Local football players compete in all-star classic
EAST ORANGE — The 22nd Annual Paul Robeson All-Star High School Football Classic took place on June 9 at Robeson Stadium in East Orange, New Jersey.
Two squads called the East and the West played. The best players from Essex County and Southeast Passiac County (East) took on their counterparts from the rest of Passiac and Morris, Sussex and parts of Warren Counties (West).
The East defeated the West by the score of 28-8.
The Paul Robeson Classic is named after the legendary Paul Robeson, a Princeton-born, Rutgers College valedictorian and All-America football star who went on to become a Columbia Law School grad, an NFL standout, a world-renowned multiple-sport athlete, opera singer and actor, as well as a prominent civil rights leader.
The Paul Robeson Classic is an opportunity for local high school senior football players to compete one last time.
The score was tight for four quarters with the East trailing 8-7. But East quarterback Devante Williams threw a six yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyraiq Beals with less than 10 minutes left in regulation, putting the East ahead.
The teammates from East Orange Campus High School were a dynamic duo in the regular season and proved to be just as effective in the all-star contest.
The East sealed the victory by accomplishing three interceptions in less then a five minute span. A stunned West squad could not recover.
Williams was named offensive MVP for the East.
The West's quarterback Aaron Furnbach, of West Milford High School, was named his teams offensive MVP.
The East has won 19 of the 22 all-star games over the years.
--GEORGE LEROY HUNTER