Get to know Northern Valley Regional HS football player Jack Diggins
OLD TAPPAN, N.J. — In his 20-plus years as a highly successful football coach at Northern Valley High School in Old Tappan, Brian Dunn has seen his share of inspirational 海角社区. Jack Diggins remains a particular personal favorite among his players, past and present.
It is not so much what Diggins, an aggressive middle linebacker and bruising聽running back, achieved in his final senior season during NVOT鈥檚 amazing run this聽past fall. Diggins鈥� path has been anything but routine and as much a tribute to his聽love of the game AND his complete being, on and off the field.
Yes, Diggins is a versatile 6-foot-1-inch, 215-pound varsity athlete, with basketball聽and track and field complementing his football skills. A strong academic record聽(National Honor Society) already has earned scholarship offers from first-rate聽colleges, and he is treasurer of this year鈥檚 NVOT senior class, after having served聽as class president in his sophomore and junior years.
But his journey, which fittingly began on the football fields as early as聽kindergarten in Harrington Park, was not always paved with pleasure.聽During his sophomore year, Diggins suffered a bout of mononucleosis that聽sidelined him for half of the abbreviated six-game season. Committed, he聽returned for the season finale against Northern Highlands and led the team in聽tackles.
As a junior, Diggins struggled through a painful muscle injury in his shoulder.聽Without telling anyone about the extent of a dislocation which he knew might聽end his season, Diggins bought a shoulder brace that he used as a safety crutch.
He survived and led the league in tackles before a post-season diagnosis of a torn聽labrum curtailed any basketball calendar. Asked why he went to such perilous聽lengths for an injury that can require anywhere from three to six months of聽recovery, he now says, 鈥淚 had to keep playing.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 a good kid, but it鈥檚 not fun to play with pain,鈥� Dunn says of Diggins, who聽seems the perfect fit for what he hopes will be a future in finance where how to聽produce winning numbers require not only individual brilliance but teamwork.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very competitive sport,鈥� Diggins says of football. 鈥淚t takes a whole team.聽Eleven players. Everyone has to work together. If one person doesn鈥檛 do the right聽thing, it can fall apart. In football, you have to work with other people.鈥�
Diggins has done that. He and Tommy Caracciolo, NVOT鈥檚 standout quarterback,聽have played together for 13 years and are best friends. 鈥淭heir whole life,鈥滵iggins鈥� mother Melissa says proudly.
Family roots are strong as well. His mother was a versatile multi-sport athlete and cheerleader at Cresskill High School and is a special education teacher in Dumont. His father, Dan, a foreman with Plumbers Local No. 1 of New York City, played catch in the backyard, watched Jets games with Jack and even coached some of his early age-group teams. His older sister, Daniella, is a junior cheerleader at聽Gettysburg College.
Diggins remains attached to his hometown. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great community,鈥� he says of聽Harrington Park. 鈥淚t鈥檚 small. One square mile. You go to school K through 8. They聽focus on building character. You know everyone. HP, they always said, 鈥榯hey鈥檙e聽leading the way.鈥� That was engraved into me.鈥�
At 17, the red-headed Diggins also seems to know and trust himself. Asked for a聽self-description, he says modestly 鈥淚鈥檓 a leader,鈥� but then quickly adds 鈥淚鈥檓聽humble and respectful and take my academics seriously. I work hard in the聽classroom. And I鈥檓 kind.鈥�
On the road to NVOT, Diggins flirted with many sports. Besides age-group flag聽football with the Raiders, a successful multi-town franchise in the Northern聽Valley, he finished third in a statewide wrestling tournament and stayed with the聽sport through the sixth grade.
Adaptability has been a valuable tool. When NVOT鈥檚 leading rusher Aidan Heaney聽was injured and unavailable earlier this season, Diggins stepped in and scored two聽touchdowns, rushed for 65 yards in 14 carries and added 12 tackles on defense in聽the team鈥檚 35-13 victory over Paterson Eastside. Besides being the second leading聽rusher behind Heaney for much of the season, Diggins the linebacker was second聽in solo tackles and assists on defense.
He also seems willing to settle for making rebounds as much a priority on the聽basketball court as scoring. Then there are his favorite field events (pole vault,聽triple jump, high jump, discus and javelin) which are less visible than track sprints聽and distances but would seem to make him an ideal future candidate for the聽decathlon or pentathlon.
Diggins鈥� range and tastes extend to a love of music, which includes concerts and a steady stream of various vibes within their Harrington Park home. An attachment for diverse groups such as the Dave Matthews Band and Coldplay also speaks to the Jack Diggins mantra: Coldplay鈥檚 No. 1 hit in 2021, “Viva la Vida”, is his favorite song. Translated from Spanish, it means 鈥渓ong live life.鈥�
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