Football: Union County preps for Snapple Bowl
UNION - When Manoli Kanellos plays middle linebacker, he roams all over, sideline to sideline, aggressively trying to ram into the ball carrier. He’s in the gut of all the action. When he plays lacrosse, though, Kanellos doesn’t quite need to put on his motor every play.
Kanellos played goalie for Governor Livingston High School this spring. Sure, you need instincts and athleticism, but there’s periods where you’re just standing. And waiting.
“Being a goalie is somewhat of being like a spectator out there,” Kanellos said. “But you got to command the defense. So there’s very similar qualities needed to play both linebacker and goalie. So it’s just a different situation, but the same challenge. Just go out there and win.”
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Now, Kanellos gets another chance to let loose on the playing field. He’s part of the Union County team that plays Middlesex County in Snapple Bowl XXIII, a charity all-star football game comprised of rosters of graduating seniors. All proceeds from the game benefit Children’s Specialized Hospital and the Lakeview School, a program of the Edison-based New Jersey Institute for Disabilities. Since the first contest in 1994, the series has raised $535,000. This year, the game takes place at Woodbridge High School at 7 p.m. on July 21.
Union County must stop an explosive Middlesex County attack led by quarterbacks Tracy Fudge of Woodbridge and Andrew Roberts of J.F. Kennedy. Each signal caller has had 1,000-yard passing seasons in their careers. On the ground, a trio of Middlesex running backs each rushed for 1,000 yards last fall, New Brunswick’s Samad Davila gained 1,333 yards on 189 carries, South Plainfield’s Jason Lee rushed for 1,011 yards on 201 carries and Middlesex’s Ryan Coke rambled for 1,069 yards on 134 carries.
Of course, Union County’s defensive coordinator knows how to stop a runner or two. Cranford High School head coach Erik Rosenmeier, along with his Cranford staff, are the Union Snapple Bowl team’s defensive coaches. In 2015, the Cougars finished 12-0 and captured the NJSIAA North 2 Group III championship capped off by a 53-20 win over Chatham at Kean University.
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“When you have the opportunity to coach all-stars, you can install things very quickly and they look really good running around,” Rosenmeier said before the team’s second practice Tuesday at Union High School. “So we’re excited about how fast that they picked things up. But at the same time, we expect them to pick things up fast because they’re all-stars. We’re going to install a whole defense in a few days, but these are football experts. These are kids that can pick that stuff up fast. They have high athletic intellect.”
While everyone is indeed an all-star, among those to watch from the MyCentralJersey.com coverage area include New Providence defensive lineman Russell Davidson and safety Andrew Urness, and Westfield free safety Brett Robertshaw.
Joining Kanellos at linebacker are Roselle Park’s Will Ferdinando, Cranford’s Lucas Ramadan, A.L. Johnson’s Anthony Rizzuto, Abraham Clark’s Malik Singleton and Elizabeth’s Pernell Williams.
While the 5-10, 185-pound Kanellos played football since he was in sixth grade, he first went out for lacrosse as a freshman. Simply, the team needed a goalie so he volunteered.
“Once you get used to the ball hitting you, it became fun,” said Kanellos with a laugh. “I just liked it. It’s very different. It’s more of a mental aspect to it as opposed to physical. And I liked having that mental challenge. … There’s a big contrast. I mean there’s many similarities and differences. But at the end of the day you’re both the command center of your defense. You got to be loud. You got to be responsible. You got to be accountable. And you got to always have your head up.”
In fact, when Kanellos talks about playing goalie, he almost sounds like a free safety out there. But that mentality serves him well in both sports.
“I like being the last wall of defense,” he said. “Once everything breaks down on defense, if something happens, it’s up to the goalie to make that game-changing save or that game-changing moment. And I like having that responsibility on my shoulders when it comes to that time.”
TAKE PART
What: MyCentralJersey.com Snapple Bowl XXIII, New Jersey's most successful charity all-star football game.
Where: Woodbridge High School.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21.
Participants: Recently graduated high school senior players and cheerleaders from Middlesex and Union counties.
About the event
Beneficiaries: All proceeds from the game, which has raised more than $535,000 since its inception, benefit Children's Specialized Hospital and the Lakeview School, a program of the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities.
Practice venues: Woodbridge High School (Middlesex County All-Stars) and Union High School (Union County All-Stars).
Key dates: Middlesex County All-Stars visit the Lakeview School in Edison and Union County All-Stars visit Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside on July 18; Snapple Bowl banquet at Pines Manor restaurant in Edison July 20.
Tickets: Can be purchased at the gate for $10 or at each practice site during practices.
Previewing the game: Leading up to Snapple Bowl XXII, the Home News Tribune, Courier News and MyCentralJersey.com will feature at least one story daily, as well as videos.
Game coverage: Look for a game story, a notebook, a Middlesex County sidebar, a Union County sidebar, an A1 story, a photo gallery and video highlights from Snapple Bowl XXII in the Home News Tribune, Courier News and at MyCentralJersey.com.
Social media: Follow us via Twitter @MyCJ_Sports and @SnappleBowl for updates and to interact with reporters and Snapple Bowl XXII game director Marcus Borden.
MyCentralJersey.com Snapple Bowl XXII official web site: Can be found at https://worknotes.com/NJ/SouthRiver/SnappleBowl/