Snyder softball out to prove that last year was no fluke

 Snyder junior pitcher Jordan Mendolla

Snyder senior catcher/pitcher Nayeli Estremera

It was clearly the best season a Snyder High School softball team ever enjoyed. The Tigers posted a 15-6 record, 10-4 in the Hudson County Interscholastic League-Blue Division. The 2019 campaign represented a birth and a resurrection of the program.

So with many of the same players returning in 2020, head coach Lucy Rojas was really looking forward to the new season.

“We ended last year on a bad note,” said Rojas, referring to the three straight setbacks to close out 2019, including a setback to Hudson Catholic in the Hudson County Tournament, a team the Tigers defeated twice in the regular season. “The reason why we lost those games was all mental. Most of our players didn’t have any playoff experience. So that says a lot about how hard we worked to get there.”

Rojas was encouraged by the attitude of her players.

“We had a bunch of girls who absolutely loved the sport,” Rojas said. “They all came out to play and it had a positive carryover into the season.”

So Rojas was hopeful that the 15-win campaign the Tigers enjoyed would have worked wonders for the Tigers’ overall approach this season.

“It’s hard to put into words, but there was a real strong feeling among the girls,” Rojas said. “They did a lot of work on their own. They played together in a summer league. They played fall ball together. So I knew that come March, they couldn’t wait to get going.”

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic put the entire season on hold for now.

If and when the season begins, the Tigers will have junior pitcher Jordan Mendolla back on the mound. Mendolla had an All-Hudson County season last year, collecting 130 strikeouts in 103 innings pitched on the mound and batting .489 with two homers and 17 RBI.

“I think she’s going to dominate this year,” Rojas said of Mendolla. “She’s matured. I think she took on more of the leadership role. The girls are looking up to her. She carries the team with her bat and on the mound. She’s a very good player. She’s now stronger and more mature. She’s breaking out of her shell. She’s just an amazing kid.”

When Mendolla needs a break from pitching, then senior Nayeli Estremera will step in.

“I believe in giving Jordan a break,” Rojas said. “We don’t want to wear her out.”

Estremera is the starting catcher. She batted .431 last year with seven doubles and 15 RBI.

“She’s definitely an excellent hitter with a lot of power,” Rojas said.

The first baseman is freshman Adrianna Santos. Rojas likes what Santos brings to the Tigers.

“I was ecstatic when I saw her play,” Rojas said. “I stepped up to her and asked, ‘Who are you and where did you come from?’ She’s definitely experienced and played on the club level.”

Senior Natalie Torres is the second baseman. She transferred to Snyder from Ferris, but she attends County Prep.

Junior Aaliyah Morales is the team’s shortstop. The slick fielding Morales batted .327 with 20 runs scored and seven RBI last year.

Senior Bianca Figueroa is the third baseman. She played centerfield last year.

Junior Chloe Tiangsing is the left fielder. Tiangsing is the Tigers’ leadoff hitter after batting .470 with 22 runs scored and 10 RBI last season.

Freshman Mia Genao is a promising centerfielder.

“She’s definitely good,” Rojas said. “I knew about her coming in. She’s very fast and covers a lot of ground.”

Right field duties fall to junior Nicole Borowski. Senior Chenia Atkins will be the designated player and a key player off the bench has the longest last name of any Hudson County player in recent years.

Freshman Gianna Schwerdifeger (pronounced exactly as it is spelled) will play a lot of different positions for the Tigers.

Needless to say, it shapes up as a season for the Snyder softball program that will prove last year was not a one-shot deal.

“I can’t wait to start playing,” Rojas said. “We have some good returning players and picked up some good freshmen. It should be a good year.”

If we start playing anytime soon.

Union City's Gonzalez signs with Arizona Cardinals

Union City's Steven Gonzalez (74), who signed a free agent contract with Arizona Sunday

As the National Football League Draft moved into the middle rounds this weekend, Steven Gonzalez stopped watching as intently as he was in the earlier rounds.

“I really kept up with it,” said the Union City native, who last fall completed a brilliant four-year career at Penn State as an offensive guard. “But once we got to the fifth round, I knew it wasn’t going to happen.”

So thus the lifelong dream of being selected in the NFL Draft had already become a distant memory.

“Sure, I was disappointed,” Gonzalez said. “There were a lot of mixed emotions going on. I really thought I was a draftable player. I thought I did well enough last year to get taken. A lot of things were working against me. I did get a little frustrated.”

Gonzalez had all the ingredients needed to get selected in the draft, but it wasn’t meant to be.

The two-time All-Big Ten selection, who played guard for the Nittany Lions despite having tackle size at 6-foot-4 and 341 pounds, was not taken in the draft, despite going into the draft as the No. 5 ranked guard in the entire country.

However, Gonzalez’s disappointment did not last very long, because he received a call from the Arizona Cardinals during the draft that if no team selected him, the Cardinals were interested in signing Gonzalez to a free-agent contract immediately after the draft.

“They said that they were not drafting any more linemen for the rest of the draft, but they were interested in signing me,” Gonzalez said. “I thought it was a good fit.”

Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Gonzalez signed a free agent contract with the Cardinals and will head to the Cardinals’ training camp as soon as the coronavirus pandemic is cleared.

“I’m very excited,” Gonzalez said. “It’s an amazing place. I ended up with a really good team. I’m very excited for the opportunity to get a chance to play in the NFL.”

Gonzalez becomes the third Union City product to sign a free agent contract with an NFL team, ironically all three offensive linemen. Former Rutgers tackle Pedro Sosa signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2008 and former Florida State national champion guard Josue Matias signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2015. Matias was the first player born in the Dominican Republic to play in the NFL.

Matias and Gonzalez are very close friends and Matias has served as a mentor to Gonzalez since Gonzalez was a little boy.

“I talk to Josue all the time,” Gonzalez said of Matias, who is currently on the coaching staff at Florida State. “He gives me advice all the time. He set the example for all of us to follow. I’m always going to ask him questions about what it’s like in the NFL. I’m lucky to have him.”

Gonzalez said that he spoke to “about five teams” after the draft was completed, but thought that Arizona was the best fit, blocking for players like quarterback Kyler Murray (the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma) and newly acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

“My main goal now is to make the team,” Gonzalez said. “I have to learn the playbook and get ready to block for Kyler if I’m so fortunate. Blocking for him really doesn’t change much for what I’ve done already at Penn State. I’m used to blocking for a mobile quarterback (Sean Clifford). I think I can fit in well with the guys they have.”

Gonzalez said that he was first surprised that the Cardinals showed interest, because they didn’t contact him after the season ended.

“But then last month, they called me and let me know they might draft me,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said that the Cardinals are “a team on the rise and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

For now, Gonzalez will be working with the training group FASST based out of Lyndhurst, who have been training him for the last five years.

“I feel really good, really strong,” Gonzalez said. “I’m ready to go to work.”

Wilber Valdez, Gonzalez’s coach at Union City, said that he was a little taken back that Gonzalez wasn’t drafted.

“We were all surprised he wasn’t drafted,” Valdez said. “We thought he had a good shot. He was blocking guys for the last three years at Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State. I understand that it’s a business, but I don’t understand how he wasn’t taken. But he’s going to get a great shot to impress some people. I think he would have benefitted from having a pro day.”

Gonzalez’s pro day in front of all the NFL scouts was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“The pro scouts would have seen how much of a quality kid Steven is,” Valdez said. “A lot of the teams were flying blind with the draft. Steven is a bright kid, a respectful kid who blows people away with his presence.”

Valdez said that Matias went through the same dilemma five years ago.

“Josue was projected by some as a first round pick and he dropped all the way out,” Valdez said. “It’s a real tricky business, this NFL Draft. This is eerily similar to Josue Matias. I don’t know what the formula is to drafting an offensive lineman. But Steven is a kid who played for three solid years at Penn State and made All-Big 10 twice. He’s a great kid. He’s humble. I know he’s going to go out there and work his tail off. I think he’ll impress people with his football knowledge.”

Gonzalez will remain in New Jersey until everyone is given clearance to travel. For now, he’s home and trying to soak in the idea that he’s headed to an NFL training camp later this summer.

“It’s a blessing,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of people work hard, but never get a chance to have a moment like this. Words can’t explain how I feel. I’m still in shock.”

When Gonzalez was playing football at Union City, one of his biggest fans was his father, Jorge, who tragically died right before Gonzalez signed his letter of intent to attend Penn State. While everyone was celebrating the grand signing day, Steven Gonzalez was still in mourning over his father’s passing. But today, now that his son is officially a pro football player, the late Jorge Gonzalez would have been so extremely proud, probably wearing a Cardinal hat and jersey already.

Danny Rochford's legacy lives on, thanks to one impressionable young man

Hoops There It Is chairman and Jersey City native John McGuire

As John McGuire remembers it, his first meeting with Danny Rochford came probably in 1980, when McGuire was only 10 years old.

McGuire was doing what he always did those days – played basketball at the Country Village Courts in Jersey City, in general proximity to where McGuire grew up.

“The whole neighborhood would go there to play,” McGuire recalled. “I mean, guys who were over 30 were going there to play. There were non-stop basketball games.”

The Country Village Courtyard was indeed one of the busiest places to play basketball in Jersey City. With its effervescent lights beaming, shining much brighter than your average run-of-the-mill street lights, there were pick-up games going on from 7 a.m. to probably midnight every single day.

“We didn’t dare try to play on the bigger court,” McGuire said. “We played on the smaller courts with the lower (eight-foot) baskets.”

Then one day, a statuesque 6-foot-6 figure with bow legs and staggered gait that could be best described as a swagger bop appeared at the Country Village Courts. This lumbering giant was wearing a soiled shirt and tattered pants, was unshaven and appeared unclean. He had the look of the classic Jersey City vagabond, a seemingly homeless guy with no hope and no money.

The 10-year-old McGuire didn’t know what to expect.

“The first time you meet anyone like that, you’re a little standoffish,” McGuire said. “Your parents would never allow you to talk to someone like that. Once you noticed him, you realized that something wasn’t right about him, but you don’t realize what it is. You don’t realize he had deep rooted problems.”

McGuire did recognize one trait about Danny Rochford that stood out.

“He did remember everyone’s names,” McGuire said. “He always had a book with him, because he was always reading.”

At that point, Danny was about three years removed from a brutally horrific incident involving drugs and alcohol. After a brilliant high school basketball career at St. Anthony, Danny headed to American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, as part of a stellar recruiting class manufactured by Jim Larranaga, the coach who would take George Mason to the 2006 NCAA Final Four who is currently at the University of Miami.

Larranaga recalled a game that AIC played in late January, where Danny scored the last 18 points in the overtime Yellow Jackets victory. Larranaga knew that a handful of Danny’s friends had traveled to Springfield for the game and that usually meant bad news. Larranaga pleaded with Rochford to stay in Springfield instead of leaving with the cronies from home. Rochford didn’t heed the advice of his coach and headed back to Jersey City. It was the last time Larranaga saw Danny.

That evening, Danny took a lethal cocktail of mind-altering hallucinogens, some stimulants and alcohol. The combination almost killed Rochford. It certainly killed his basketball career.

Danny ended up first in a coma for almost two months, then when he came out of the coma, he was in an almost catatonic state for two years. He was released to his parents, but at the age of 19, his once-bright and sure-fire stellar basketball career was over.

For the longest time, Danny didn’t talk to anyone. He just walked around Jersey City with this wide-eyed, open-mouthed stare. Eventually, he started to talk a little, but barely above a whisper.

In 1980, Danny just happened to stumble across young John McGuire and his best friend Brian Lane in Country Village. One thing was still evident. As disheveled as Danny appeared, his basketball skills, once considered among the five very best players in talent-rich Hudson County, had not left Rochford after three years.

“It didn’t matter where you were from, you were always welcome at the Country Village Courts,” McGuire said. “Danny had a switch that he turned on and he was phenomenal to watch. He could hit half court shots with no problem. He could hit half court hook shots. We were amazed. The basketball talents were so ingrained into his system that he was still great.”

And Danny Rochford offered the youngsters words of wisdom – a message that John McGuire has never forgotten to this very day.

“He would say to us, ‘Don’t do drugs,’” McGuire said of Rochford’s message. “He said, ‘I gave up everything. I gave up a chance to play in the pros. So don’t do it.’”

Young John McGuire heeded those words. He noticed how truly talented Danny was, even in his altered state.

“Watching him play, you could see how brilliant he was,” McGuire said. “No one played like Danny. You had to respect what he was able to do. And you had to respect what he had to say. ‘Don’t do drugs. Don’t do what I did. I gave it all away.’ He was genuine and really meant what he said.”

McGuire had no idea how good Rochford was in high school, how he was First Team All-Hudson County on a squad that featured former North Carolina All-American and New Jersey Nets’ first round selection Mike O’Koren.

“I lived four houses away from the Hurleys,” McGuire said. “Bobby Hurley told us that Danny went to St. Anthony and was a great player. Danny never lost that ability to play. It came so effortlessly to him.”

McGuire knew firsthand what the evils of drug use could do. His sister died of a drug overdose at the age of 35.

McGuire grew up and went to Marist High School, but didn’t go to college right away after graduating from Marist. While his father Jack was on his deathbed, struggling with cancer, the 22-year-old John made a promise to his Dad.

“I told him that I would make my life good for him,” McGuire said. “So I went to college (New Jersey City University) and became a middle school social studies teacher in Elizabeth.”

While in Elizabeth, McGuire started coaching all sports. He was into teaching soccer, baseball and of course, basketball. In 2006, McGuire started a program called Hoops There It Is Basketball. The program just continued to grow and grow.

“The program just picked up so much that I resigned from teaching to focus on doing it full time,” McGuire said. “It’s grown immensely.”

The numbers are staggering. McGuire has 790 kids playing on 79 different travel basketball teams with seven different coaches.

“We have all different levels of talent,” McGuire said. “The door to our program is always open and we don’t turn kids away. All are welcome. We have that everyone is welcome mentality.”

And McGuire’s organization is in the process of building a facility on Route 22, eliminating the cost of renting school gyms. Construction is ongoing at the site.

“It will allow us to have a home,” McGuire said. “Incredibly, someone asked me the other day about what’s the one thing I did to be successful. And I thought back to Danny’s influence. He was such a huge part of me growing up. It made me think of the times I spent playing basketball with Danny. He had enough strength to defeat the demons and talk a couple of little boneheads from Jersey City. He cared enough to tell us to not take the same road he took. And I never took that road. He made me realize that he was more than some vagrant. He was a competitor, a champion.”  

That was Wednesday afternoon when McGuire was checking on the construction of his facility. It was Wednesday that Danny Rochford passed away after some 40 years of walking the streets of his hometown, long removed from his days as being one of the best basketball players in the county.

McGuire learned of Danny’s passing by reading this blog Thursday morning. It made McGuire sit down and write this e-mail to yours truly:

Good evening 

My name is John McGuire

I grew up with Danny Rochford.  He was older but a HUGE part of my childhood.

Danny made a difference in my life and my friends’ lives too.

I grew up with a deeper love for basketball and the idea of bringing my very best to everything I do on and off the court from being around Danny!  

He had his demons but we all do. It is what we do with these challenges that define our lives. Danny was also kind but tough on us and shared his soul, tattered or not. He let us know drugs were bad for you.

He also showed us his skills. He was the best basketball player I ever saw in person.

I didn’t have the easiest life.  I worked through a lot in my life. I am now 49, going on 50 in August.

I went to college at 23 on a promise to my dying dad and became a teacher and a coach from 1997-2013.

In 2006 I started my own youth basketball program, called Hoops There It Is Basketball.

I worked hard with my families, my coaching and my own lessons of life 

In 2013, I retired from teaching to follow this life for Hoops.

Today, we are building a sports complex in Mountainside and have so many blessed thanks for the game of basketball.

Yesterday there was a conversation about “Have you ever?”  

I quickly replied I never tried drugs 

And this morning I read your article about Danny and it hits me. Danny’s words and mentorship all those years saved me from choosing such a path.

And his love for hoops and hard work really took hold in my soul

Today, I run a family-based basketball program and I teach the value of hard work, on and off the court. We tell our kids to stay away from drugs. vaping and alcohol.

I read that there was sadness to Danny’s life and he roamed the world for 41 years. 

Danny helped me and others. His life changed mine. Last year, we had 790 travel players and 400 campers. So guess what? Danny’s life is alive and well

We are going to announce a foul shooting contest in honor of Danny life.

I will put it on Facebook on my Hoops There It Is page that Danny may have been not perfect, but he changed lives including mine and others he touched

All money raised will go to a First Responders’ charity for those who are saving lives today and tomorrow 

Thank you for the article. It made a huge difference to me and my friends

RIP Danny.  You are loved for all you did for us kids growing up in Jersey City.

So Hoops There It Is indeed. John McGuire was touched by a downtrodden Danny Rochford and never forgot what Danny did for him as an impressionable youngster. Now, Danny’s name will live on in perpetuity as a way of saying thanks. Some might have thought Danny was just this hopeless homeless vagabond, but here’s proof that he was absolutely not.

“You knew when Danny picked up the basketball, something great was going to happen,” said McGuire, who never saw Danny play at St. Anthony. “Everyone watched him and everyone respected him because of that talent.”

McGuire said that they plan to do some sort of fundraiser once the pandemic subsides and the cautionary procedures are lessened.

“We want to give back,” McGuire said. “As tragic as Danny’s life was, if he should have lived the life he was destined for, he would have done something like what we want to do.”

Truly, an amazing tale, one that started with a down-on-his-luck basketball superstar telling a little kid to not make the same mistakes he made. Danny Rochford may be gone now, but thanks to John McGuire, he won’t soon be forgotten.

To learn more about McGuire’s organization, log on to www.hoopsthereitis.net. The new facility will be called the Peak Sports Academy. To reach McGuire, call (908) 370-7960. Donations can be made in the memory of Danny Rochford.

Danny Rochford: Legendary Friar's tragic tale comes to an end

From the Jersey Journal's All-County Team, 1976

The late Danny Rochford

It was the summer of 1975, a scalding early August afternoon. I was doing what I did for almost every single day that summer, going to my best friend John Rochford’s house on Lembeck Avenue in Jersey City and dragging him out to the St. Paul’s School courtyard to play basketball.

It had become a habit, especially after the St. Paul’s Recreation Summer League had come to an end. Roch and I went to play “up the court” daily and hoped that others would follow suit. If not, then we had some brutal one-on-one games that lasted long into the afternoon and would end with a walk to Schmidt’s Corner on Pearsall for a 16-ounce bottle of cold Pepsi.

There was another habit I had in going to the Rochford house for the majority of my childhood into my teenage days. I never once rang the bell in my life.

Not once. In fact, I don’t even know if the doorbell even rang. Sure, there was a button there, but I don’t think it ever made a ringing sound. It didn’t matter. I never rang the damn thing. I just opened the door and walked right in, like I was a member of the enormous Rochford family – which, in reality, I really was a Rochford, just without the name.

On this particular hot August day, I opened the door and walked in, like I had done thousands of times in my young life. And incredibly, there wasn’t a Rochford in the house at all. I mean, you had a good shot of finding one, considering Mr. Rochford (Pat) and Mrs. Rochford (Joan) lived there and there were eight children: Patrick Kenneth, Daniel Thomas, Mary Anne, John Theodore, Paul Brian, Karen Frances, June Marie and Suzanne Michelle (Mrs. Rochford called each child by their full name every time they were summoned).

But this day, there were no Rochfords in the house, just one very famous man sitting on the couch. I was absolutely stunned to find Lefty Driesell sitting on the Rochford couch.

“Well, hello,” said the man sitting on the couch, already a college basketball legend from his days at Davidson and then the University of Maryland. “Are you a Rochford?”

“No, I’m not a Rochford, Coach Driesell, but I can imagine why you’re here,” I said.

“Oh, young man, you know who I am,” the Hall of Fame coach said.

“Of course I know you, Coach,” I said. “I’m a big fan.”

Yes, by the age of 14, I was a very huge college basketball fan. I wasn’t yet huge in size. Those days were quickly on the horizon. But I was an avid fan of college basketball, going back to the days of Lew Alcindor, then Bill Walton at UCLA and David Thompson and Tom Burleson at North Carolina State and Ernie DiGregorio and Marvin Barnes at Providence – and John Lucas, Len Elmore and Tom McMillan with Coach Drissell at Maryland.

Saturday afternoons were spent watching the ECAC game of the Week, featuring schools like Holy Cross, Fordham, Iona and even St. Peter’s, then there was the syndicated national game of the week that would feature Notre Dame with Austin Carr, John Shumate and Adrian Dantley.

So there was Lefty Driesell, sitting in the Rochford living room, and there I was with him.

“Coach, I think I know why you’re here,” I said to Driesell. “You want to see Danny.”

Danny Rochford was already a sensational basketball player at St. Anthony, one of the first legendary players in coach Bob Hurley’s rich and storied coaching career with the fabulous Friars.

Danny was 6-foot-6, yet he played like he was a 5-foot-10 point guard. His ball handling skills were incredible. He could make a bounce pass through his legs while on a fast break. He could put the ball around his back and confuse defenses like “Pistol” Pete Maravich.

Danny could shoot the lights out of the basket and then some. He played relentless, nasty defense and rebounded like he was 7 feet tall. Danny could then take the ball off the backboard and drive the length of the floor and make the shot. Danny had no flaws as a basketball player, absolutely none.

The St. Paul’s courtyard had developed its fair share of excellent basketball players over the 40-plus years that there were baskets there. And no one could argue that Danny was the best player to ever come out of that courtyard.

Neil Rosa came out of St. Paul’s, went to Marist and became the school’s first-ever 1,000-point scorer, and then on to Bentley College and eventually UMass/Amherst. Neil was the best to come out of the St. Paul’s courtyard – and then Danny came along.

In fact, Danny was so good that he knew he was the king of the St. Paul’s courts.

“I have to be the all-time leading scorer in courtyard history,” Danny once proclaimed. “I must have scored two million points.”

That’s because Danny was always up the courtyard playing basketball. Oh, Danny was a great athlete. In the aforementioned summer league, Danny was a dominating football player and a good baseball player, but basketball was his sport. He was so good that you thought Danny owned the ball when he played. And Danny was always fine tuning his game in the courtyard.

So when Lefty Driesell asked where Danny Rochford was, I said, “I can take you to him.”

And I walked Coach Driesell up Lembeck Avenue to see Danny Rochford.

Danny went on to have a brilliant senior season at St. Anthony, averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game, leading the Friars to one of their countless NJSIAA state championships. He earned All-Hudson County First Team honors with Darryl Strickland of Ferris, Luke Griffin of St. Mary’s, Chuck Wilt of Weehawken and Mike O’Koren of Hudson Catholic.

O’Koren and Rochford had a war in the 1975 HCIAA Championship game, the last one held at the Jersey City Armory. In front of nearly 4,000 people, O’Koren’s Hawks defeated Rochford and the Friars, 63-53, a game for the ages.

“Nothing was easy when you played against Danny,” O’Koren said. “Danny was very physical and played every play hard. He was as tough as they came. He was a tenacious defender and he played on some great teams.”

O’Koren and Rochford were both named First Team All-Parochial by the Star-Ledger.

After high school, Rochford went to American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was coached by another coaching legend – namely Jim Larranaga, who later coached George Mason to the NCAA Final Four in 2006 and is now the head coach at the University of Miami.

Bob Hurley recalled an incredible game that Rochford enjoyed at AIC.

“He scored the last 18 points of the game in a game that AIC won in overtime,” Hurley recalled. “Jim Larranaga begged Danny not to go home (to Jersey City) after the game, but Danny did. It was the last time Larranaga ever heard from Danny.”

By that time, Danny was already battling demons – and those demons turned out to be the opponent he couldn’t beat. In perhaps one of the biggest tragedies to ever happen to Jersey City basketball, Danny Rochford suffered a breakdown, was relegated to an almost catatonic state for several years and found himself walking aimlessly around the streets of Jersey City.

That journey ended Wednesday when Danny Rochford passed away at the age of 62. According to his sister Mary Anne, Danny spent the last seven years of his life clean and sober and was generally a happy soul.

But when one thinks of Danny Rochford’s life, there’s always one question: What if?

What if Danny Rochford stayed in Springfield that fateful night instead of going back home? What if he became the college basketball superstar that he was destined to become? What if he became a 1,000-point scorer in college and went on to play professional basketball overseas? What if he came home and became a respected coach? What if it all didn’t happen to Danny when it did?

It’s an answer no one could ever muster. That’s what makes it such a tragedy. And now, his life is over. It’s such a sad tale with an even sadder ending. Sometimes, the basketball gods aren’t as kind as people think they are. Even the all-time leading scorer in St. Paul’s courtyard history can fall victim to the demons.

Danny Rochford spent the last 42 years of his life walking aimlessly through the streets of Jersey City. What could have been? We’ll never know.

Danny Rochford is survived by his seven brothers and sisters. His parents passed away years ago. 

Hoboken ready to build on spectacular baseball season

Hoboken senior left-handed pitcher Yugal Pattni

There’s a new man in charge of the Hoboken High School baseball program. After 10 years, former head coach Jack Baker has become an elementary school administrator, so Baker had to forego his position as the lead man with the Redwings.

Enter Chris Williams. The former assistant coach to Baker for the past five seasons, Williams emerged from a strong contingent of capable candidates, some with solid head coaching experience. But the powers-that-be (included of which is athletic director Derek England) decided that Williams was the right man for the position.

“I felt like I was in line to get the job,” Williams said. “I was Jack’s assistant for five seasons and I’m fully aware of Hoboken’s fine history in baseball. I felt that giving me this opportunity was a big vote of confidence.”

It also helped that the Redwings posted an impressive 18-2 record last season, including a stellar undefeated 12-0 mark in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League-Blue Division race, culminating in the league championship.

“I felt like I was a big part of the success last year,” Williams said. “But we lost eight guys to graduation. We do have some young players who are ready to step in and play big roles and grow in those roles.”

Williams had six days of practice last month before the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) put a hold on anything and everything involved with high school activities.

“I saw some things that really stood out in my mind,” Williams said. “I was pleasantly surprised by the younger guys. We have a couple of guys who came in and played some last year. I saw some things in practice that we can definitely build on. Some of the younger guys were really impressive. I think it all depends on how they handle the bulk of the work.”

One pitcher that Williams will not have to worry about is senior left-hander Yugal Pattni. The talented Pattni earned All-Hudson County honors last year, posting a 7-2 record with a 0.54 earned run average with 29 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. Pattni had only one questionable start all season and that was an outing against Ferris where Pattni surrendered four earned runs. The rest of the season, Pattni was lights out.

“He’s a great kid, an awesome kid,” Williams said. “He’s ready to take on the leadership role with this team. He is sneaky fast. His fastball has a lot of natural movement. He’s not afraid to throw the ball and challenge hitters. He’s a talented kid.”

Pattni is also no slouch at the plate. He hit .367 with 18 RBI last season.

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Burke also returns. Burke got a little taste of varsity ball last year as a freshman.

“He’s a tall kid,” Williams said. “He grew a couple of inches over the summer. He made a big jump with his velocity. We’re going to rely on him a lot. He’s going to win some games for us this year. His biggest asset is his increased velocity.”

Junior righty Matthew Harasek is another key performer on the Redwings’ hill.

“He has a very live arm,” Williams said. “He was a little wild, but we’ve seemed to calm him down. I’m looking for him to get some big innings for us this season.”

Junior Jae Coto is a right-handed hurler who has transferred to his native Hoboken from Hudson Catholic. Coto should be able to pitch right away for the Redwings.

“He’s another kid who possesses a live arm,” Williams said.

Sophomore lefty Hector Vega, sophomore righty Kyle Venezuela and promising freshman Jonathan Salinas will all get ample opportunity to toe the rubber for the Redwings. Venezuela is a student at High Tech. Salinas has all the tools to be “a great one,” according to Williams.

Needless to say, that’s a deep pitching staff, headlined by one of the very best – if not THE best – in Hudson County. It’s always promising when you have a surefire stud getting the ball every fifth day.

The catcher is senior Danny Henson, who had been nothing short of brilliant in his three prior years with the Redwing varsity.

“Danny’s been our MVP,” Williams said. “He’s made our job as coaches so much easier. He has consistent energy and he’s there every day to lead the guys on defense. I don’t know what we would do without him.”

Henson added 15 RBI last season, but he has no peers in the county defensively.

Junior Anson Maldonado has been moved from right field to play first base. Maldonado had 12 RBI in spot starts and pinch-hitting roles last season. Burke will also see time at first.

Freshman Mike D’Antonio has been one of the big surprises that Williams talked about. If the season started today, D’Antonio would be the starting second baseman, nudging out a slew of others to get the nod.

“He’s a scrappy little guy,” Williams said of D’Antonio. “He’s been very good. He has a very strong arm.”

Coto will play the majority of time at shortstop, but sophomore Erik Carratini will look to get some time there. Carratini also plays third, with junior Paul Lisa in the mix at the hot corner.

Salinas will get the bulk of the playing time in left field. Pattni will play center field, which he does very well when he’s not on the mound. Harasak will also get some time in center as well as right field.

Senior Jacob Jarret will see time at designated hitter as well as the back-up to Henson at catcher.

Williams was raring to go, but then the coronavirus pandemic put the season on hold for now.

“I was super excited,” Williams said about getting his head coaching career going. “When this (the virus outbreak) all went down, I said, ‘Oh, great.’ But then I became focused on getting back out there. We want to continue the success we had last year.”