Patrick Cerulli, a member of the class of 2022, will have his picture hanging in the walls of RHS forever. Following the Bulldog’s 27-21 overtime win against Hawthorne on September 17th, Cerulli was awarded North Jersey’s Male Athlete of the week for his performance.
Despite this individual accomplishment, he told Northjersey.com that he feels that it was truly a team effort. “I thought as a team, we played extremely well and I want this to be recognized more as a team than an individual award for how we played on Friday.”
This season, Cerulli leads the Bulldogs in both receiving yardage with 269 yards, and rushing yards with 808 yards. He has also scored the most touchdowns this season, with 14 in total.
“Pat is one of our best players and hardest workers,” Rutherford football coach Steve Dunn said. “As a coach, getting those two things together makes my job much easier.”
Cerulli told NorthJersey.com that he believes his team plays with a great deal of effort, saying “The heart and effort we put in is unmatched.” The Bulldogs are currently 5-1, with wins against Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Waldwick, New Milford, and Pompton Lakes. With their most recent win, the Dawgs have clinched the NJIC Liberty Division Championship title.
Cerulli also believes that the Dawgs can win a state title this season. When Cerulli was a freshman, Rutherford won the regional championship.
“In football, there are tons of mistakes; to win a state championship, we have to eliminate our mistakes and put together our best effort,” he states.
Also nominated for Athlete of the Week were Robbie Carcich of Westwood, Andrew Vargas of Ridgefield Park, Josh Paduani of Lakeland, Carnell Goodwin of Eastside, Sonny Ragusa of Becton, Danny Veenstra of Ramsey, Johnny Lembo of Lyndhurst, Jay Patel of Pompton Lakes, Devin Rivas of North Arlington, Enzo Arjona of Northern Highlands, and Justus Diaz Rinaldi of Paramus for football; Damon Mota of Becton and Jacob Zybura of Clifton for soccer; and Jacob Heredia of Clifton for cross-country.
Featured Image Credit: Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media