CEDAR GROVE- They reside in parallel universes of sorts- the present outstanding quarterback and the coach who used to be a standout QB- while leading one of the state’s elite Group 1 programs.
Each has had his time in the limelight as a superb signal caller for the Cedar Grove with the current star pupil now preparing for his final game donning the black and gold that many players, including outstanding QBs, have worn for many decades while going into battle on the gridiron for the Panthers.
There are too many talented QBs in Cedar Grove’s rich gridiron history to mention them all. Retired coach Ed Sadloch had some terrific teams with a superb athlete Joe Slattery as his field general behind center. More recently, another all-around athlete, Alfonso Lombardi, completed some big passes when Cedar Grove won its last championship, a North, Group 1 regional crown to cap the 2021 campaign with a fine 12-1 record and a noteworthy championship.
A freshman taking in the action on the sidelines that Nov. 26 afternoon at MetLife Stadium watching Lombardi complete a clutch 30-yard TD pass to wide receiver Nick Iannacone for the winning margin with less than three minutes remaining for a 13-12 victory over Park Ridge was young Stephen Paradiso.
Fast forward three years later, and more specifically with a scheduled 5 p.m. kickoff on the Friday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29), Paradiso will be back on the field at MetLife, now as the prolific senior signal caller for a 13-0 Cedar Grove which will return to MetLife for the first time in three years as the Panthers face 18th-ranked Glassboro (12-0) to determine this year’s overall Group 1 state champion.
“The past four years have just blown by, and I guess it’s fitting that it both begins and ends for our seniors at MetLife,” said the Panthers’ talented QB, who has passed for an amazing 3,501 yards and 40 touchdowns with 7 interceptions, certainly not a bad number in terms of picks for someone who has thrown 343 passes, completing 220 of them this fall. “It’s been a memorable season which can become even more memorable by winning the Group 1 state championship.
“We certainly know that Glassboro is a very good team, but our coaches always prepare a great game plan for us and then it’s up to us to execute it, which we plan on doing.”
The sturdy 5-foot-11, 190-pound Paradiso is coming off his biggest yardage game of the season as he completed 22 of 35 passes for 381 yards and 4 touchdowns in Cedar Grove’s 52-21 home-standing victory over Butler in a Group 1 semifinal this past Friday night.
For his efforts in helping his Panthers advance to the Group 1 final, the 3-year starting senior QB is the latest Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.
Earlier this season an email was received by Sideline Chatter from a former North Jersey head coach who said he thought that Paradiso was better than another talented QB he had just seen who is headed to play for a Division I college program.
How does Paradiso rate in Cedar Grove football history, or among this season’s best high school QBs in New Jersey is a nice topic to ponder.
His head coach Rob Gogerty, who is was a very good scholastic QB for the Panthers during his own high school days in The Grove, will not rate his proud program’s all-time greats, but he will talk about his current prize signal caller when it comes to the 2024 season.
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