Unlike many of New Jersey’s high school basketball programs, who were allowed to start practicing on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, the Dwight Morrow Boys Basketball Team has already experienced multiple season timeouts, due to COVID-19 regulations. The team had one tryout and one practice, before it was placed on a 10-day pause, due to exposure to the virus on the Dwight Morrow campus.

“When they shut us down so early, the whole team was worried about how our season would go. But we were able to stay connected with each other, and we did our best to stay physically and mentally in shape so that when we could play, we were ready to do our best,” said senior Bertin Placide who is captain.

After their return to an already disrupted season, most teams had upwards of four games and over 10 practices, leaving the Raiders with much to catch up on. They suffered a loss in their season opener, losing to the physically overpowering Pascack Hills team 79-64. 

“We did not know if we would actually have a season. We started, got shut down, started back up, got hit by snow, and started back up one more time. We got blown out our first game yet we never panicked,” assistant Coach John Larusso commented.

Another new factor of the season was the constant “losing” and “picking up” of games. Unlike the past years in which teams had a set schedule, New Jersey sports allowed for teams that weren’t able to play a game (due to opponents being shut down), to contact other schools in hopes of filling in their lost games. Englewood was scheduled to play Cliffside Park, Paramus, Demarest, and Ridgefield Park in their first four games; they haven’t played any of these teams so far, trying to find new opponents each with each cancellation.

Despite a slow start, the Maroon Raiders were able to meet their high expectations, winning three games against high-seated opponents, River Dell, Dumont, and Teaneck. Dumont was undefeated with a 6-0 record, however, with an unorthodox defensive system, and extraordinary shooting stats (13/20 from 3-point range), Englewood took home their first major upset of the season in a 76-66 road trip win.

Dwight Morrow’s winning streak is led by the star senior guard trio of Christopher Dark Jr., Bertin Placide, and Michael Byfield. The three have been dominating their opponents, using their athleticism and skill sets to excel their stats. Bertin has been averaging nearly a double-double, while Michael has 20 three pointers made in four games, making him one of the best shooters in the state.

“We responded with an amazing week of three straight wins, including one over undefeated Dumont and our rivals Teaneck. Just as we had things back to ‘normal’ we got shut down again,” Coach Larusso added.

The team is currently enduring another 10 day shut down, due to possible virus exposure, but members look to continue their winning streak, and play out their last 11 games. Despite a season limited to 15 games, unlike the usual 30, the Maroon Raiders are hoping to follow their predecessors with a successful season.