Morristown football looks to take the next step in 2024 | State of the Program

Building a contender doesn't happen overnight, and Morristown hopes to take another step forward this season.

Coach Casey Flynn enters his third season after consecutive playoff appearances and a win increase in both of his seasons in charge.

"It progressed well," Flynn said about last season. "We got one more win in the win column than we did previously. It was our first 3-0 start since 2003, I believe, and we made the playoffs for the second straight year."

Flynn isn't the only one entering his third season with the program. Several impact players are as well.

Junior quarterback James Dzikowski returns after starting as a sophomore. His favorite target last year, wide receiver Jasiah Brown, also returns for his junior year.

Flynn said he's impressed with the improvement at the skill positions from his young players.

"The hardest thing is for a sophomore, regardless of position, to come in and compete for a varsity spot at that age," Flynn said. "For those two specifically, they were able to answer the call. Sophomore year is a learning curve for any player, but those two and others like them are doing what they can to best benefit the team and I couldn't be happier with how they are developing in their leadership roles."

Numbers in camp are strong, and Flynn is connecting with football programs for all ages in the Morristown community. He's encouraged by the number of football players opting to stay local and play together in Morristown.

"We have a good relationship with our youth program and we are starting to keep more kids home," Flynn said. "They're starting to see that if you want to see the change, you need to stay and be the change. These kids want to stay together and they want to win titles."

The tradition

Four wins in the regular season last year were the most for a Morristown team since going 5-5 back in 2014.

It's been nearly a decade and a half since the Colonials finished a season with a winning record, back when they won the North 2, Group 3 sectional title in 2010.

Last season's playoff appearance was the second in a row under Flynn, the only appearances since the championship season in 2010.

Morristown won titles as a Group 4 school in 1974 and 1993, and three straight from 1997-1999.

The challenge

As the only Group 5 school in Morris County, Morristown has had trouble climbing the UPR standings that determine playoff seedings.

Instead of facing other Group 5 programs, the Colonials play in the Super Football Conference Liberty White division, one of the toughest divisions in the state. Morristown lost to all five of the other teams within the Liberty White last season, as the division sent all of its teams to the postseason.

"Three of them were in sectional finals and two of them won state titles," Flynn said. "And that's only because two of them [Mount Olive and Roxbury] played one another in the final."

Flynn knows those division opponents well. His family has been involved in Morristown football for decades now. Flynn even joked that he has "known about those other teams since I was 5".

But with this new scheduling, Flynn took the opportunity to schedule other Group 5 schools in the regular season, hoping for a boost in the UPR standings.

"Every chance I could, I went out and tried to get Group 5 competition," Flynn said. "If we want to compete for and win a state title, we need to face Group 5 opponents. We're going to do our best to replicate our playoff schedule, but we also know that our division prepares us for playoff-caliber talent itself."

Expectations

Morristown expects to find early season success again in 2024, and October games against Old Bridge and Elizabeth are certainly winnable. But the team's ability to compete within the division will dictate how far its postseason hopes will go.

"We took great strides, but we didn't finish the deal," Flynn said. "We had goals and we still have goals of winning the division that have gone unfulfilled. That goal is on the board for us and it will still remain on the board for us whenever we do obtain it."

A trip to Mount Olive in the middle of the season will provide a measuring stick for Morristown, as will regular-season trips to Morris Knolls and Roxbury in the final two weeks.

"Even when we fell to Mount Olive early in the year last season, we were still in the driver's seat for a home playoff game," Flynn said. "We didn't obtain that. It's up to us to raise the standard for ourselves in order to take those next steps."

Schedule

Aug. 30: vs. Eastside (Paterson)

Sept. 6: at Randolph

Sept. 13: vs. West Morris

Sept. 20: vs. Clifton

Sept. 27: at Mount Olive

Oct. 5: vs. Old Bridge

Oct. 10: vs. Elizabeth

Oct. 19: at Morris Knolls

Oct. 25: at Roxbury