For the members of Cougar nation who were on the fence, or not sure if the Columbia football team was a contender or just a pretender, it’s time to come down off the fence and join head coach Dave Curtin and his team on the Red and Black side. There’s something special going on in Maplewood this season.
The last time the Columbia football team was in the playoffs, the final episode of M.A.S.H. aired, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was the world’s number one album and Luke found out that Darth Vader was his father in Return of the Jedi.
1983 was a long time ago, but the way this Columbia football program has looked in its first year in the newly formed SEC Liberty Division, I don’t think it will be 26 years before their next trip to the postseason. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of sports obsession, it's that winning breeds winning. Aside from looking at a 7-0 start to the season, the Columbia boys have begun laying the foundation for the future.
Next season, everyone is going to want to join the football team so they can be a part of the magic. Heck, I want to join the football team right now. They play with so much fire and intensity, and they honestly don’t think anyone can beat them. Kids on the Cougar freshman and junior varsity teams will take note of the success this year, and work even harder to uphold the new-found standard.
As far as this week is concerned, I’m taking bets on the over-under. Who wants to bet that Columbia will score anything less than 40 or that Barringer will score in double digits? I didn’t think so. This Saturday’s homecoming game for Columbia will be more like a home-mugging game for Barringer. Expect a big win here, Cougar fans.
On to soccer: just a week ago, I thought the Columbia boys soccer team was a cinch to make the playoffs. Now, at 7-6, the Red and Black boys should consider themselves extremely lucky that their game against Millburn was cancelled on Friday, due to a muddy field. A loss to the Millers, which was highly possible, would have put the locals at 7-7, making today’s game at East Side a near must win. But it is of little matter now: even with a loss today, they will get a chance at a win on Friday against Montclair to get back even. I suspect they would get an at-large bid even if they lost both games.
One team that is sitting pretty is the girls soccer team, which still has just two losses this season and has outscored its last five opponents 15-1. They have given up just seven goals through 10 games and are flying below the radar, under new head coach Stephen Jones. I expect a high seed for the Red and Black girls and a strong playoff performance.
Three most important games this week:
1. Columbia boys soccer vs. East Side today and vs. Montclair on Friday. The boys must win one of these games to hold a .500 record by Friday’s cutoff date and guarantee themselves a spot in the postseason. As I said earlier, I suspect they might still get in with two losses because of their strength of schedule, but they don’t want to leave it to chance.
2. Columbia field hockey vs. Livingston on Tuesday, Oct. 20. On Sept. 24, the Cougar girls went to Livingston and were less than a minute away from taking a 1-0 win, which would have been their first and still their only win of the season. A late goal by Danielle Ruffini of Livingston tied it, and sent the game to overtime, where it ended in a tie. This may be their best chance at a win this season.
3. Columbia football at homecoming vs. Barringer on Saturday, Oct. 24. It’s important that Columbia wins and wins big to keep to the showdown in West Essex alive for the division title in two weeks. I’d also like to see them practice throwing the ball a bit more. This is a perfect game to try some new things.
