Three GMC Scholar-Athletes to play in the Marisa Rose Bowl charity football all-star game

Mom laid down the law – no school, no sports.

In other words, you better be hitting those books.

“That was a bound rule,” said Nasir Tippett, who recently graduated from Dunellen. “In my household, school has always come first. My mom has always told me that I can’t touch the field or touch the court if my grades aren’t good."

Those work ethic and procrastinating-killing habits transfer seamlessly from academics to sports. In the upcoming Marisa Rose Bowl charity all-star football game, there are plenty of players competing that possess both brains and brawn.

In fact, three were chosen as a prestigious Jay H. Dakelman Greater Middlesex Conference Scholar-Athlete recipient and honored at a ceremony in early June – Tippett, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Kenny Coghan and South River’s Marcus Granadeiro.

They’ll display their gridiron talents during the game on July 21 at North Brunswick High School’s Steve Libro Field. The game showcases recently graduated players and cheerleaders from Middlesex County high schools.

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

This year, proceeds benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to assist children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

The foundation was established in loving memory of Marisa Rose Tufaro, the daughter of longtime Edison Township Public Schools educator Cyndi Tufaro and former Home News Tribune and Courier News sports writer Greg Tufaro.

Marisa Rose Tufaro 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.

Since its inception less than five years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated a quarter of a million dollars to fulfill its mission. The nonprofit 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 three GMC scholar-athlete recipients are fine representatives of their schools with GPAs just as impressive as their statistics.

Coghan helped the St. Thomas Aquinas football team finish undefeated in the regular season last fall. In the winter, he captured the 175-pound GMC Tournament wrestling championship and qualified for the state tournament. He carried over a 3.8 grade point average and will be playing football at Wagner College.

Granadeiro, also a successful wrestler and baseball player, had a 4.4 GPA and is continuing his football career at Wilkes University. Among the many honors he has received, Granadeiro was selected as a scholarship recipient from the Bill Denny/Rutgers Football Letterwinners Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Tippett also excelled with a 4.0 GPA and qualified for the National Honor Society, all while juggling football, basketball and baseball during his time at Dunellen. He will play sprint football at Caldwell University, a varsity football league that includes schools such as Army, Navy, Cornell and Penn. The only difference is it has a weight limit of 178 pounds for games.

Yes, procrastination did occasionally seep in, but all three had discipline and time management skills that helped them succeed.

Granadeiro noted that his parents also stressed academics from an early age. He acquired many of those good work habit traits as a youngster playing Pop Warner “because football honestly helps you become a better person all around, not only in the sport. So in my early days of football I learned most of it.”

During the pandemic, being a scholar-athlete was especially important to Granadeiro, who had virtual learning his junior year.

“School itself wasn’t too normal because the whole year was online,” said Granadeiro, who intends to major in business marketing, “but what helped a lot was being able to go to football practice after and then everything felt normal over there.”

Tippett said he, too, discovered ways to manage his time and work with a purpose.

"I learned it through school," he said. "It was easier to just do everything and get it out of the way and then relax later rather than procrastinate and stress on it later. I implement that into my workouts. I like to work out in the mornings. I feel better in the morning and just to get it over with because as the day goes on you never know what can affect your day."

Having multi-prong success doesn't come by accident.

“A lot of people think that it’s just natural, but in reality it comes with a lot of hard work and it just comes with a lot of sacrifices," he said. "It’s just nothing but hard work and to see it all pay off in the end is just worth it.”

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: Coghan, Granadeiro and Tippett are GMC Scholar-Athletes