Old Bridge's Sitkowski enters as a top QB recruit

When Rafal Sitkowski discovered football as a young man, it seemed similar enough to rugby with the tackling and oval shaped ball. But one thing perplexed the Polish native—the quarterback. After all, there’s no throwing in rugby, no play calling, no huddles.

His wife Boguslawa, also couldn’t quite grasp the nuances of football. Years later, they let their son Artur play Pop Warner after he was a tad too physical for soccer. Together, the trio learned about the sport.

“They’d say, ‘Why are these guys wearing these big things on their shoulders?,’” Artur Sitkowski said. “’Why do they have these big things on their heads?’ … He had no idea. But over the years we sat down, and we’d watch football on Sundays and now he gets it. I think he knows it better than me sometimes, because he sees things I don’t see.”

The Sitkowskis are now quite familiar with the quarterback position. Artur Sitkowski enters his junior season at Old Bridge High School as one of the best players in football-rich New Jersey. He’s received 16 NCAA Division I offers, a who’s who list of powerhouses—Miami, Michigan and Ohio State. Florida, South Carolina and Wisconsin. The list goes on. He’s Middlesex County’s top QB prospect since East Brunswick’s Bryan Fortay committed to Miami in 1989.

He’s got the arm strength. The physical attributes at 6-foot-4 1/2, 220 pounds. He carries himself with a presence and has that cover-boy quarterback look—blue eyes, broad shoulders and short blonde hair that almost seems dyed. He could easily double as a rad surfer or boy band member.

“He definitely has the ‘It’ factor,” Old Bridge coach Anthony Lanzafama said. “He’s very mature. He comes from a good family. Raised the right way and he treats people with respect and he conducts himself in a very positive way.”

With all the hoopla, it’s his DNA that helps keep him grounded. He was decidedly not raised to be a football star. So how did the Sitkowskis’ American Dream come to include a quarterback?

There was no American football when Rafal grew up in eastern Poland and Boguslawa in the western part. Naturally, they met through friends in New York. Both emigrated with their families to Queens in their late teens.

The couple eventually moved to Old Bridge. Artur played a variety of youth sports—including mowing over soccer opponents—and asked his parents if he could play football. They didn't see the harm in it. A then-weighty Sitkowski started on the offensive line and moved to tight end. But no little kid grows up wanting to play left guard. So he threw balls at a white X his mother painted on a backyard tree. It’d take all of a week or two before a fresh coating was needed.

In the eighth grade, he got his chance at quarterback after an injury to the starter. Word had gotten out that Artur had talent. As a freshman, Sitkowski ran the scout team as a varsity backup, a big step in the development of a young quarterback. In the offseason, he simply wanted to continue improving, and his parents took him to football camps that featured college coaches as instructors. Sitkowski dazzled them with his strong tosses and 6-2, 180-pound frame.

In a game of projections, Rutgers offered the first scholarship after a summer camp. (“I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know I was this good,'” he said. “So a very humbling thing.”) Then Maryland offered. Then Boston College. After his sophomore season at Old Bridge, in which he threw for 1,436 yards and 16 touchdowns, more coaches chimed in.

“For me, it blew up in the spring,” he said.

Division I coaches arrived at Lombardi Field in Old Bridge to watch Sitkowski throw to his receivers and check out things like his accuracy and footwork. Websites covering college recruiting asked for interviews. Interest letters from university football programs and camp brochures were sent.

“I probably get so much mail I could put it in a bath tub,” he said. “Yeah, I get a lot of mail. My mailman, he’s always in a good mood when he comes to my house. He says, ‘Look, this school. This school. This school.’ So he’s on the same page with my family.”

Sitkowski said he won’t make a decision until after the season, and “hopefully before my senior year.”

“There’s definitely certain times where you can say, ‘Hey this is pretty cool,’” he said. “It’s really cool to get recruited by these schools. And then there’s times, where you got to be, ‘Hey, I can’t get too high on myself because what if I get hurt tomorrow?’ Hey, I got to grind. I got to work hard every single day.”

Right now, he’s focused on the season opener against South Brunswick. The Vikings, which have Penn State commit Justin Shorter at receiver, beat Old Bridge 42-0 in last season’s Central Group V title game.

“Hey listen, you can go to camps, whatever,” Sitkowski said, “but if you don’t produce under the Friday night lights—it don’t mean nothing.”

So he works with a strength and conditioning coach and a quarterback coach and scans YouTube for that one tip that could make a difference.

“He doesn’t take breaks,” said Rafal, noting that he’ll go out throwing whether there’s pollen in the air or snow on the ground.

The 6-foot Rafal enjoyed playing soccer and rugby, and the 5-foot-8 Boguslawa swam and ran cross-country, but neither were elite athletes. But they instilled a work ethic in Artur and encouraged his passion.

Boguslawa, a math teacher at Piscataway’s Conackamack Middle School, stresses education. Rafal, who works in software development, has the moxie of an immigrant who arrived in America when he was 19 and couldn’t speak English and had to work odd jobs to help his family.

“My parents, they didn’t push me to do anything in life,” Artur said. “They said do whatever you want in life, just do whatever makes you happy. Just do it to 110 percent and that will lead you the way.”

Football has become a shared joy among the family, including younger brother Aleks. And now, Rafal understands why certain players run away from the ball unlike in soccer and the quarterback’s role. He even tried catching balls thrown by Artur. A broken finger later, he retired. He noted, “I thought maybe I had some receiver hands, but that’s not the case.”

He'll simply watch his son and soak up the atmosphere as if he was born in Texas. His wife caught the fever as well.

“Football brings people together,” Boguslawa said. “Even in our community. We got to know so many good people just because of football. The parents, the coaches. And that’s what I love about football is bringing people together. And being able to cheer. See the kids grow. See the kids play. See the kids lose and win, and you’re still supporting them. That’s a wonderful thing.”