before the season, but here we are.”

“It’s a big deal for us,” said girls’ head coach Dave Paszkiewicz. “The seniors especially, they had given their blood for four years and finally it’s paying off.”

For Paszkiewicz, who has been coaching for more than 30 years, the berth, Kearny’s first since 2017, was especially rewarding due to the struggles they had gone through in recent years.

“I was hoping that we’d be able to pull something off because these seniors have been with me for four years and these have been four very, very lean years (for the program),” Paszkiewicz said. “These kids because they had been with me for four years and hadn’t had a successful season.”

Paszkiewicz’s Lightweight 4+ team is headlined by two seniors. Jacqueline Narucki serves as the coxswain, who steers from the back end of the boat. Next to Narucki is senior Julia Sikorski, who serves as the “stroke” a position, which Paszkiewicz likens to the quarterback.

Freshman Vanessa Salgado, a first-time rower, is at the bow (No. 1) position on the front end of the boat. Sofia Faleiro is in the No. 2 position and freshman Emelia Sikorski is in the 3 spot.

Kearny’s quintet took second in the Women’s Lightweight 4+ final with a time of 6:31.16, beating Nutley for the second qualifying spot alongside champion Egg Harbor.

“We thought we had a

NJ Generals of the USFL sign Lyndhurst’s Guerriero

By Jason Bernstein

Observer Sports Writer

Petey Guerriero has been defying the odds, exceeding expectations dating back to when he joined the Lyndhurst High School football team.

As one of the newest members of the New Jersey Generals of the USFL, the storybook tale of Guerriero’s football career adds another chapter.

The Generals signed Guerriero April 26. Since then, he has appeared in two games for them, both wins. In his debut against Philadelphia May 1, Guerriero made a tackle on special teams.

“It’s a huge opportunity and he’s taking advantage of it. He wants to show in every which way what he can do (on the field),” Lyndhurst coach Rich Tuero said. “He has one goal, his work ethic is unbelievable. It’s second to none. He’s not going to stop.”

“It’s just another opportunity for me,” Guerriero told The Observer’s Jim Hauge this January before February’s USFL Draft. “I had some doubts that I’d get another chance, but if this is my opportunity (to get back to the NFL), then I’m taking it. I’m grateful to have another chance.”

Until a few weeks ago, it appeared Guerriero wasn’t going to get that chance. Despite having brief tenures in the training camps of the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and most recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Guerriero went unselected in the USFL Draft.

“Petey’s been going through the highs and lows,” Tuero said. “We could make a lot of excuses as to why it’s happening, but he doesn’t do that. The kid has thick skin, he doesn’t let this stuff bother him. It’s so admirable, it’s unbelievable.

“He’s had so many opportunities to put his head down and say I’m done, I’ll just get another job and be done with this dream. But he refuses to do that.”

Guerriero’s football career seemed over nearly seven years ago. As a senior quarterback at Lyndhurst he ran 2,161 yards and 21 touchdowns his senior season, but at the time, his best sport was considered track and he earned a scholarship to run at Monmouth.

His first year at Monmouth saw him win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship in both the 100 and 200-meter dash, but the desire to play football remained.

After that freshman year, Guerriero was given a spot on the football team where he was initially the No. 4 halfback on the depth chart. It was a spot he wouldn’t be in for long, eventually seizing the starting role and rushing for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns on just 178 carries.

Guerriero followed it up with a strong 2018 season, running for 918 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games, but it was in 2019 when he emerged as a star and legitimate pro prospect. That year he led all Division FCS backs in rushing with an eye-