Friday, June 08, 2012

North Bergen Stripped of 2011 High School Football Title

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Recruiting will not be allowed in New Jersey.  That's the message that the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association sent to schools through the state Thursday when it stripped North Bergen of its 2011 sectional football championship.

Last month, the NJSIAA placed the school's entire sports program on two years probation after the state's governing body found that the school's longtime football coach Vincent Ascolese had recruited two players to play for the Bruins.  However, that ruling didn't include the stripping of the North Jersey 1, Group 4 title the team won in a 14-13 victory over Montclair when North Bergen scored a touchdown on the very last play of the game.

Thursday, the NJSIAA's executive committee voted 24-0 in favor of taking away the title, which marks what many believe is the first time that the state has every stripped a school of a championship.

Ascolese, who is currently battling cancer, retired at the end of the year as one of the state's winningest coaches.

Before the investigation began earlier this year, I spoke to Coach Ascolese about his long career in New Jersey football.

Click here to listen to that interview back on January 12th.
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