Parsippany Hills football coach Dave Albano always encourages his players to be aggressive, but in Saturday’s state tournament title game he might add a touch of restraint to the usual game plan. The Vikings will be going against a quarterback with skills they haven’t seen in awhile. Parsippany Hills continues the quest for its first state title against Cranford in a 10 a.m. start on the turf field at Kean University in Union. The school has been to the title game twice before in 2005 and 2006, but came up short against Wayne Hills, which is Albano’s alma mater. Parsippany Hills is determined…

High school football players come and go. It’s a coach's job to mold the individuals into a team every season and give them the tools for success. For most of his tenure at Parsippany Hills, Dave Albano has been able to get the Vikings to play at their peak. For this year's select few, their best was good enough to play for a state title. The Vikings face Cranford in a Saturday morning game at Kean University in Union for the opportunity to capture the North 2, Group III state title. Albano said he hopes the third championship appearance will be the charm: Parsippany Hills advanced to the …

It only seemed logical that the Parsippany Hills football team would be spending a lot of time at Jannarone Park this week. It’s an artificial turf field and the Vikings will be playing on turf when they face Cranford in the North 2, Group III state final on Saturday morning at the Kean University campus in Union. In another way though, it seems natural—even magical for some of the Vikings to practice here while getting ready for the big game. It is where many of them learned to play football when they were members of the Little Vikings, the town’s youth program. Why wouldn’t you want to …

Eight years ago, Anthony Mancuso, then a youth football coach, led a group of 8-year-olds through their first season playing with the pigskin. Now, as the Parsippany Hills Vikings prepare for their state championship matchup Saturday against the Cranford Cougars, the current Parsippany Board of Education member said he can't help but think back to the players' early days learning the sport. "Oh, they were a great group of boys," Mancuso told Patch. "This was pony level football, the first year in the league—the first year you play tackle football—for many of them." Thirteen players on the …

The answer is "no." Tyler Simms can tell at the moment of introduction that the question that he’s been asked all his life is coming: Are you related to Phil Simms, the former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl MVP? “I’ve been getting that joke all my life,’’ Simms said. “We are both blond and are both quarterbacks, but as far as I know… no. I went and saw his son Chris play at Don Bosco when I was really young. And I’ve seen them [his sons] play a few times but I’ve never met any of them.’’ Because of the way Simms has played football this season, it is not a foolish question to ask…

Before heading to their historic championship game this Saturday Parsippany Hills High School football players spent last Sunday afternoon signing autographs and participating in pass, agility and punt competitions with their many younger fans. The festivities were held at Jannarone Field, home of the Little Vikings youth football organization, where the mood was electric.   The Vikings play in the the team's third-ever state championship matchup this Saturday against Cranford High School at Kean University.  Kick off is at 10:00 a.m.

Can’t make it to the big game and are dying to see what happens? Going to be there, but want to let everyone know what you are seeing in real time?  Patch has you covered. Patch will be at the Parsippany Hills-Cranford North 2, Group III championship game Saturday morning, providing up-to-the-minute updates beginning at 9:30 on the Vikings' quest to win a state title. The game begins at 10. Of course, this is great for those who can’t make it and want to know how Par Hills is doing. However, if you’re at the game, you can participate, as well. Our CoveritLive will post your tweets about what …

Watching the footballs fly around his high school's field during pre-season practices, Parsippany Hills running back C.J. Joyce was a realist about his role coming into the 2011 season. “I knew we had a really amazing receiving corps,’’ Joyce said. “I totally always accept the fact that we are a passing team. I came in thinking, ‘OK, if I get some carries, I’ll do what I can on the offense and that’s cool.’ Coming in I didn’t think I could get that many carries.’’ The senior running back has been more than an afterthought in the Vikings pass-oriented offense. His success on the ground might …