The start of the school year means new teachers, friends, and the start of the football season. There is not a single sport in the school that unites the whole community like football.

On Sept. 6, the Raiders were scheduled to match up against the Elizabeth Minutemen to open up their 2019 season. The Raiders were expecting to have a great season, and so far, they did not disappoint.  Junior Sean Levonaitis led the charge carrying the ball for 147 yards and scoring three touchdowns in a 34-0 win. Senior quarterback Tom Ramsey paced the offense leading the Raiders to a well deserved win. He believes that with this team, they can do something special

“We have a lot of potential to be a solid team this year,” Ramsey said. “The leadership this year has been better than it ever has. Everyone is buying in and that’s why we look so good. If everyone competes the way we do in the game, we’re going to be really hard to stop.”

However, the defense seemed to have the most impact on the night. The Raiders held the Minutemen to a remarkable 67 total yards on the night. Seniors RamseyTim Franks, TJ Schultz, and sophomores Salvatore Volpe and Thomas Amankwaa led the defensive efforts. Amankwaa especially stood out in his varisty debut getting two interceptions.

“Getting two picks was exciting, it really cooled me off since I was nervous going into this one knowing that it was my first Friday night game,” Amankwaa said. “Our defense is something special, we all connect on and off the field, and our team chemistry is just crazy. It especially showed on the field when we shut out Elizabeth 34-0 in the season opener.”

The Raiders hope the momentum gained carries into tonight’s game when they take on the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers at 7:00 p.m. at David A. Noonan Field.