LIVINGSTON- East Orange Campus coach John Jacob was direct and rather emphatic with his post-game message just moments after his team’s dominating 26-0 season-opening victory over Livingston in a Super Football Conference Freedom-Red Division contest on a warm, muggy Friday evening at Allen ‘Jake’ Jacobson Memorial Field.
The veteran head mentor told his Jaguars to make sure to arrive early for a 9 a.m. practice in the morning because there was plenty of work to do in preparation for their next game.
And, while there are certainly some kinks in the armour for EOC in its season-opening contest – one marred by excessive penalty calls by an overzealous officiating crew which led to a 3-hour game – the fact remains that the Jaguars are once again a very talented team and one that should once again challenge for a North, Group 5 championship following last fall’s North 1, Group 5 state sectional playoff title.
Led by the impressive pass-catching ability of senior Temple University commit Alex Hanks, who scored three touchdowns, and a dominating defense featuring such standouts as another Division I recruit in senior edge rusher Esa Wittingburg, EOC (1-0) completely shut down Livingston’s offense, limiting the Lancers (1-1) to just 44 total yards in the first half enroute to establishing a commanding 20-0 halftime lead.
Hanks (6 receptions for 95 yards and the 3 TDs) would not be denied despite tight coverage when he went up and hauled down an 11-yard pass from junior quarterback Zach Conception (15-of-28 for 177 yards, 3 TDs) in the right corner of the end zone as time expired on the final play of the first half.
The Conception-Hanks combination had also struck earlier in the half for the Jaguars’ second score of the night with 1:24 remaining in the first quarter, a 32-yard TD pass to finish a short 4-play, 22-yard advance following a superb 16-yard punt return by senior Auchavian Simmons.
The Jaguars had taken an early 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game, a quick 5-play, 49-yard drive capped by a 14-yard TD burst off the left side by senior running back Shaler Jackson III.
The EOC defense pinned the Lancers deep in their own territory for most of the first half. The only highlight for the Lancers in the game’s first 24 minutes was a 26-yard burst up the middle by junior running back Abel Paul with just over a minute left in the first quarter, which brought the ball down to the Jaguars’ 37, but the EOC defense then pushed the Lancers back and forced another of Livingston’s five first-half punts.
Senior linebacker Quadir Parrish was part of two sacks of Livingston senior QB Will Atkinson, while the ever-present edge rusher Wittingburg was also in on another sack combining with strong senior DB Robert Minter.
Junior Sadiq Dues and senior Michael Wicker, Jr. were among the standouts along the D-Line for EOC which definitely has a unit of resistance to be reckoned with the rest of the way this 2025 campaign.
“Our game plan each day is to put a leather hat to the ball on every down and dominate defensively, whether it’s stopping backs or receivers,” said Hanks, who contributes both ways as a standout starting defensive back in addition to being one of the state’s top receivers. “We have a lot of talent back from last year and some new kids are stepping up including Zach at quarterback who is ready to lead our offense.
“Still, as coach always stresses, there is plenty more work to do in order to be the type of team we need to be to compete for a championship.”
EOC struck right out of the gates in the first quarter against a Livingston team that appeared somewhat flat and listless in its season opener before a good-size crowd at ‘The Jake.’
