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Alonso Escalante went from coaching football in high school to the NFL and back again.

The 35-year old Glen Rock native was approved as new head coach at Tenafly by the Board of Education on Monday night. He takes over one of North Jersey’s oldest and proudest programs, but one that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2009.

“We will turn into a winning program by taking it one day at a time,” Escalante said. “It’s all about building a community and a culture. I have to start there. Culture is what you do every day. I am excited about it.”

The Escalante File

Coming out of Glen Rock High School in 2005, Escalante planned to wrestle and play football at Springfield College in Massachusetts, but hurt his back a month before workouts started. His college coach offered him a job as a student assistant coach and his career began.

Escalante graduated from Springfield and got his master's degree from McDaniel College while working as an assistant there. He was selected to receive the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship in the NFL, which turned into a two-week internship with the Giants during training camp.

That opened the door to connections that led to assistant coaching jobs with the Oakland Raiders (2011) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012-2013). After 2013, he came back to work at his alma mater and at Fair Lawn.

Back to the pros

Escalante returned to the NFL in 2016 as an offensive assistant the New York Giants. He later spent a year on staff with the Arizona Cardinals (2018) and Cleveland Browns (2019). He worked as an analyst at the University of Missouri early in 2021, then became assistant running backs coach with the Carolina Panthers under Matt Rhule.

Escalante and his wife Jennifer, the Giants' vice president of strategic communications, wanted to settle back in North Jersey. Escalante took a position on the staff at DePaul working under Nick Campanile in a variety of roles, and the Spartans won the Non-Public B state championship in 2022.

When the Tenafly job came open, Escalante thought it was the perfect fit.

“The reason I got into coaching is to use football to make people’s lives better and I mean that in all sincerity,” Escalante said. “That has been my driving force at every level, whether it’s high school or college and that’s what I am going to do here. New Jersey is home to me. High school football is near and dear to me.”

Taking over in Tenafly

Tenafly has been in a difficult spot in the North Jersey football hierarchy with an enrollment that places the school at a high level despite not having many players in the program.

The Tigers went 3-6 in 2022 competing in the Super Football Conference American Red Division after two successful years in the SFC’s Ivy Division for struggling programs. Ivy Division can't play in the state playoffs. Tenafly went 6-4 in the Ivy Red in 2021 and 8-0 in the Ivy White in 2020.

Escalante is already watching Tenafly film (it’s what he loves to do) and working on building a staff. He will be a PE teacher at the school.

“This is a special group,” Escalante said. “We are very excited about getting started working with them. When you take over a program, it all starts with the people and the players. I want to provide them with the best opportunity to be successful on the field and off. The best programs I have been a part of, the players have had just as much success off the field as on. That’s what we will be building here.”

Mandarin Chinese language learning has been growing in the United States, especially among young people with immersion programs for K-12 students increasing an average of 16% a year for the last decade.

In Tenafly, the Bergen Chinese School, which has been teaching children and adults to read, write and speak Mandarin since 1972, will contribute to that growth this weekend with the opening of the school's Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning.

Mandarin is a form of Chinese that is the official language of mainland China and Taiwan. Interest in Mandarin has surged along with the growth in the Asian-American population in the U.S. and China's rise as a global economic superpower.

The center, which is actually a program that is a more immersive version of the school's current adult classes, will host a grand opening on Sunday at Tenafly High School at 3 p.m. That's where the Bergen Chinese School has operated since 2018 after previously being based in Hackensack.

Raymond Chung, the principal of the Bergen Chinese School, said while currently the school offers classes where adults learn Mandarin through conversation, the new center will offer something more extensive.

"Now, we're offering a more structured program for adults over 18," Chung said. "With the Taiwan Center, instead of just coming together for conversation, there's also more emphasis on the technical aspects of the language like reading and writing."

He said the adult conversation classes, which are usually an hour are now three hours in this new center/program. Classes had officially started in the center on March 5 and will run until June 11, meeting every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in three sessions. The center will then resume in the fall when the high school is open for the school year.

The new center was made possible by a grant from the Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China, the formal name of Taiwan. There are 66 of these centers in the U.S. and Europe with more than 50 of them in the U.S. including 5 five in New Jersey.

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Chung said the center is offering learning for those want to be more proficient in the language to communicate with loved ones who speak only Mandarin.

New Jersey has one of the largest Chinese-American populations in the country, with 168,000 residents of Chinese descent, according to U.S. Census figures. Overall, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the state, accounting for 10% of New Jersey's 9 million-plus population, according to 2020 census.

Chung said the grand opening will feature a traditional fan dance and the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the new center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will include representatives from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office and Tenafly Mayor Mark Zinna.

While the new program, which has a tuition of $400 and additional costs for registration and materials, has already begun, people can still attend by applying at the school's website at bergenchineseschool.org.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @ricardokaul

TENAFLY — Every Wednesday since 1976, a group of swimmers has gathered in a pool here to make the burdens of multiple sclerosis a little lighter.

For Bergenfield's Christine Kochell, the weekly trip offers a respite from the neurological disease that has numbed her "from her legs down."

“My legs are weak, and I have to use a walker or wheelchair for the distance,” Kochell said Wednesday. “Coming here allows me to feel human. I can go in the water and use my legs like I used to use my legs. It just gives you that feeling of normalcy that I can't get on dry land. I can move my legs like you would think nothing was wrong with me."

She’s been coming to the Kaplen Jewish Community Center on the Palisades for that feeling for seven years.

The Bergen County chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women has been hosting the swimming program since local member Ruth Cowan started it 47 years ago. It's the only free, volunteer-run "swim-in" for MS patients in the country, according to the council.

Anyone with MS can attend the hourlong sessions, as long as they have the approval of a doctor and the program’s physical therapist, Ava Silverstein.

Silverstein, who volunteers her time, leads attendees through group activities and spends about 15 minutes with each swimmer giving them personalized exercise routines.

“When they're in the water they can move more freely than they can walking around outside of the pool,” Silverstein said.

MS is the “most common disabling neurological disease of young adults," with symptoms that generally begin appearing between the ages of 20 and 40, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The condition affects the central nervous system and causes a range of symptoms, from muscle weakness to spasticity to pain and depression. There is no cure, though treatments are available to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Aquatic therapy helps by providing a low-impact setting where people can strengthen muscles and increase their range of motion, balance and coordination, according to the National MS Society.

Other benefits are more emotional and spiritual. On Wednesday, laughter and conversation echoed around the 25-meter indoor pool, which was rigged with a large plastic ladder and a lift to help people with limited mobility get in and out of the water.

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“This is an outing — coming to the program," Silverstein said. "They want to socialize and be around other people, view other MS clients and share the same concerns and information."

Stress, anxiety and depression are common among people with MS. But at least for one afternoon a week, the swimmers can smile.

Barbara Lightbody of Cresskill has been volunteering with the program for over 20 years.

“I had just retired from my computer programming job and I saw an article in the local paper that said they needed swimming volunteers. I said I have to go try this, and 20 years later it's still just what I want to do on Wednesdays,” Lightbody said, adding that she had “goosebumps” thinking about it.

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The volunteers “are a big family,” she said. They help people get out of their cars in the parking lot and then change into bathing suits. They stay with their swimmers during the session. Each has at least one volunteer with them in the pool.

Sometimes it’s a small group of just five people who make it to the 1 o’clock sessions, and sometimes the group swells to 10 or 15, said Elizabeth Halverstam, who heads the local communications committee for the National Council of Jewish Women.

But one thing is for sure: Those who take part leave happy. Joan Orenstein is a certified trainer who helps in the pool and said she looks forward to Wednesdays.

“It just really makes you feel good when you leave that you did something really nice, and you had a good time doing it," she said.

The program, which has worked with hundreds of MS clients through the years, is looking for more volunteers and swimmers. For further information, email: [email protected].

Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Prior to the arrival of this year’s senior class, Tenafly had just one sectional title in program history.

Flash forward four years, and the program has just secured its third consecutive trip to the Public B state tournament.

Powered by nine first-place finishes and dominant performances from stars such as Aaron Baltaytis and Hayoung Choe, Tenafly, No. 10 in NJ.com’s Top 20, cruised to a 99-71 victory over Northern Highlands in the North 1, Group B title . The victory marks Tenafly’s third consecutive sectional title and its fourth overall.

Complete Box Score »

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“It’s exciting,” head coach Matthew White said in regard to winning a third consecutive sectional title. “We had some swimmers in different events, and unfortunately we had some swimmers that weren’t here today. But all of our swimmers bought into [competing] in different events.”

We had [Baltaytis] swimming the 200 freestyle, [Choe] swimming the 200 IM, events that they don’t normally swim but we knew stacking up we had to swim [well] in those events. Northern Highlands is a really quick team and we didn’t take them for granted.”

Tenafly was short-handed today, with top swimmers such as Jason Yi, Edward Kim, Roy Dafinoiu all missing out from today’s meet.

But given the depth that Tenafly has from top to bottom, particularly in the relays, White was confident that his team would be able to make up for those losses.

“I knew kind of going in that we’d get those first-place finishes,” White said. “We knew that we would stack up decently well and score a lot of depth points kind of knowing what Northern Highlands has. And we knew that with certain events we were going to capitalize on, and I hope that that same trend is able to continue into the state tournament.”

Baltaytis showcased why he is one of the top swimmers in the state, posting victories in the 200 free [1:42.72] and 100 fly [50.89], and also earning a victory in the 400 freestyle relay, which also included Kyle Lee, Ellis Tritter, and Choe.

“I was going for Hudson Tritter school record in the 200 freestyle which was around 1:40, but I ended up getting 1:42.72,” Baltaytis said. “It would’ve been nice to get, but I’ll take this time at a high school meet especially. I can’t complain about getting the win in the 100 fly as well and the relays were really fun.”

But it wasn’t just Baltaytis who helped pick up the slack for some of the holes in Tenafly’s lineup, stars such as Andrew Lee and Hayoung Choe posted two individual victories themselves. Lee won the 50 free in 22.37, while also taking home the breaststroke in 1:01.67.

Baltaytis, Choe, and Yi are three notable members of a stacked senior class for Tenafly, who have been the driving forces behind the program resurgence after a string of tough losses in the sectional tournament throughout the late 2010s.

“I think we have something really special,” Baltaytis said in regard to the team’s senior class. “We couldn’t quite cross that barrier for a good couple of years of winning a sectional championship, and then once the three of us came on [Baltaytis, Yi, and Choe], we won three in a row, which is really nice.

Tenafly’s next challenge will be finally getting over the hump in the Group B state tournament, where they’ve lost in the semifinals in its last two postseason runs (excluding the 2020 season). Last season, Princeton took advantage of a DQ by Tenafly late in the meet to earn an 87-83 victory in the Group B semifinals.

White also expects to have a fully healthy roster for its Group B semifinal matchup.

“We still expecting to go pretty far in the team state tournament,” White said. “We’ll see what ends up happening. We have to take things one meet at a time. Last year [group semifinal] was tough for us. But we’re ready to go. They’re excited for what’s left in the season.”

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Corey Annan may be reached at @coreyannan360

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Pascack Valley coach Jeff Jasper said he felt a tinge of sadness walking out of the gym after practice the day before his team’s state tournament game against Tenafly.

Jasper, who is in his 50th year coaching at Pascack Valley, knows that at this time of the season, you’re one game away from your season ending.

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So a sense of relief washed over Jasper on Monday, knowing that he will be coaching at practice and in a game later this week.

Behind great ball movement and great second-half defense, eighth-seeded Pascack Valley defeated ninth-seeded Tenafly, 70-45, in the first round of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 state tournament on Monday afternoon.

Complete Box Score »

Pascack Valley (19-8) advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face the winner of the Demarest and Montville contest on Wednesday.

Sophomore Celina Bussanich scored a team-high 24 points, while senior Lindsay Jennings added 17 points as part of a Pascack Valley team that had four players score in double figures.

Pascack Valley drained nine 3-pointers, most of which came following an extra pass within the flow of the offense.

“I loved the way they played today,” Jasper said. “I thought offensively in the second half was a clinic on how to run high-percentage shots. I think we, particularly in the second half, played with great energy. “I love the unselfishness on both ends of the floor. There was help defense everywhere, people getting to the glass, getting to those loose balls.

“Making the extra pass on the offensive end, making the cuts, got nice little layups here and there, and then we hit our foul shots.”

Tenafly (17-8) led 28-27 at halftime after Pascack Valley led by one following the first quarter. Jasper’s squad kept themselves under control in the second half, closing the third quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 50-39 lead and pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Tenafly 43-17 in the second half.

Monday’s contest was the third time Tenafly and Pascack Valley played this season, a product of both being a part of the National Division of the Big North Conference.

Tenafly won the first meeting 46-30 before Pascack Valley won the second matchup 53-52.

Tenafly senior Rylie Theuerkauf, one of the state’s leading scorers, played well in those two previous meetings, and she did again on Monday, scoring a game-high 36 points.

Pascack Valley had to prepare for Theuerkauf to potentially have another huge game, but did enough to come away with the win.

“It was very tough (preparing for Tenafly again), especially with Rylie because she’s such a great player and she’s a really hard competitor,” Jennings said. “But we knew we had to come out and play hard and play together because that’s something that we have that’s really special. That’s just our team, and we’re a family, and we play like that, and I think that’s what really helped put us over them today.”

Jasper has overseen his team improve as the season has gone on. Pascack Valley got off to a slow start, and the loss to Tenafly in the first meeting seemed to be a turning point.

Jasper’s squad has now won 14 of their last 17 games, making a run to the Bergen County Tournament semifinals and now adding a win in the state tournament.

“The identity of (this team) is they are like women warriors,” he said. “They just don’t back down, and I think this is how they’ve evolved over the course of this season.”

The game was also the end of Theuerkauf’s stellar prep career.

The Tenafly senior, a Wake Forest signee, finished her career with 2,482 points. She helped Tenafly to its first winning season since the 2011-12 season and will graduate as the school’s all-time leading scorer.

Tenafly coach Devin Feeney said she’s confident the team can continue to improve over the next couple of years.

“We have some girls returning, and we have some girls coming up, too, that will kind of help to build on what we’ve started,” she said.

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