Cowperthwait hopes for memorable win to cap TCNJ career
As The College of New Jersey heads to the season finale, it’ll be a bittersweet day for Jake Cowperthwait and the rest of the Lions seniors.
Cowperthwait, who played at Northern Burlington, is on the TCNJ offensive line. And although he’s not ready for his football career to end, he is ready to leave a footprint on the TCNJ program.
“it would be huge to win this last game to end the season and my career om as high note,’’ said Cowperthwait, as the Lions prepare for Friday’s 5 p.m. contest with Southern Virginia.
“But, even more exciting is thinking about what a win would do for the future of this program,’’ he added. “I would be proud to say that I was a part of the class that helped begin to bring TCNJ football back to prominence.’’
The last several years have been a struggle, and after an 0-5 start to the season TCNJ is 3-1 and playing very good football. TCNJ is 3-6 overall and 3-5 in the conference.
Southern Virginia (2-7, 1-7 NJAC) is coming off a 16-6 win over William Paterson.
“We’ve benefitted from using the momentum from the Rowan win to carry us into the second half of the season,’’ said Cowperthwait. “That win was huge for us and gave us a lot of confidence to close out the season. We knew we were a good football team and we just couldn’t finish a few games.’’
The Lions are finishing now and coming off a very impressive win at Christopher Newport. In fact, all their wins have come on the road: at Rowan, Paterson and Newport. A win over SVU would give them a home victory.
Besides the final game of the season, it’ll be Senior Day and this group deserves a lot of credit for keeping things together. When Casey Goff came in as the new head coach in July he became the third head coach in four years for the seniors.
“The seniors have been amazing through this whole process,’’ said Goff. “They have kept things rolling. They bought in right away and have led from the beginning. They are a special group and every one of them are going to be successful with whatever they want to do after graduation.’’
One of the toughest things about Division III football is for the vast majority of players their senior season is the last of their playing days.
“It’s tough to think about,’’ said Cowperthwait. “I’ve played this sport for the past eight years and have loved every minute of it. I know I’m going to miss it a lot. At the same time, I look forward to graduating and starting the next chapter of my life.’’
An accounting major, Cowperthwait would eventually like to add a few letters, like CPA, after his name as he pursues a career in audit and/or tax services.
He had been a standout on the offensive line at guard for the Lions, and every game he never made it easy for the opposition.
Cowperthwait credits former Northern Burlington and TCNJ player Hank Harvey for steering him to the Lions.
“TCNJ football has meant everything to me,’’ said Cowperthwait. “I have former offensive lineman Hank Harvey, to thank. He encouraged me to come to TCNJ in the first place. It was always a dream of mine to play college football, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to have played here at TCNJ.’’
An opportunity Cowperthwait earned, and now he’s one win away from a great finish to a great career.