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One of the standout defensive players to keep eye on in upcoming 46th Phil Simms New Jersey North-South High School All-Star Classic will be Montclair senior David Thom-Rogers, seen with coach Jermain Johnson during the annual Media Day for the game held March 17th inside Kean University's Harwood Arena. The West Point-bound Thom-Rogers will be top senior to see in June 9 game at Kean's Alumni Field. (SC photos)
UNION- One could tell right away the pride that David Thom-Rogers has as a Montclair High School Mountie as he was one of the handful of players wearing their football team jackets inside Kean University’s Harwood Arena for the recent Media Day for the 46th Phil Simms New Jersey North-South All-Star Classic. Then, when he was reminded about the rich history of standout Mounties who have played in the North-South Classic his smile widened, hearing the names of past greats such as Quintus McDonald (Penn State and the Indianapolis Colts), Jeff Mills (Nebraska and the Denver Broncos), Erwin Sampson (Duke University), Nikki Kemp (Wisconsin) and David Caldwell (William & Mary and the Colts). “I am definitely honored to be selected for this all-star game, which has such tremendous history,” said Montclair’s standout cornerback and wide receiver who is headed to West Point for a top-notch education at the military academy and his college football. “And, when I hear some of the names of the great Mounties who have played in this game it makes it even more special because I love Montclair football!” The 2024 Simms Classic is scheduled for 5 p.m., Sunday, June 9, at Kean’s Alumni Field. The North has won the last three contests to tie the series, 20-20-2. There were no games in 2020 or 2021 due to the covid virus, and lightning canceled the contest in 2002. The North has held the South to an average of just 15 points in those wins after the South scored 38 the last time it won the game in 2018. Thom-Rogers, a multi-talented football and track athlete, is slated to be in the defensive secondary for the North which will look to maintain its strong showing on ‘D’ in the upcoming New Jersey high school all-star contest which once again will feature outstanding seniors about to play their final high school game before heading off to compete at all different levels of college football and predominantly at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly 1-AA) or Division III levels. “David has been a great Mountie and he had just a tremendous senior season for us,” said Montclair High coach Jermain Johnson, who was also at the Simms Classic Media Day and is a member of the North all-stars coaching staff where he will work with the DBs. “He has the talent and dedication to a strong work ethic to be a great success at West Point and we’re excited about a very bright future ahead for the young man. “Plus, I look forward to working with him and all the North players in the Simms Classic.” Very soon after the June 9th all-star game Thom-Rogers will be off to basic training before reporting for the next stage in the process to one day becoming a West Point Cadet. “I think most of all it’s being mentally ready for what’s ahead,” said the thoughtful Mounties senior all-state DB. “Sure, I’ll be in the weight room and running my butt off to get in the best physical shape I can be in, but the mental aspect will be vital for me, no doubt about that. “I’m very excited to be making the commitment. I feel West Point will provide the best educational opportunities I can find and I feel that I am ready for the work ahead.” Thom-Rogers, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound safety and an nj.com third-team all-state selection on the defensive side, signed his letter of intent with West Point last winter while joined by family, coaches and teammates at Montclair High School. “I had heard from Army last spring when they visited the high school, and it was nice that they took an interest in me from that point on,” said the Mounties’ standout senior who finished with 86 ½ tackles, including 77 solo stops, and had three interceptions for the 8-4 Mounties last fall. “I had the most contact with (Army) head coach Jeff Monken and (assistant head coach) John Loose and they were great during the entire process! “Then, right after our Union City game (Sept. 15, 2023), they offered me the opportunity with their football team. “I work hard in school to be a strong student and I look forward to the academic possibilities there as well with my interests in mechanical engineering, business and pharmaceuticals; and I feel that along with my military commitment after graduating, that there will also be terrific job opportunities in the future with a degree from West Point.” The journey to becoming an Army cadet involves an arduous process for all, starting with the aforementioned basic training early in the summer and then reporting to West Point Prep in late July for the start of one’s freshman year. “After thinking long and hard about the commitment involved, I decided it was definitely what I wanted to pursue,” continued Thom-Rogers. “I have a couple of uncles who are retired from the Army so there has been some family experience in serving. “I am going to try to enjoy the process involved in getting ready for what’s ahead, and I know that I can have an education like no other!” Thom-Rogers, the thoughtful young man, is also quite the football player having enjoyed a banner senior season on both sides of the ball last fall for a Montclair team that put together a strong finish, winning a pair of playoff games and giving eventual Group 5 state finalist Passaic Tech all that it could handle before dropping a hard-fought 34-27 decision to the Bulldogs in the North 1, Group 5 sectional playoff final in Wayne. Along with doing his usually yeoman’s work at safety, Thom-Rogers had a tremendous night offensively vs. Passaic Tech with eight receptions for 160 yards, including hauling in a 64-yard TD aerial from quarterback Bubba Lewis which gave the Mounties a 13-7 lead in the second quarter. Along the way to a solid finish last fall the Mounties erased many of the bad memories of a 2022 campaign that ended with the team having to forfeit four victories to finish 0-9 after it was determined there had been an ineligible player due to an administrative oversight concerning a summer course grade which was not discovered until right before the first playoff game as a then red-hot 4-4 Mounties team was eyeing positive possibilities in what was a wide open N1G5 field. The 2023 Montclair High gridiron squad put together a superb rebound campaign while registering its share of solid wins over the likes of West Orange and Watchung Hills, and Thom-Rogers was a big part of the team’s success. He finished with a team-leading 38 receptions for 756 yards and 9 touchdowns to go along with his stellar play on defense that included nine pass breakups in addition to being second on the team with his 86 ½ tackles while also having 3 Int’s. He was also fully healthy for the first time in more than a year as he had successful surgery for a sports hernia in March of 2023, taking care of a nagging injury which limited him to offense only during the 2022 high school football season. He is a member of the Mounties’ track and field team this spring where he competes in the high jump and long jump. He had played three sports as a freshman (football, basketball and track) at Montclair before cutting down to just football and track as a sophomore and then football only as a junior as he dealt with his injury. “I feel great, and the surgery last year (March 27, 2023) went extremely well,” added Thom-Rogers. “It was terrific to be able to be a two-way player last fall because it was great to be on the field all game long. “It was just a terrific season and we had some really good guys on the team plus our coaches did an outstanding job having us prepared each week. “I love Montclair High School football and it was great to have its name back out there once again when people talk about strong teams around the state last fall.” NOTES- A former Montclair High football standout who played for West Point was guard Frank Brittain who was a key lineman for the undefeated 1964 Mounties who finished a perfect 9-0 and are considered one of the best teams in school history…David’s sister Aliyah is a sophomore cheerleader for the Mounties…Thom-Rogers earned first-team All-Freedom Division honors in the Super Football Conference in addition to first-team All-Group 5 defense…Army was 6-6 last fall finishing strong with four straight victories including 17-11 over Navy in the always-huge season finale between the two service academies’ football squads…Phil Simms, who has been associated with the North-South Classic since 2014, managed to get two of his New York Giants teammates to serve as the honorary captains. Wide receiver Stephen Baker will be representing the North and defensive lineman Leonard Marshall the South. Marshall spoke at Media Day and proclaimed that the South would whoop the North. Baker could not attend but delivered a message on the big screen, saying that he couldn’t wait to be with the North players and also catch another pass from Simms…For the first time this year there is a girls flag football game scheduled for 1 p.m. on Kean’s Alumni Field the same day as the Simms Classic. Last year there was a mini-competition flag football contest held at halftime of the North-South game. NORTH-SOUTH SCOREBOARD Follow Steve Tober on 'X' (formerly Twitter) @Chattermeister
Montclair's David Thom-Rogers (right) is joined by fellow ace defender Kal Wilson and coach Jermain Johnson during 2023 season. In bottom photo North all-stars are seated together at Simms Classic Media Day. Copyright 2005 Sideline Chatter - comments - contact the webmaster
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