Nutley enjoyed its first taste of the state playoffs for the first time in three years last season. And while the experience, a 42-0 loss at eventual state finalist Phillipsburg, wasn’t what that young Maroon Raiders roster had hoped for, it has served as a reminder of where they want to get to moving forward.
“I think they believed that they could have done better and now they’re a little bit older, I think they put in all the work that is needed to help become a better football team,” head coach Chris Helm said. “For the younger guys, it definitely motivated them because the offseason workouts were awesome. Everything we asked of them, they did.”
Among those young guys, poised to do big things in 2025 is junior quarterback Brady King. King, who filled in for the injured Clark Mohrbutter midway through the season, threw for 508 yards and four touchdowns, as he helped lead the Raiders to a pair of key wins in relief.
“He’s very, very good with his awareness, his quarterback play in general,” Helm said. “He has a very strong arm, he reads defenses well. He’s incredibly coachable all around.”
Max McCarthy, a freshman with a big arm and a bright future, is set to be King’s backup.
King will have a talented collection of options in the passing game. Senior Jeremiah Tirado (5-10, 180), the team’s leading receiver with 25 catches for 383 yards, starts on the outside, as does explosive senior Jalyn Caraballo (6-1, 190), who averaged 26 yards a reception. In the slot is senior Michael Misner.
Tight end Dom Bok, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound sophomore, is poised for a breakout season after starring in 7-on-7s.
In the running game, Nutley plans to employ a three-head monster at running back. Junior Aidan Rotbaum ran for a team-high 521 yards a season ago, is back as a power runner, with senior speedsters Zahir Weatherington and Jamil Lewis also set for big roles.
Senior Nolan Smith (6-4, 250) is a returning starter at left tackle to anchor a line that also features senior returning starters Sean Vilchez (6-0, 200) at left guard and Matthew Serritella (6-1, 230) at right tackle.
Junior Matt Iannitelli and sophomore Luciano Pizzano are competing for the starting spot at center. Junior Nolan Brewer and sophomore Nicolas Rohlfs are vying for the right guard spot.
The defense is headlined by Tirado at safety, who will line up all over the secondary as the team’s “spur” spot. Regardless of where he is, there’s no denying the type of playmaker Tirado is after recording 74 tackles with two forced fumbles a season ago.
“I think that he had a little bit of a slow start, just getting his feet wet last year. But after a few games, he really got going and he was one of the leading tacklers,” said Helm. “He did a lot of great things.”
Junior Dom Saladino is a returning starter at free safety, while senior Christopher Cifelli starts at the other safety spot.
Max Forcer, a senior, is a returning starter at cornerback, while Muhammad Mughal is set to start at the other corner. Misner, Weatherington and Bok could also see time at corner.
Rotbaum, who had 47 tackles and a team-high six sacks, is a three-year starter at inside linebacker. Senior Santino Cundiff is also back at linebacker, while sophomores Pizano and Devin Telcide are also in the mix.
Caraballo will also see snaps at outside linebacker, as well as defensive end. His blazing speed as an edge rusher, is sure to make him a matchup nightmare.
“He helps anchor down that side,” Helm said. “A lot of people are probably not able to block him so it’s going to be an issue for people. He’s very fast, he’s good with his hands. He’s got a lot of the things that can help him.”
Senior Andrew Abdelmalak (6-3, 260) will start at one defensive tackle spot with Brewer, Iannitelli, Cundiff and senior Billy Callahan rotating at the other spot. Serritella and Christopher Kovacs will be at defensive end.
Helm is also hopeful that special teams could be a potential strength with sophomore kicker Brian Dolaghan back, as well as sophomore William Christie, who is a highly regarded long snapper.
Nutley opens the season at perennial section title contender River Dell on Thursday, Oct. 28 followed by Friday night home games against Bloomfield and Wayne Hills.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)