Matthew Gautieri (left), a Verona High School senior, has been chosen to play in the annual Paul Robeson East/West All-Star Football Classic.
The game, which is in its 24th year, pits a team of seniors from Essex County and the eastern part of Passaic County–the East team–against a team that draws from the western half of Passaic County as well as Morris and Sussex counties. The game is named for Paul Robeson, one of the first African-Americans to play football at Rutgers University before playing with the nascent National Football League while enrolled in law school. Robeson is also known for his musical and theatrical career, and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
This year’s Robeson Classic will be played on Thursday, June 15, at East Orange Campus High School, which is located at 344 Prospect Street in East Orange.
Gautieri, a lineman for the Hillbillies, will continue playing football this fall at Montclair State University.
