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Hey Santa, here's my 2023 wish list for North Jersey sports | Cooper

darren cooper, northjersey.com
·4 min read

As sure as a college football player entering the transfer portal, I knew the time was nigh.

Or is that neigh?

I was doing some last-minute shopping for the wife – definitely not looking for Taylor Swift merch – at American Dream mall when I caught glimpse of a few white whiskers and a red hat. It was him. The man. The myth. The legend.

No, not Tommy Cutlets.

Santa.

“Père Noël,” I shouted, harkening back to the way my French grandmothers heralded. “So fancy running into you for the, uh, fourteenth straight year. What brings you to North Jersey?”

“Darren Cooper,” Santa said with a belly shake. “How are those three boys you got doing? Do you remember that big electronic football game I got you when you were a little fella down on the Bayou? You used to play the games and then write stories about them.”

Peyton Seals of Ramapo in the first half as Bergen Catholic defeated Ramapo 71-57 to win the semi final in the Bergen Jamboree played in Hackensack, NJ on February 11, 2023.
Peyton Seals of Ramapo in the first half as Bergen Catholic defeated Ramapo 71-57 to win the semi final in the Bergen Jamboree played in Hackensack, NJ on February 11, 2023.

“Uh, gee, Pere Noel,” I said. “I do remember. Some things never change. I’ve been putting together a Christmas list for the people in North Jersey athletics, want to go over it with me?”

“Some things never change,” smiled Santa.

Santa, let’s hook up Ramapo’s Peyton Seals with some Princeton shoes and some books. They hit the books pretty good at Princeton.

“Layla Giordano from Old Tappan too,” Santa said.

“I was getting to her!” I said back.

Give Westwood defensive lineman RJ Ussher a great Christmas and New Year’s with his family and tell him it might be fun to wrestle just one more time.

RJ Ussher, of the Westwood High School Football Team, poses with his tattoo of three Cardinals. Each bird represents someone in his life who has died in the past few years, Ussher lost his father, aunt and a teammate. Tuesday, November 14, 2023
RJ Ussher, of the Westwood High School Football Team, poses with his tattoo of three Cardinals. Each bird represents someone in his life who has died in the past few years, Ussher lost his father, aunt and a teammate. Tuesday, November 14, 2023

I need Don Bosco’s Dylan Harper to just sit back and relax for his senior basketball season. It’s going to go by so fast. I know everyone says it, but it’s true. Soak it all in.

We need to officially name Ramsey as Soccer Town, New Jersey.

“Two state championships,” said Santa with delight.

Give Pompton Lakes coach Scott Mahoney a happy retirement and tell him the way he impacted a generation of Cardinals won’t be forgotten, in multiple sports.

Tell Luke Pash of Ridgewood that as soon as my Achilles tendon heals, I’d be honored to run a few laps with him. I won’t be able to keep up, but still.

And Santa, did you see that new field at Garfield? The City of Champions lives again.

“That was a gift that took a long time to be delivered,” Santa said.

Northern Highlands volleyball coach Caryn Schanstine needs a new trophy case for her sectional title. She can put it next to a picture of her biggest fan.

“Lay the wood,” Santa said with a whistle.

Caroline Biegel of Lakeland, right, wrestles Allison Brandt of Vernon during the NJSIAA girls state wrestling semifinals at Phillipsburg High School on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023.
Caroline Biegel of Lakeland, right, wrestles Allison Brandt of Vernon during the NJSIAA girls state wrestling semifinals at Phillipsburg High School on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023.

I want the Dye twins at Passaic Tech to find a Division I home they can call their own and know how much fun it has been to watch them play. IHA junior softball catcher Gabriella Shadek has got to stop hitting balls so hard that they explode, and DePaul junior wrestler Caroline Biegel has to go for it this year on the mat.

Explain to Bergen Catholic football coach Vito Campanile that I truly enjoy our moments together after football games and enjoy asking him questions that make him think. He has to know that when you’re on top, you have a lot of expectations.

“Vito, Biegel, Gabby,” Santa said, making notes. “Did I hear you say something about cutlets?”

“Maybe, Santa,” I said, starting to feel a lick of hunger. Or maybe that was from a reindeer.

20025801A Tommy_DeVito 01-10/10 Cedar Grove, Essex, NJ 12/21/16 Don Bosco senior QB Tommy DeVito, a Cedar Grove resident, at Panther Park in Cedar Grove Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 21. DeVito will have one more chance to prove the doubters wrong at the Under Armour HS All-American Game in Orlando on Jan. 1. After committing to Syracuse, DeVito's senior season ended with just a 6-5 record. He posted great individual numbers, but not the team prize he wanted.

Give all the cheerleaders perfect somersaults and catches, the dance teams music that plays clearly over the loudspeakers (that never happens), the referees wisdom and thick skin, the coaches patience, and the administrators at the NJSIAA thanks for doing the best they can.

“Ok whoa, whoa, whoa, let me catch up,” Santa said. “That sounds like a groovy list. What about you Darren, what is on your list this year?”

“Well, Santa, that Taylor Swift hoodie looks nice, but I already have one… or two. You know Santa, I have it pretty good. The coaches in North Jersey care, the athletes care,” I said. “I get to go all around and watch the kids compete, play, improve, and have fun and then write about it. It’s a delight. Père Noël, every day is like Christmas for me.”

With a blink and a wink – or maybe he went into a transfer portal – Santa went on his merry way. Until next year.

Joyeux Noel.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey sports: Darren Cooper's holiday wish list