State of the Program: Mendham football's goal is first playoff victory in a decade
Ethan Jeros is heading into his third season as Mendham's head football coach. His goal for the Minutemen is simple: secure the program's first playoff win in a decade.
The team reached the playoffs last fall for the first time in a decade. However, Mendham went down 21 points to Sparta in the first quarter of the Group 3 North opener, eventually battling back to lose, 53-45.
But the loss that ended the 2022 season might be the springboard into 2023.
"That proved to our players we're more than capable, if we play our game," said Jeros, a wellness counselor at both Mendham and West Morris.
"The players believe in our system, and that we can win games. We shouldn't be the team that shows up and gives them a tough game. We should be the team that wins games."
The tradition
Mendham finished at .500 last fall, meeting Jeros' preseason goal of making the playoffs. The Minutemen have not ended above .500 since 2013, when they reached the North 2, Group 4 final at Rutgers. That's also the last time they won a postseason game.
The challenge
Mendham is essentially rebuilding after graduating 25 seniors, most of whom were starters. Quarterbacks Dillon Higgins and Lucky Carton, who had to power the run-first offense, are both gone. So is starting running back Joey Alexion, and a chunk of linemen.
Former Whippany Park head coach Don Morgenroth will be Mendham's new defensive coordinator. Colin Eckert, who became the offensive coordinator in the middle of last season, will take on the job full time.
About two-thirds of the players attended the first batch of summer practice sessions. Jeros expected attendance to go up following the mandatory blackout week around July 4.
Mendham is planning to participate in Mount Olive's 7-on-7s, trying to get more accustomed to teams who like to throw.
"It's competition, and it's always nice to compete," Jeros said. "We're in shorts and T-shirts, so it's not real football. But you tend to take it easier against yourselves than somebody else in shorts and T-shirts. That's what we want to do."
Expectations
The Minutemen's schedule is relatively stable, flipping home and away games from last year's Liberty Blue "which is great, because it lends to a lot of familiarity for our players," according to Jeros.
They'll open in Week Zero at sister school West Morris, something Jeros hopes will become a staple. He also retained Robbinsville, a Central Jersey Group 3 opponent near where Jeros grew up in Hightstown. Mendham will also get a rematch with Madison, which had hosted a particularly challenging run-heavy road game on SAT Saturday last fall where a handful of Minutemen players arrived just in time for kickoff.
"If you told me we'd be talking about winning playoff games by year three, I would've said you were crazy. Give me five years," Jeros said.
More: Mendham sends longtime tennis coach Jeff Tukel into retirement with rare championships
2023 schedule
August 25: at West Morris
Sept. 1: vs. Robbinsville
Sept. 8: at Montville
Sept. 14: vs. Warren Hills
Sept. 22: at Parsippany Hills
Sept. 29: vs. Madison
Oct. 7: at Morristown
Oct. 14: at Chatham
Oct. 20: vs. Morris Hills
Final countdown: Which school had the best year in Morris/Sussex boys high school sports?
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ football 2023 preview: Mendham seeks first playoff win in decade
