Roselle Park Eyes Solid Season
With Star RB Salas & Company

 ROSELLE PARK - The Panthers are coming off a second six-win season in the last three years, with winning seasons of 6-4 in 2025 and 6-5 in 2023.

A key player back offensively is senior running back Nick Salas, who rushed for an even 100 yards in Roselle Park's season-ending 41-19 home win over Thanksgiving Day rival Roselle.

Salas paced the Panthers in rushing a year ago with a 10-game total of 946 yards.

Salas rushed for 905 yards his freshman year in 2023 and for 386 yards in four games his sophomore season in 2024 for a three-year total so far of 2,237 yards. Salas rushed for over 100 yards in three of the four games he played as a sophomore.

Salas scored a team-leading 14 touchdowns last year and has 25 in three seasons.

"We're returning players at the skill positions, but have a relatively new offensive line," head coach Greg Dunkerton said. "We feel like we're in a good spot right now and want to continue going in the right direction."

Roselle Park scored at least 41 points in five of its six wins last year and at least 35 in all. Defensively, the Panthers gave up only 19 points or more a total of three times.

"We want to put different players in different positions so we don't become stagnant," Dunkerton said. "We still want to be able to bring the same pressure."

Dunkerton is now in his seventh season at the helm of the Panthers after being promoted from within.

"It still feels new," Dunkerton said. "The passion from the town and the community continues.

"The kids we have makes coaching easy because of the respect they have for the game."

For the first time under Dunkerton's tenure Roselle Park was scheduled to open a season during the first weekend of the season, more appropriately known as Week Zero. Roselle Park is set to kick off its 2026 campaign in Bergen County against Wood-Ridge Aug. 27.

"It's our first Week Zero game, which means just one scrimmage," Dunkerton said.

Roselle Park was scheduled to scrimmage at home against Voorhees on Thursday, Aug. 20th.

he home-opener is Sept. 3 against Belvidere. On that same day at 5:30 p.m., a half hour before kickoff, there will be a field dedication to name the Roselle Park Complex after former longtime Roselle Park head football coach John Wagner.

The winningest football coach in Roselle Park history, Wagner passed Herm Shaw who the varsity football field is named after. Wagner put together a record of 150-92-2 at Roselle Park for 25 seasons as head coach from 1981-2005.

Prior to that, the 1969 Roselle Park graduate was an assistant coach on Geoff Hill's staff at Roselle Park for five seasons, 1976-1980. The 1979 team went 9-0 and was awarded the North 2, Group 1 sectional state championship.

On the field, Wagner guided the Panthers to back-to-back North 2, Group 1 titles in 1992 and 1993, both of those squads finishing perfect at 11-0.

Wagner, a 1974 graduate of Kean College, turns 75 in September.

"Thjs is fantastic," Dunkerton said. "John came back and talked to our team last year on Thanksgiving and spoke about the importance of the Roselle Park-Roselle game and the tradition.

"He also spoke at our team banquet. He's been nothing but helpful."

The last Thanksgiving Day game played between Roselle Park and Roselle was last year. The teams will now annually close their regular season schedules against each other. This year, for Roselle Park it will be game No. 9 and for Roselle it will be game No. 8 when they clash at Roselle's Arminio Field Oct. 23.

2026 ROSELLE PARK PANTHERS

Aug. 27 at Wood-Ridge, 6 p.m.

Sept. 3 Belvidere, 6 p.m.

Sept. 12 at South River, 1 p.m.

Sept. 18 Highland Park, 6 p.m.

Sept. 25 Dayton, 6 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Middlesex, 6 p.m.

Oct. 9 J.P. Stevens, 6 p.m.

Oct. 15 at Brearley, 6 p.m.

Oct. 23 at Roselle, 6 p.m.

Head coach: Greg Dunkerton, seventh season

BCC division: Freedom Gold

2025: 6-4, Freedom Gold 2-3