E.B.’s Quintin wants to repeat that championship experience
That essentially is how Julian Quintin feels after his East Brunswick High School football team captured the Central Jersey Group IV championship last year. The senior has literally driven himself this past off-season to be prepared for when the Bears open defense of their championship in September.
Quintin, who is 5 feet 11 inches and 190 pounds, knows he and his teammates need to play their very best because their first game is Sept. 11 at Monroe Township, defending Central Jersey Group III titlists. The outcome of that clash will give the victor a jump-start in defense of their sectional crown.
“Winning is a mindset,” observes Quintin, who will be one of three captains for the Bears this fall. “Once you experience it, you never forget the feeling, and it serves to motivate you. That’s how we have encouraged ourselves as we prepare for the season.”
Quintin has other things on his mind besides winning high school football games. Like where will he be playing football after he finishes his career at East Brunswick. A two-way player featured at running back and outside linebacker, Quintin has already secured a scholarship offer from 1-AA Stony Brook of New York. The expectation is that a solid senior year will gain him more scholarship offers.
“He has visited schools like Towson State, James Madison, Holy Cross and SUNY-Albany,” said his coach, Marcus Borden. “They all like him. Where he ends up will depend on how he performs this fall.”
Motivation will not be a factor with potential scholarships, but it always wasn’t like that with Quintin. He relates a story about how he was brought into Borden’s office following a promising sophomore season that earned him the starting job at outside linebacker.
“Coach sat me down and told me I had all the tools to become a college player,” Quintin said, “but that I needed to apply the same dedication to improving my grades as I did playing football if I wanted to get scholarship offers. I took that advice to heart.”
What Quintin did was improve his gradepoint average to 3.0, which vastly improves his chances of gaining scholarship offers from other colleges. Now, he is preparing himself for what he hopes will be an outstanding senior year. And it won’t only be on the gridiron. A quality wrestler, Quintin recorded a 27-6 mark as a 189-pounder, taking third place in the GMC championships and runner up in the Districts. While many multisport athletes will focus only on the sport, they will play in college by the time they reach their senior years, Quintin has made it clear he will continue to wrestle after the football season.
“No way would I abandon my teammates and coaches,” he said. “Some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about competition have come from my coaches [Matt] Pazinko and [Glen] Pazinko [now high school vice principal]. I’m looking forward to improving my record.”
When wrestling concludes, Quintin will step onto the track oval, a place where he has also distinguished himself. Last spring, he was a member of the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relay teams, which broke the school record. He also participated in the triple jump and launched a school record 43-foot-¼-inch jump.
“He’s run a 10.85 100 meters,” said Borden, “but it’s that triple-jump effort that points to why Julian is such a valuable player at outside linebacker.
“He has the ability to explode with a velocity that enables him to make the tackle when others can’t,” added Borden.
Being a tri-captain along with Joe Quaglieri and Jared Lynch excites Quintin as he and the other East Brunswick players endure the rigors of summer conditioning and weightlifting in preparation for preseason practice. He explains how he overcomes the mental and physical fatigue that often sets in this time of year.
“We set a standard for conditioning that has enabled us to develop the attitude that we deserve whatever success we achieve,” he said. It’s a perspective that came after we experienced the joy of winning a championship. We want that feeling again.”
