The incident happened as Manchester's football team was spending time with senior residents working to build connections with the community.
Manchester football players help a resident with her tablet during a Technology 101 session. (Manchester Township Schools)
The Manchester Township High School football team was out in force helping residents of Leisure Village West with their smartphones, tablets and laptops. (Manchester Township Schools)
MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Schools have been working with the community to forge closer relationships between the town's senior residents and the schools.
From sessions helping residents with technology to joining the podcast at one of the senior communities, students and the residents have been getting to know each other a little better over the last few years.
This summer, those connections got even closer as a group of Manchester Township football players jumped to the aid of a Leisure Village West resident who suffered a fall shortly after an event at the community, school district officials said.
The players, who were honored Wednesday at the Manchester Township Board of Education meeting, saw the resident fall and rushed to help, district officials said. They did not say whether the resident suffered serious injuries in the fall or needed medical attention.
The players acted quickly and compassionately, and brought comfort to the resident, district officials said.
"They didn’t even think twice, they just acted," Superintendent Diane Pedroza said. "That shows the kind of caring character we strive for from our students."
The football team had gone to Leisure Village West for the Technology 101 program, which pairs student-athletes with senior citizens for some tech support and one-on-one connections, officials said. The students show the seniors how to navigate their smartphones and tablets, and help them learn about their laptops.
It's a program that has become part of a growing tradition under the team's head coach, Tommy Farrell Jr., who has been striving to help build bonds between the team and the community — and, by extension, the district and the community.
In another effort to build those connections, members of the team headed to Hangar 21 Restaurant and Pizzeria to be guests on Walk the Talk, a podcast for the Leisure Village West community hosted by Alex Peck and Rob Lombardo, who live in the senior community.
The taping at Hangar 21 included a live audience, and offered a preview of the football season with interviews with Farrell and team captains Mike Fink and Miguel Espinal.
"The conversation highlighted not only the Hawks’ preparation for the season but also the students’ ongoing community involvement," district officials said.
This year the football team's mantra is Integrity Over Ego, and is something Farrell emphasizes to his players in with the focus on community connection, and "where leadership is earned through service and humility."
The team won the Shore Conference Class C South division title and the Hawks made their first appearance in school history in the NJSIAA state football playoffs in the 2024 season. For 2025, they have moved to a new division with new teams.
"The price of being successful," Farrell said, "is accepting the challenge of our new division. If we want to be respected in the B South, we have to earn it. Last year’s championship is in the rearview mirror. We want to play the best to become the best."
His players have welcomed that mindset.
"Football is more than just a game here in Manchester because of Coach Farrell," Fink and Espinal said during the podcast. "He teaches us resilience and brotherhood. We know there’s no substitute for hard work."
The football team's first game of the 2025 season is Aug. 28 at Manchester Township High School, with kickoff set for 5 p.m.