Dwight Morrow football enters 2024 season with advanced goals | State of the Program

No one can say Dwight Morrow never won a football championship.

The Maroon Raiders finished 8-1 last season and claimed the Ivy Division title with a win over old rival Teaneck in the championship game.

This year, the school is out of the Ivy, which was created for schools to rebuild participation and pride while foregoing the state playoffs, and back into the mainstream of the Super Football Conference.

“Whatever league we’re in, we will compete,” said Dwight Morrow coach Joe Hoyle, entering his sixth year at the helm. “Not for nothing, but we probably would have beaten a lot of non-Ivy teams last year. I tell my team it’s not about what they do, it’s what we do. We make the other teams adjust to us.”

Numbers wise, Hoyle knows that he’s going to be looking at approximately 30-35 kids in the program every year and just about everyone goes both ways. This year, he has a large senior class of 12, including standout returning quarterback Damani Williams, who is receiving college interest.

“Nothing fazes him,” Hoyle said. “If things go bad, he’s on to the next play, if things go right, he’s still on to the next play. I think that mindset has rubbed off on the whole team.”

Hoyle admits that the biggest issue his program has had over the years has been overcoming adversity. When things would go bad for his team on and off the field, instead of responding to the challenge, his team would lose focus and the situation would get worse.

After winning the Ivy Division title, Hoyle thinks those days are over. He points to being down 12-0 early in that game with Teaneck before coming back as changing the whole tone of the program.

“We have turned the corner when it comes to our resiliency,” Hoyle said. “We ran into a couple of games where had we been the same old Raiders, we would have come up with the same result, but we’ve turned a corner when it comes to our leadership and our resiliency.”

The tradition

Dwight Morrow has qualified for the state playoffs nine times, but has never won a playoff game.

The Ivy Division was self-contained, with the teams competing in a league-only playoff. Technically, the Maroon Raiders' win in the Ivy Division playoffs was the first in school history.

Hoyle is now 22-19 in his five years at the helm.

The challenge

Moving out of the Ivy Division changes everything for Dwight Morrow. They will be tested physically each week and will face many teams with a distinct size advantage.

Staying healthy is vital because, with players going both ways, losing a player or two is really like losing four, and would force Hoyle to put in a player without a lot of experience.

Dwight Morrow's special teams have also traditionally been a weak spot.

Expectations

Looking at the Dwight Morrow schedule, there are several toss-up games. Ramsey, in Week 1, is maybe the Maroon Raiders' toughest opponent.

Williams is a legit two-way threat and Dwight Morrow will ride him as far as they can go.

To go from an Ivy Division title to a mainstream playoff win would be a big jump, and we will see if these Maroon Raiders are as resilient as Hoyle believes.

Schedule

Sept 6: at Ramsey, 7 p.m.

Sept 13: vs. Dumont, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20: vs. Millburn, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27: at Kennedy, 7 p.m.

Oct. 5: vs. Pascack Hills, 3 p.m. (Homecoming)

Oct. 11: vs. Lincoln, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18: at Mahwah, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25: at Glen Ridge, 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Dwight Morrow football enters 2024 season with advanced goals | State of the Program