Verona Virtuoso To Lead 'D'
For North In Simms Classic

When it comes to tenacity and toughness, there are certainly a number of players from both the North and South who display those traits as members of the two squads begin to zero in on Saturday, June 20, for the 48th Phil Simms New Jersey North-South All-Star Classic at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.

The Simms Classic has moved out of Kean for this year with the Union-based university serving as one of the host sites for World Cup soccer practices in June.

The 2026 Simms Classic will once again include the popular girls Flag Football All-Star Game at 3:30 p.m. preceding the 48th Simms North-South Classic at 7 p.m.

“We’re very excited about being at TCNJ this year and they’ve been very accommodating with what we are planning for that weekend,” said Simms Classic Game Director George DiGrande. “TCNJ is more centrally located for our South team and I think it will be a very successful event once again in a different but very good setting for our great game!”

Speaking the aforementioned tenacity and toughness, one of the players who definitely personifies those twin attributes is Verona’s Ithaca College-bound Bodie Maisano, who will be one of the linebackers to watch on the North defense.

He was also a superb running back during his historic scholastic career with the Hillbillies.

As he prepares for his future as an Ithaca Bomber as a member of that outstanding Division III program, which was 8-2 last fall under coach Brandon Maguire, the powerful 5-foot-10, 180-pound Maisano is leaving the Verona football program as its all-time leading tackler (444) while also holding the single-season mark for most stops with 143.

His unique story and special first name actually came about after the release of the popular 1991 film, ‘Point Break,’ which featured a character named ‘Bodhi’ who was portrayed by the late, great actor Patrick Swayze.

Seeing the film as a young man created a lasting memory for Verona’s Dave Maisano.

It came to a point years later when he and wife Maureen were deciding on a name for their third son, the elder Maisano harkened back to the movie that stayed entrenched in his memory bank where an FBI agent, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, infiltrates a band of bank robbers who are also California surfers, one of which was Bodhi.

It turns out that Swayze performed many of his own stunts in the film, including skydiving and surfing, displaying what a virtuoso he could be.

Ironically, the Maisano’s youngest son who they named Bodie - using a bit of a different spelling – has turned out to be quite the multi-talented individual. As he gets ready to head to upstate New York to begin his Division III college football career the ‘Billies 18-year-old senior and 2-year co-captain proved not only to be a superb two-way performer as a persistent, tough yardage running back and hard-hitting linebacker, but he’s also experienced at playing the bagpipes, and has spent time with his dad working with Maisano Construction Co., and also occasionally volunteering with the Verona Fire Department.

With his Italian and Irish lineage, the Hillbillies’ red-headed gridiron standout emerged as one of the better 2-way talents in the Super Football Conference along with being a virtuoso with all he does as a talented individual off the field as well.

“Bodie is a blue-collar guy and one of the toughest and unselfish players you’ll ever find,” said former Verona head coach Manj Singh, who is now the new head man at nearby Montclair. “Team and family come before anything both on and off the field!”

And, the trademark bagpipes are also part of a family lineage for the Verona all-time great.

“My grandfather John Clark - my mom’s dad - loved the bagpipes and I’ve been playing them for five years now,” said Maisano. “It’s a lot of fun to play with my band, be at Shillelagh Club, and also be part of events like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York.     

“It’s great to have the Irish of my mom and the Italian lineage from my Dad’s side. Family is everything to me and that includes our football family at Verona.

“We love spending time together on and off the field, and our coaches have been phenomenal in helping to promote a close-knit group of guys.”

“He set the tone for the entire team,” added Singh. “If we started the game on defense then he would make the first tackle normally between tackle to tackle, and he was always a hard-nosed, very capable running back for us.

“I coached at Don Bosco Prep as well as St. Joe’s (of Montvale) and Bodie Maisano definitely could have played and started at those schools. I was just glad that he was with us in Verona for my two seasons with the Hillbillies!”

2025 NORTH-SOUTH MVPs:
North offense: No. 10, Charlie LaMorte, West Orange, QB, (6-2, 220)
North defense: No.50, Terrence Hanratty, Bernards, LB, (6-0, 210) 
South offense: No. 10, Derek Anderson, Woodbridge, QB, (5-10, 165)  
South defense: No. 19, Bryan Anderson, Woodbridge, S, (5-11. 170)

2025 KEN TRIMMER AWARD FOR EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM:
North: No. 53 Dean Mangiocavallo, Randolph, DT, (6-3, 300)
South: No. 52 Blaise Boland, Toms River North, OLB, (6-0, 225)

NORTH-SOUTH SCOREBOARD
SERIES TIED AT 21-21-2
2025: South 19, North 18 - at Kean University
2024: North 20, South 18 – at Kean University
2023: North 10, South 6 – at Kean University
2022: North 21, South 16 – at Kean University
2021: No game because of the COVID-19 pandemic
2020: No game because of the COVID-19 pandemic
2019: North 24, South 23 – at Kean University
2018: South 38, North 16 - at Kean University
2017: South 30, North 22 - at Kean University
2016: North 7, South 0 - at Kean University
2015: South 23, North 21 - at Kean University
2014: South 20, North 14 - at Piscataway High School
2013: North 54, South 8 - at Kean University
2012: North 14, South 7 - at Kean University
2011: South 21, North 14 - at Kean University
2010: North 17, South 3 - at Kean University
2009: South 7, North 0 - at Kean University
2008: North 31, South 25 - at Rutgers Stadium
2007: South 14, North 7 - at Rutgers Stadium
2006: North 31, South 16 - at Rutgers Stadium
2005: North 9, South 7 - at Rutgers Stadium
2004: North 26, South 21 - at Rutgers Stadium
2003: South 3, North 0 - at Rutgers Stadium
2002: No game was played at Rutgers
because of inclement weather before kickoff.
2001: North 24, South 0 - at Rutgers Stadium
2000: South 20, North 5 - at Rutgers Stadium
1999: South 22, North 19 - at Rutgers Stadium
1998: North 33, South 31 - at Rutgers Stadium
1997: South 28, North 24 - at The College of New Jersey
1996: South 32, North 23 - at Rutgers Stadium
1995: North 37, South 15 - at Rutgers Stadium
1994: South 21, North 16 - at Trenton State College
1993: South 9, North 8 - at Giants Stadium
1992: North 7, South 7 (tie) - at Giants Stadium
1991: North 26, South 12 - at Giants Stadium
1990: North 14, South 10 - at Rutgers Stadium
1989: South 24, North 0 - at Rutgers Stadium
1988: South 12, North 9 - at Rutgers Stadium
1987: North 21, South 10 - at Rutgers Stadium
1986: North 20, South 17 - at Rutgers Stadium
1985: North 10, South 10 (tie) - at Rutgers Stadium
1984: North 7, South 0 - at Rutgers Stadium
1983: South 41, North 7 - at Rutgers Stadium
1982: South 16, North 7 - at Rutgers Stadium
1981: South 32, North 0 - at Rutgers Stadium
1980: North 13, South 6 - at Rutgers Stadium
1979: South 34, North 13 - at Rutgers Stadium