Week 3 in Review

By GREG TUFARO
STAFF WRITER

Linden High School football coach Deon Candia took less than two full seasons to turn around a program loaded with skilled athletes.

The Tigers, who rebounded from a 1-9 campaign in 2007 to finish 5-5 in Candia’s first year, improved to 3-0 with a win over Elizabeth on Friday night. Candia said he saw the fast start coming months ago.

“”We basically made a commitment after last season to get this thing going,” Candia said. “”It started in the offseason. Our kids worked and worked. We aren’t going to let teams outwork us. That’s something we can control.”

Candia said Linden’s commitment to a strength and conditioning program enabled the Tigers to maximize their athleticism.

“”We had a vision and we are sticking to our vision, which is getting to the playoffs,” he said, “”and after that, reevaluating and trying to get a state championship.”

Linden opened the year with impressive wins over Rahway, Scotch-Plains Fanwood and Elizabeth, outscoring the opposition 68-18. The victory over the Minutemen was the Tigers’ first since 1999.

Candia’s defense has surrendered just two touchdowns this year, but the offense has been even more impressive.

Starting quarterback Trell Myers missed the season opener. He suffered a high ankle sprain in a tri-scrimmage with Barringer and Roselle. In his stead, Jaurice Jones led Linden to a 21-6 win over Rahway, which was coming off an appearance in last year’s North 2 Group III final.

Myers returned to guide Linden to a 21-0 blanking of Scotch-Plains Fanwood. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown to gifted wideout Ruhann Peele.

Myers led Union County is passing yards as a sophomore when Linden ran the run-and-shoot under former head coach Joe Stinson, who was not rehired after the 2007 season.

“”Trell is a seasoned quarterback,” Candia said. “”Trell sacrificed in a sense his personal stats. He wants to win. He could do so much more, but he wants to get teammates involved. He’s really making good decisions.”

Candia, who played at Linden under the venerable Bucky McDonald, has returned to the Multiple I.

As a result, Linden’s strength thus far has been its running game and the solid play of Will Ingram, who carried 28 times for 187 yards and a touchdown against Elizabeth.

“”Will’s an animal,” Candia said. “”He’s like an old-school running back, like Jim Brown or Ernie Davis. When he runs he just has a forward lean. He never loses yardage. He puts so much time in the weight room in the offseason. He just wants to be the best. He’s probably the most unselfish kid. He would give up carries for the benefit of the team.”

Candia said being a graduate of the high school and lifelong Linden resident enables him to identify better with his players.

“”I have a lot of pride in this town,” Candia said. “”Being from here and playing here makes it a little easier for me to sell stuff to them. They just believe. I am able to do a lot of things in a way where other coaches are probably different. I have a connection with these kids other than football. We spend a lot of time together.”

Candia makes practices so difficult that the Tigers can’t wait for game day.

“”The kids push hard,” he said. “”They enjoy the games because we work so hard in practice. This stuff’s got to be fun, too, and winning is fun.”

The Tigers’ schedule gets more difficult as the season progresses. They close the year with a brutal four-game stretch including showdowns with Hunterdon Central, Immaculata and Union.

The Red Devils and Spartans are currently ranked No.‚1 and No.‚4, respectively, in the Courier News Top 10, while the Farmers are widely regarded as Union County’s best team.

“”The biggest thing with this team is fight,” Candia said. “”They are fighters. They don’t know that they’re not supposed to beat certain teams.”