Sayreville Looks to Bounce Back from Football Incident

The Sayreville High School varsity football team was caught in the act of hazing the freshman players in the locker room during the 2013 season. When the athletic director found out about this, he suspended the team from playing during the 2014 season.

Earlier this month, two of the students that were involved in the hazing were found not guilty on charges of sexual assault.

2015 will be their first season playing football since the bullying scandal. New head coach Chris Beagan feels nothing but positive energy around him.

“The kids feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility,” he told USA Today. “There’s been a renewed, a rebirth, of accountability. It’s ‘I’ve got to make sure I’m not just taking care of myself, but I’m responsible for my teammates’ behavior as well.”

The players that had to sit out the 2014 season because of the hazing scandal are also happy to be coming back onto the gridiron. “I’ve been coming to games since I was five,” said a senior lineman. “My uncles played here, my dad played here. Sayreville football is a part of me and it’s a part of the community. This is our thing.”

“We want to set an example around the school and around the town,” senior defensive back Michael Bertrand said. “People are excited that football’s back, and we’re going to feed off that excitement hopefully.”

The Bombers open their season on Friday, Sept. 11, when JP Stevens comes to town. Three of the next four games are on the road for the bombers, including two consecutive road games at South Brunswick on Oct. 2 and at coach Beagan’s former team, Monroe, on Oct. 9.