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Welcome to the home of
Columbia High School Cougar Football
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Excerpt from interview with Coach Curtin - Newark Star Ledger
November 14, 2009
"These guys are family, they love each other," Curtin said. "It's easy to win, but when you've lost as much as we've lost you have to stay together. That's why it hurts so bad, because they know this is it."
In a day, maybe a week, Columbia's players will be able to reflect on their role in changing the culture at the Maplewood/South Orange school and creating the foundation for a new tradition.
Yes, Columbia. You are for real now!
Gridiron New Jersey
Upsets Galore in the SEC
By Joe Hathaway
Posted: October 18, 2009 8:56 pm
Article Excerpt ....
Yes, Columbia. You are for real now! The Cougars made a big statement, beating Nutley at home on Saturday, 28-7. Now 6-0, Columbia has proven that they are no fluke. I, myself, had chalked up some of their early-season wins to less-than-stellar competition, but after stopping a Nutley team that had scored 36.6 point per game through the first five games, there’s no debate — the Cougars are for real. What’s really impressive about this win for Columbia is that they didn’t win a shootout against Nutley, something that could have easily happened with Nutley’s highly toted running game. The score wasn’t 42-35 or something way up in that range. Instead, Columbia played a close, low-scoring game. Trust me, this game was a lot closer than the scoreboard indicates. The game was tied 7-7 going into the half. In the third, Columbia RB Denzel Nieves woke up the Cougar offense with a 64-yard run which set up a 6-yard punch by D.J. Roberts. While Nieves would score a touchdown of his own later in the game, the story of this game was Columbia’s defense. Not only did the defense hold Nutley to a meager 7 points, they did so in dramatic fashion. After the Roberts score, Nutley put together a drive of its own, looking to tie the game at 14 apiece. Nutley drove the ball in typical Nutley fashion — with its running game. Although RB Ray Cetrulo came out in the first with back pain, Nutley’s other standout back, Anthony Sibilia picked up the slack without skipping a beat. Nutley drove the ball to within the Columbia 10-yard line, before being stopped on fourth-and-goal from the two. Talk about making a defensive statement, with that goal-line stand Columbia took the wind out of Nutley’s sails and the Raiders never recovered. Midway through the fourth, Nutley had one more shot to get back into the game, but once again the Columbia defense would have no part of it. Poised to score again from the Columbia 2-yard line, Nutley QB Billy McLellan fumbled the snap and Cougar LB Jared Williams scooped-and-scored — a 98-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Columbia has two games remaining before the playoffs. Next week should be a win against Barringer, and then its time to mark your calendars as the Cougars will take on the resurgent Knights of West Essex in what will likely be an unofficial division championship game
It's Been A Long Time Coming
‘It’s Been A Long Time Coming’
As Columbia Football Is Now 5-0
By Greg Corbo
for sidelinechatter.com
Article Excerpt ....
"Fast forward to Oct. 9, 2009, and following an impressive 24-6 road win at Millburn (1-3), the emotions were definitely ever-present as-believe it or not-a program that hadn’t won a single game between Oct. 3 rd, 2004 (following a 21-16 win over East Orange Campus the day before) until that consolation-game triumph against Dickinson on Nov. 15, 2008, is now a perfect 5-0 heading into next Saturday’s (Oct. 17) huge showdown against Nutley at Underhill Field in Maplewood.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said an emotional Columbia head coach Dave Curtain moments after his team’s latest of its quintet of victories so far in 2009. “We’ve taken such a beating over the years and this is for all the guys who lost over the years!
“People have called them ‘losers’ and you’re sorry, and you’re this and that, and they called us ‘The Homecoming Cougars,’ because other programs knew they would get a win against us. So, I’m happy for them because next week is going to be a big, exciting game for us vs. Nutley (4-1).
“Nutley was in a tough league themselves last year (Northern New Jersey Interscholastic), and now they’ve had a chance to have some success, so it should be a great game.
“It’s two programs that have turned it around, and have gotten it in the right direction.”
The confidence level at this point, has grown astronomically for a Columbia football program that can truly believe in itself moving forward the rest of this initial fall season in the Super Essex Conference.
“They believe in themselves,” said Curtain. “And, you know what, we have played some teams that are better than us, and next week we’re going to play Nutley, and they’re an outstanding team.
“But, we never beat ourselves. They may beat us…that could happen, but we won’t beat ourselves. Our guys play hard and refuse to lose and they make you earn it. Even tonight, when momentum changed, we made them earn it, and then they made mistakes.”
Next, it’s Nutley at home, before the Columbia faithful, who have to be getting pretty excited these days about their once struggling football program.
It is an upcoming game most people who follow the SEC probably never thought would be a huge contest at mid-season worth marking on their 2009 fall calendars, but now the Oct. 17th contest promises to bring plenty of excitement, and keep creating chatter about the Cougars, who obviously have taken a big turn in their development as a football program.
NJ Football Blog: Essex County
October 1, 2009
N.J. FOOTBALL BLOG: Essex County
By Mike Kinney/For The Star-Ledger
September 29, 2009, 6:37PM
TOO EARLY TO TALK PLAYOFFS?
Dave Curtin will probably try to gag me for saying this, but can resurgent Columbia possibly be talking playoffs among themselves right now?
Why not? These guys have emerged from a long, dark shadow of failure to win their first three games and restore a nice dose of confidence and hope to the program that has been to the playoffs only once since the format began in 1974.
So, let them shoot for the stars. Let D.J. Roberts, Demetrius Cooper, Ify Asoluka, Cole Dilly, Andrew Rigasso and all the other Cougars dream about this, talk about it, and then dream some more because they’ve earned the moment.
The 3-0 Cougars are currently fourth in power points in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4, behind Linden, Bridgewater-Raritan and Union. They are home against Shabazz at 1 p.m. Saturday and play at Millburn Oct. 9 before returning to Underhill Field for home games against Nutley and Barringer.
Right now it looks like there will be about 10 teams who will be able to make a serious stab at a playoff spot in this section. Columbia is deep in the hunt and looks like it will remain there.
What has to have Columbia feeling great about this start is that it’s been no mistake. The Cougars have outplayed three straight opponents with solid line play, balanced running with Asoluka, Roberts and Denzell Nieves, and with some pretty fierce defensive play.
9-18-09 excerpt from Gridiron New Jersey
Thursday Night Upset Special: Underdogs Rule the Day
"... while Columbia is currently riding a 3 game win streak (going back to the last game of the 2008 season). Columbia has outscored it’s last three opponents by a combined, 110-7. I don’t know what Columbia High School feeds those kids at lunch but they better keep it up! This Cougar team is shaping up to be the “feel-good” story of the season. I know I’ll be pulling for them in the games ahead."
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