Last Year Recap: The Bears went into this season with a clean slate. With former head coach John Passero retiring after 23 seasons with the Bears, and 9 out of the 11 starters on both sides of the ball not returning, Hawthorne is seeking a fresh start. The Bears are a very inexperienced varsity team, with only three returning players on defense, and two on offense.

However, Butler and Heights didn’t lose much steam heading into this season. Both teams have many starters with varsity experience on both sides of the ball. Butler is bringing back nine starters from their previous season, and Heights is returning six. Last year, Butler ended their season with a 9-2 record, losing to Shabazz in the playoffs (40-13). Heights went 7-3, losing to Hawthorne in the playoffs (34-9). 

This years Beginning: The Bears didn’t have it easy in their home opener against Butler. In the first quarter, Butler scored two touchdowns to make the score 14-0. At the half, Butler added an additional two touchdowns to make the score 28-0. To end the game, the Bulldogs racked up three more touchdowns to make the final score 47-0. 

Despite another loss in week 2, Hawthorne showed some flashes in Hasbrouck Heights. They were able to put points up on the board, scoring a 2 yard rushing touchdown by junior Sebastian Gill. The Bears were down 14-6 at the half, after Heights scored twice in each quarter.  In the second half, Hawthorne’s defense broke down and let up two more touchdowns without being able to put up any more points. The Bears went on to lose the game, with a final score of 28-6. With a tough loss for the Bears, the team was down but not out. 

The New Staff: New head coach Angelo Guarnieri is still looking to get his first win as a head coach. Along with being head coach, Guarnieri runs Hawthorne’s defense as well. He has expanded the coaching staff and switched some coaching positions around. Starting with the offense, former HHS Bear Richard Grofsick has been moved to the Offensive Coordinator position. Long time coach Christopher Warner also helps work the offense. Former HHS alumni Mike O’ Hagan, Tommy Walls, and Joseph Oliva have also joined the coaching staff as well. Oliva used to coach the Bears many years ago, but decided to return to help the new staff and the team. 

Upcoming for the Bears: For the remainder of the season, the Bears have lighter, but not easier matchups coming up. In week 3, they will be playing a smaller, but aggressive 2-0 New Milford team. New Milford is led by junior Jake Johnson, who plays fullback and defensive end, with a strong team around him. In week 1, New Milford beat Hasbrouck Heights 26-14. In week 4, the Bears are playing Secaucus at home. New Milford had beaten Secaucus 28-13 in week 2. The Bears hope to get their first win against New Milford tonight.