This year’s Hawthorne “Showtime” Bears football team has started the year strong. After big wins against Elmwood Park and Harrison, they look to have a winning season and long postseason. The Bears have a record of 2-2 suffering losses to Lyndhurst and New Milford this season.

In the season opener, the Bears lost to Lyndhurst with a close score of 35-32. On Friday, September 21, the Bears had a tough match-up against New Milford at New Milford High School, losing 35-21. With a few more games left during the regular season, the Bears look to be successful in their conference.

The Hawthorne Bears first game against Lyndhurst was more of a get to know all the new faces on the team. TJ Palmer is now running the offense as the new starting quarterback for the Bears. Halfway through the season, TJ has done an outstanding job. He has passed for multiple touchdowns and rushed for a couple of touchdowns, proving that he is a dual threat. TJ’s wide receiver core consists of  Jalen Palmer, Shane Rooney and Kris Nelson. TJ is a great fit for the quarterback position for the Hawthorne Bears.

The Hawthorne Bears running back game has been solid. Senior Michael Renzo has led the running backs with great leadership throughout the season. Junior star, Jalen Palmer has been one the best and most consistent players on the team. Jalen has been averaging about 1 touchdown per game. Last week, Jalen was named player of the week with his outstanding performance against Harrison. Jalen was voted as the top athlete of the week on https://jerseysportszone.com/. He had 1 receiving touchdown and 1 rushing touchdown. Sophomore, Anthony Montone has been also getting touches too, scoring 2 touchdowns against Elmwood Park.

The defense has looked pretty good, but needs improvement as the season goes on. The defensive line has put great pressure against the opposing quarterback, but needs improvement on stopping the run game. The secondary defense has been very solid. TJ Palmer has been very good at the safety position and Joseph Aliano leading the cornerbacks, hauled in 2 interceptions against Lynhurst. The linebackers have been applying pressure to opposing offenses led by Adam Deitrich,  Mike Renzo, Jaydon D’Errico, and Ashton Navarette.

The Bears look forward to keep improving as they hope to take a top spot for the playoffs. Their next matchup is the Bears biggest rival, the Pompton Lakes Cardinals. Winning this game would give the team momentum to keep pushing this season forward.