By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
Mar. 11: Adam Cooley has seen Tony Morency from the vantage point of math teacher and assistant football coach.
He likes the view from both angles.
“There is no student I have come across more worthy of recognition for being a scholar athlete than Tony Morency,” Cooley said. “But simply calling him a scholar or an athlete would really only capture half of what Tony embodies. Tony has a long list of achievements in his time here at Pennington, but the best thing about him is who he is as a person.”
And that person is one of four Hamilton Township products who will be honored at the 55th Annual George Wah Scholar-Leader-Athlete Dinner, staged by the Delaware Valley chapter of the Football Hall of Fame. Morency will be the Pennington School honoree at the March 12 dinner at the Westin Princeton Forrestal. Other township players being lauded are Steinert’s Will James, Nottingham’s Glenn Dobron and Hamilton West’s Reidgee Dimanche.
Morency was a three-year standout on the Red Raiders football and will be returning for his third season on the varsity baseball team after making All-Prep A as a junior and All-Prep B as a sophomore. As a three-year starter at linebacker and fullback, Tony earned the Delaware Valley Chapter’s Offensive Lineman of the Month award as a senior, when he also served as a team captain.
Head coach Jerry Eure called Morency “our Mister Everything. . .and he was most dominant at inside linebacker.”
Pennington Prep outside linebacker Tony Morenci.
“The only reason we were able to go 6-2 this year because of Tony’s versatility,” Eure added. “He was one of our leading tacklers and no doubt was our hardest hitter each week. On offense he played fullback, guard and even some tight end.
“Tony had the quiet ability to inspire and motivate his teammates. He leads by example both on and off the field. He has earned the respect and admiration of the coaching staff, players and his teachers. He has distinguished himself during his years at Pennington and is a most worthy candidate for the esteemed Delaware Valley award.”
Despite receiving the distinguished honor, Morency never put himself above the rest of his teammates.
“Tony did a lot of the dirty work for our team, and was an unsung hero for the season,” Cooley said. “A lot of the things Tony did won’t show up on the stat sheet, but he never minded as long as we won. I can safely say this season would not have been as successful as it was without Tony.
Morency will be the Pennington School honoree at the March 12 dinner at the Westin Princeton Forrestal.
Morency has a cumulative GPA of 4.11 while taking Spanish and Algebra honors courses. He is a Cum Laude Society inductee for being in the top 10 percent of his senior class, has won the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence and has created a drug awareness organization on the Hamilton School Board entitled STAART (Students Taking Action And Responsibility Together). He is a member of Inner City Redevelopment and a volunteer for The City of Angels and the Heroin/Opiate Task Force of Mercer County.
“Many students find themselves excelling in one area of their life, but Tony has excelled in the classroom and on the playing field,” Cooley said. “I have never seen a student put as much time into their studies as Tony has. Tony really exemplifies everything the Pennington School stands for. He is one of the most talented athletes and gifted students I’ve come across in my time here at Pennington.”
