Passaic football turning to next group of players to carry the mantle

Passaic enters the 2026 football season at a crossroads.

The Indians have played in a postseason tournament each of the past three years. Granted, 2023 concluded in the North Group 5 Invitational, a consolation bracket, but two trips to the NJSIAA playoffs followed.

The program had not ventured to three consecutive postseasons of any type since its glory days of the early 1980s. That’s a good sign, regardless.

The catch? Each of those stretches featured the top two players on Passaic’s all-time rushing list: 1984 grad Craig Heyward (5,142 yards) and 2026 grad Justin Griffin (3,568).

So, on the surface, it might appear as though the Indians are back at square one. Yet coach Mark Dupree offers a counterpoint.

“We’ve been having All-County running backs [and/or] 1,000-yard rushers since I’ve been back here in Passaic,” said Dupree, now entering the sixth year of his second tenure. “Hopefully, we can keep the tradition going.”

Next in line for the role of lead tailback is last season’s understudy, rising senior Eddie Hidalgo. He turned 50 carries into 356 yards (7.1 average) and two touchdowns when given opportunities, but when he wasn’t in the backfield, Hidalgo started at wideout (11 catches, 131 yards).

“We had to put him somewhere, so we put him at ‘Z’ receiver,” Dupree said. “I mean, Justin is a different animal. But [Eddie’s] also a clever runner. He’s patient, patient, patient, and then next thing you know, he’s gone. So, I feel confident that he’s going to have a good season.”

The ground game has been Passaic’s bread and butter seemingly forever. “Ironhead” Heyward was an integral part of three straight North 1, Group 4 sectional titles from 1981-83, and that first year, he blocked for 1,000-yard rusher Melvin Ross.

The 1985 sectional-championship team featured Troy Giles (1,200 yards, 20 TD) – although QB Sterling Henton used his legs just as effectively – and Jerome Henderson (941 yards, 10 TD) led a three-deep backfield during its 1989 title run.

Griffin is now at Monmouth after propelling the Indians to eight wins as a junior and senior – their best two-season total since 2018-19.

Two lineup dilemmas have been the biggest challenges to Passaic in the preseason. Incumbent quarterback Jamari Miller (60% completions, 381 yards) is being pushed by rising sophomore Justin Pimentel, though rare is the coach who’d mind having extra depth at the position.

However, Pimentel has yet to play in a varsity game, meaning he is still “kind of raw, but at least he’s picking up things quicker than average,” Dupree said. “He’s showing some promise.”

The bigger need for depth is at the offensive skill positions.

All-Passaic linebackers Ryan Valdez (second team) and Kendrick Fernandez (honorable mention) may be asked to do more running and receiving, and although Fernandez was the top receiver in 2025 (14 catches, 166 yards), the coach would prefer to give them a breather when the offense takes the field.

“They’ve been starting since they were sophomores, and they’re loyal,” Dupree said of the duo. “They come out, and they work hard, but if just one of them goes down, it’s like, oh my gosh, what are we going to do?

“We need to keep those two guys healthy… so we need to develop kids who might not have experience [yet].”

Another state-playoff bid may take serious maturation from a currently inexperienced roster.

The Indians should be evenly matched with several of their early opponents but things pick up sharply at the end, especially with Wayne Valley and Ridgewood set to visit.

“With this upcoming schedule, we as coaches have got to be on our game,” Dupree said. “Because these [opponents] are good and well-coached, so we’ve got to match their level.

“I feel like it’s challenging, in a good way, though. … I want us to be as sound as those guys are over there [on the other sideline], as far as everybody just knowing their job and doing it, and working as one and becoming a team.”

*Note: All home games are at Boverini Stadium

Aug. 27: vs. Morristown, 6 p.m.

Sept. 3: vs. Clifton, 6 p.m.

Sept. 10: at Teaneck, 6 p.m.

Sept. 19: at Bayonne, noon

Sept. 25: vs. Paramus, 6 p.m.

Oct. 2: at Hackensack, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8: at Eastside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16: vs. Wayne Valley, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23: vs. Ridgewood, 6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic football turning to next group of players to carry the mantle