Ramapo continues football season in honor of coach, section final rescheduled


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In the midst of the tragedy, the Ramapo High School football team will continue to chase after the championship ends.

Ramapo was four days away from entering the pitch for his section final against the Northern Highlands when head coach Drew Gibbs collapsed in training on Monday and died the next morning after undergoing surgery for repair a tear in his aortic valve.

The two schools and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association have agreed to postpone Friday’s game for a week.

The North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 final between Ramapo and Northern Highlands will now be played on Friday November 26 at 6:15 p.m. in Allendale, according to Ramapo sporting director Ron Anello.

“It’s the essence of high school sport,” Anello said. “Sportsmanship is at its best when a nearby school understands our situation and works to accommodate our student-athletes. ”

“We cannot thank Northern Highlands, their administration and their coaches enough for honoring our request,” added Anello.

Gibbs, 59, was a New Jersey coaching icon. Tributes poured in on Tuesday in honor of a coach who, despite eternal success, never put victory before his principles.

This year’s Ramapo team built on a powerful offense and entered the home stretch of the season with a 9-1 record. In the section final, Ramapo meets an undefeated team from the Northern Highlands, which enters fourth in the NJ.com Top 20.

“We’re going to be ready,” junior quarterback Jack Grusser said Tuesday night after the team met with their coaching staff to discuss what’s next.

“We are going to be stronger than ever in this game with its legacy and soul that carries us on.”

Ramapo lost 47-42 to Ridgewood on October 22, but won three straight games to get there. Friday’s game will be Ramapo’s third consecutive appearance in a section final after beating Chatham (47-21) in the first round and Ridge (41-31) in the semifinals of the NJSIAA Rothman Orthopedics Football Championships.

The Bergen County School won two back-to-back regional championships in 2018-19 and seven section titles in Gibbs’ 21 seasons.

Ramapo’s winning streak reached 27 straight before losing to River Dell in last year’s COVID-shortened season.

“I just want to say that (Gibbs) loved everyone in the community, and he would like us to keep moving forward and keep pushing,” Senior captain Robbie Travers said Tuesday. “We just have to stay together.”

The Gibbs family will receive family and friends between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Cornerstone Christian Church in Wyckoff. A memorial service will follow, according to his obituary.

Gibbs is survived by his wife, Sharon, and children: Ashley, Brian and his wife (Maddie), Caroline and her grandson, Tyler.

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Patrick Lanni can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @PatLanniHS and like his Facebook page.


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