Marisa Rose Bowl gives a chance for under-the-radar teams to shine

It’s about showing up, working hard and seeing progress.

Not every football team is going to snag wins or garner headlines in the fall. No matter, high school sports is ultimately about gaining life lessons and the spirit of competition.

One of the charms of the Marisa Rose Bowl charity all-star football game is that it includes low enrollment Group 1 and 2 schools along with big Group 5 programs, winning teams and squads that struggled.

Once the whistle blows, though, all that doesn’t matter. Players play.

“Sometimes you’re not going to win a lot of games or have the amount of people that you ideally want,” Dunellen’s Nasir Tippett said, “but you got to just keep going and keep working hard and keep your head up no matter what because that’s just the right way to do things.”

All the players competing in the 7 p.m. game Thursday at North Brunswick High School are helping a good cause. Proceeds benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to assist pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

The event, formerly known as the Snapple Bowl and Autoland Classic, has raised $715,000 for charity since its inception in 1994.

On the field, the two teams consisting of recently graduated seniors from Middlesex County high schools will showcase quality players that perhaps remained unheralded at times throughout their careers.

For example, Highland Park, a program that goes back to the 1930s, has carried small rosters the past few seasons. In 2018, the team opened the season with 19 players and opted for a jayvee schedule after the first game. It has since returned to a varsity slate.

“There are people that come out and there’s people that don’t come out, but the people that are there – they work,” recently graduated senior Faizon Morris said. “It’s all about hard work and how many people show up.”

Morris said his teammates gave 100 percent in practice and he forwarded what he learned when he was an underclassmen to the next generation of Owls.

“I was taught by great leaders when I was there,” Morris said. “I was taught by a bunch of players that loved the game and were just showing me how to get better. How to improve my techniques. How to be that guy. I was really a leader for the young guys and I’m hoping that they could change the program.”

J.P. Stevens is another one of those programs with a proud tradition, but the North Edison school carried a small roster the last few years when playing against tough Group 4 and Group 5 teams.

Dedicated players like Clarance Dixsoin and Jahwill Palmer helped to keep the team going while mentoring younger players.

“That’s the thing about J.P., a lot of people like to knock J.P. Stevens football but once you’re really in that community and around that football you understand why people continue to play and that’s why I stayed there all four years,” Dixsoin said. “The connection I had with some of the people there. The staff. Coach (Joe) Rovito, that’s what made me stay.”

Palmer said, “It’s about you knowing that you’re sticking with it because you want to and not caring about what everybody else says because at the end of the day you do something great. You’re going to keep pushing You’re going to keep moving and nobody’s going to be able to stop you.”

Palmer, who is playing defensive end in the Marisa Rose Bowl, said that his goal was to keep improving and a measurement of success was that continual improvement.

“I played football all four years,” Palmer said. “It was fun. I got along with the coaches. I got along with the players. The only thing that I wanted to do was get better. So I wanted to watch people grow and have myself grow, as well. It’s about the little things because it builds up to the big things.”

Dunellen, meanwhile, reached the 2014 NJSIAA North 2 Group 1 final, but is always on the tightrope with its roster size as one of the smaller football-playing schools in the state. The rewards the players get out suiting up outweighs the win-loss record.

“Dunellen has always been about being the small guy and being the underrated guy,” said Tippett, a running back. “Coach (Dave) DeNapoli has been around for a long time, so he has a lot of stories to tell about past players and past teams and they all come with the theme of family and brotherhood. That’s something that we try to install every single year. It’s probably the first thing that we talk about when we come to practice each year. As a role model, you just try to install that.”

Bellamy and Sons Marisa Rose Bowl

When/where: July 21, North Brunswick High School, 7 p.m.

Who/what: Recently graduated football players and cheerleaders from Middlesex County high schools will participate in an intra-county charity all-star game with all proceeds benefiting the Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

About the game: Formerly known as the Snapple Bowl and Autoland Classic, the contest has raised $715,000 for charity since its inception in 1994.

Practice schedule: Practices will be held at North Brunswick High School July 11-14 and July 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on July 18 at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A walk-through for July 20 is TBD.

Game Tickets: Can be purchased for $10 at the gate on game night or at any of the practices.

About The Marisa Tufaro Foundation: Since its inception less than five years ago, the nonprofit has donated a quarter of a million dollars to assist pediatric patients and underserved children throughout the greater Middlesex County area. The foundation has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value. The nonprofit has awarded $26,500 in academic scholarships to 38 Middlesex County high school graduates.

About Marisa Rose Tufaro: Marisa survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old. Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, she lived a vibrant life that inspired.

Marisa Rose Bowl Banquet: Will be held at the Pines Manor in Edison on July 20 at 6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Marisa Rose Bowl gives a chance for under-the-radar teams to shine