By BRIAN TORTELLA

Correspondent

On X @tortreports

WOODBURY HEIGHTS — You can ask anyone in the New Jersey football world, and they’ll all agree on one thing — Groups 1 and 2 football is a wild world. 

Coaches often have to squeeze inexperienced talent from the halls and make the best of what they find. Depth is often a problem, and in order to succeed you’ll need to switch players around in positions they’re not always familiar with. 

Two small-school teams, Collingswood and Gateway Regional, scrimmaged this week to officially start what is expected to be yet another roller coaster of a season for the clubs.

Both teams’ coaches — Collingswood’s Michael McKeown and Gateway’s Andrew Daley — know this to be true better than nearly anyone else. McKeown, who’s in his seventh year at the helm of the Panthers, frequently has dealt with depth issues throughout his 23-year coaching career.

“You also have to realize, we’re not even a choice school, so we play with our own kids,” said McKeown, who graduated from Collingswood in 1997. “I’m surrounded by schools that are choice schools. You see my “Rise and Grind” post on social media. I pick up my kids in my car at 5 o’clock in the morning. I’m like an Uber, I’m like an Uber Eats, I’m like a dad. But, I love it. That’s why I’m here.”

McKeown credited senior left guard Juelz Santos with being one of those special players who never played football prior to the high school level. He fought through adversity learning the game his freshmen and sophomore seasons, and now he has molded into a quality starter.

“Juelz came with us as a freshman,” McKeown recalled. “He started a game at center his sophomore year against Deptford and snapped a ball above the quarterback’s head maybe thirty straight times. He got so flustered about it, I think he has nightmares about it. He’s (now) a kid that started both ways for us last year. He never played until his freshmen year. 

“I got him into it, told him it was a good thing,” he continued, “just to keep him in shape. He would text me every single night in January and December, ‘Hey coach, pick me up for morning lifts.’ Every morning I would pick him up and he would be sitting outside at 5:15 a.m. ready to go. He’s never missed a workout for me in the four years that I had him.”

Said Santos: “It’s fun. I get to know some people, know some of the coaches. It’s really close, it’s a brotherhood. The coaches, the players, we’re all tight. We’re all a family. I have gotten way better (since freshman year). I’m in better shape. (Coach McKeown) helped me a lot. He got me in the weight room, got me in better shape. He helps a lot in my times I need help with something, he’s always lending a helping hand.”

Coach Daley, on the other hand, was previously the head coach at Cherry Hill East before taking over the Gators’ program last year. East, a much bigger program, has 500-plus more students than Gateway. Daley admits that there’s undoubtedly more involved when it comes to switching players around and having depth concerns. 

After all, the Cherry Hill East football program has nearly double the amount of players that the Gators have. 

“The big difference, obviously, the one that stands out, is just the size of the team in general,” he said of the transition from Cherry Hill East to Gateway. “Coming from a school where I had 75 to 80 players to last year (at Gateway) when I had 35. Now we’re lucky to have 50. You’re working with a lot of the same guys on every aspect of the field offensively, defensively, special teams. You’re asking a lot out of these guys from a conditioning standpoint.”

He pointed out sophomore receiver/defensive back Jake Finger when as someone who didn’t start playing football until high school and now makes a major impact on the varsity level.

“Jake has done a great job for us,” Daley said. “He played a lot for us last year as a wide receiver and defensive back. He’s going to come this year and be a key player for us on both sides of the football. He’s a multi-sport athlete. Plays football, basketball, and runs track. He never played football before, he came out last year, and we saw the natural talent that he had. We were excited to get him out, and he’s finally starting to learn the game and come into his own. We expect a lot out of him this year.”

Finger finished with 28 tackles as a rookie last season. 

“I always wanted to play midgets when I was younger,  and freshman year I finally got to play and had a great experience,” Finger said. “I like it, especially with a smaller amount of kids, it’s easier to come out. It feels really good (to be a starter), it means a lot to me.”

Stories like Finger’s and Santos’ don’t come around nearly as much at larger schools. At a bigger school with more numbers, someone who’s never played the sport may be more reluctant to try out at the high school level.

And while tiny schools such as Collingswood and Gateway may not have a loaded roster with a lot to choose from like a Kingsway — or a luxurious facility such as an Eastern — they still have plenty of heart. 

The recurring theme is “Family,” a mantra these small schools live up to and take pride in.

“I grew up here and I always say Collingswood saved my life,” McKeown said. “At the end of the day, I’m everything to some of these kids. They realistically have nothing. And I don’t mind it, it doesn’t bother me.”

Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com