UNION —
The look on Craig Merkle’s face last Saturday morning said it all.
“This is just awful,” said Merkle, the recently graduated football standout from Nutley High School.
Merkle was relegated to the role of spectator, just sitting on the sidelines at Kean University’s Alumni Field, watching the North All-Stars go through one of eight practice sessions they would have to endure as part of the 38th annual Phil Simms New Jersey North-South All-Star Football Classic, sponsored in part by the New Jersey Scholastic Football Coaches Association.
During the first round of practices on Friday, Merkle suited up and gave his injured left hamstring a go.
“I should be able to be fine,” Merkle said before the first practice of the three-a-day sessions on Saturday. “If I just take it easy for a while, I’ll be fine. I just have to take it easy. But I can’t even think about it. I just have to do it.”
So in order to get ready for the three practice sessions on Saturday, Merkle came out early to receive treatment and extensive taping of the hamstring. He was on the field long before any of the other 99 seniors selected to play in Monday’s game, to test the injured leg before anyone could see him.
Merkle gave it the old college try, but in the end, that attempt failed.
Merkle was in full gear Saturday morning when practices began at 9:30 a.m., but just couldn’t get any push or drive off that injured hammy.
The injured leg began to bark once again and the team trainers and North coaching staff told Merkle to shut it down. The injury wasn’t worth ruining the rest of Merkle’s summer.
Merkle then took off the shoulder pads and sat on the team bench while his North squad teammates went through a series of inspired drills.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets quarterback Neil O’Donnell was among the North coaches. Former New York Giants Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Simms was going from one side to the other, offering words of encouragement to the two honorary coaches, namely O’Donnell and Simms’ former teammate and rival Scott Brunner, who was working with the South All-Stars.
All three donned big, floppy Mexican migrant worker hats to keep the hot sun off their faces.
On Friday, things looked good. Merkle thought he had a chance to get some quality playing time. He was seeing regular repetitions with the first offense.
“They got me playing tailback,” said Merkle, who was so excited to be a part of the festivities. “It’s awesome being here, an awesome accomplishment. I remember coming to this game to watch my brother (Kevin) play in the game three years ago. I was thinking that maybe someday, I might get a chance to play in it. Maybe by sophomore year of high school, I thought I had a chance. It was always a goal to come here.”
After learning he was indeed selected for the game, Merkle began training in earnest, working with former Nutley great Don Sellari of Beyond Potential.
“I went running every day and worked toward getting to the game,” Merkle said. “I was doing football-related things every day to get ready for college. Once you’re into football mode, it gets easy. You get right back into it. It made sense for me to be here for this game. It felt great to get back into the swing of things.”
Merkle will be enrolled at Wagner College next month.
It was Wagner that won the Merkle recruiting war, nosing out a host of other top local NCAA Division II and Division III schools to secure his services. Wagner is an old NCAA Division I-AA program. Make no bones about it. It is Division I and it is a scholarship program. Merkle is a scholarship athlete, thus another reason why this hamstring issue cannot be taken lightly.
Merkle likes the idea that he was recruited as a running back, especially after collecting nearly 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns last fall as the main back for the Maroon Raiders, leading Nutley to the second round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group III bracket.
Merkle had three games last season when he eclipsed 200 or more yards rushing with his high water mark being a 310-yard game against Belleville. He rushed for more than 3,000 yards in a Maroon Raider uniform. So being a running back is where he feels most comfortable.
Nutley head football coach Tom Basile had the greatest compliment to give to Merkle.
“I’ve been involved with Nutley football for 12 years now and Craig Merkle is the best all-around football player I’ve had the pleasure of coaching,” Basile said. “He’s a great all-around football player in every facet of the game. Off the field, his leadership was tremendous. They come around once in a career, kids like Craig Merkle.”
Merkle said that he hoped to be someone that people from Nutley could be proud of during the game.
“I represent the town and the school as well,” Merkle said. “It’s like a little showcase for me, but there’s definitely a lot of pride, being the only one from Nutley. I should be proud. Not everyone gets a chance to play in a game like this. I’m playing with the best players in the state. I’m seeing kids here that I only read their names in the papers and saw their stats and stuff. Now, I’m getting a chance to play on the same field with them. So, yeah, I’m definitely proud.”
Now, if only that hamstring would cooperate.
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”