Rare News Desk
Growing up in Middletown, N.J., one grows accustom to the strange little things that make this town so different. One of those things, or people for that matter, is headed to the global stage this Sunday to lead his team to the Super Bowl. The theatrics and competition that has made the country fall in love with Denver Bronco’s running back Knowshon Moreno was something the folks at Middletown High School South could have told you about over a decade ago.
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On paper, Middletown is not too dissimilar from other coastal New Jersey towns. They have good schools, a great restaurant scene and an arts and culture scene that rivals any suburb along the East Coast. Through the music of Bruce Springsteen and the films of Kevin Smith, the surrounding neighborhoods and beaches have become an unexpected part of the pop culture lexicon. Middletownians are unfazed by having people like Springsteen or Jon Stewart as neighbors. They are used to seeing their town on television and in film and, ultimately, memorialized in song.
Thanks to Moreno, this small New Jersey town down the shore will once again be put into the national spotlight.
I first heard about Knowshon on the way to my first big-kid date. On the way to meet a fellow freshman in high school, I was told that we were about to see a very special player do some very amazing things on the field. Knowshon’s field performance had become legendary, as men, women and children alike clamored to see him dart through opposing football teams like nothing they had seen before. In the two years that we went to Middletown South together, it was impossible to ignore the attention and respect this kid brought to our school.
In thinking back on Knowshon’s time in Middletown, I reached out to some of his teachers and teammates to better understand why, at such an early age, everyone knew he would do something special.
Above everything, the constant narrative of these conversations was the amount of respect and pride that Knowshon brought to the field. Teammate Willie Kelly spoke of how “Shon” was able to separate work from play.
“I remember two sides to ‘Shon. In the locker room, he was a fun-loving guy with a big smile, always joking and having fun; and then when push came to shove, he had an intensity that you wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side off.”
Kelly, who was an offensive linemen, spoke of how a teammate like Moreno could instantly alleviate in game pressure.
“As a lineman if you don’t make your block, and your running back jumps over — runs around — or de-cleats the would-be tackler, it makes playing and winning a lot easier,” Kelly said.
For Andrew Poulson, another longtime teammate, watching Knowshon was an exercise in seeing how far one can push himself to his goal.
“Shon was always very competitive and boisterous, nonetheless always in a positive way. When you consider his pure athleticism and ability it was seldom that he lost in any challenge he faced on or off the football field.”
For some, losing is what drives you to become who you are. Poulson believes that it was the wins that pushed Knowshon even harder.
“Even in victory, he was able to push himself and others further to always achieve better. Any competition he undertook was never about who or what he was up against, but an opportunity to see what could be accomplished by focusing 100 percent of his time and energy towards achieving something special.”
Off the field, in the classroom, Moreno’s joyful nature and drive to succeed was as apparent as stories of his in game heroics.
Vice Principal Victor Bayers first met Knowshon as a freshman, when Knowshon joined Bayers’ track squad. Moreno had learned that it would benefit his football game if he ran track, Bayer’s notes that while Knowshon did not at first “embrace the hard work required for a sport that was secondary to football, he was able to grasp the importance track as a means to his higher goal.” Bayers also saw this determination in his own Economics classroom.
“Knowshon performed in my class much the way he plays on the gridiron and ran on the track; with focused determination. Knowshon Moreno is a ‘true original’ who stood out in my class and amongst the student body. He always had a friendly and easy manner and a desire to achieve athletically as well as academically.”
English teacher Amy Grimm spoke not only of Knowshon’s character, but that same easy manner and desire to achieve. One night in 2002 stands out.
“My favorite memory of Knowshon is probably from a karaoke event that South students organized to support the junior class at South in 2002-03. The last act of the night, from what I recall, sounded a little light in the vocals department and Knowshon ran up on stage with a few other students and teachers to pitch in… he even took a piece of a solo.
“Financially, I remember, we couldn’t boast that successful of a event, but Adrienne Ciuffo, the other adviser, and I knew that we had done one better when everyone present that night left laughing and smiling. Knowshon’s enthusiasm was contagious.”
As the town prepares for Sunday’s big game, those that knew him will think about the contagious enthusiasm, the drive to better himself and succeed, and the memories of a teenager who everyone know would one day get the chance to succeed on the biggest stage in sports.
“I have no doubt you will see ‘Shon at his absolute best this weekend, understanding for him this is just one more opportunity at achieving something special,” Poulson said.
Victor Bayers has seen first hand the type of attention Moreno has brought to the school, noting that many of the major networks have visited South to see where Moreno started. Despite all of the attention and the acclaim, Bayers keeps it simple.
“I can only say that I look forward to watching him in the Super Bowl and tell you that he truly is a great person, who happens to play football very well.”
The town has rallied, and they will root on their friend, student and teammate. For Willie Kelly, it all comes down to one thing.
“I couldn’t be happier for him … well … at least until Sunday Night.”
