When the damaging wind and downpour finally came, as forecast, it added some perspective to Anthony Colofranson's soccer skills:
At least Mother Nature still can stop him from scoring goals, even if the rest of South Jersey is behind on the learning curve.
A season after recording 47 goals and 10 assists, Colofranson, Gateway's superstar striker, opened 2012 with 16 scores in five games for the Gators (4-1).
On Tuesday, weather forced the postponement of Gateway's much-anticipated showdown with Haddon Township, the team's Colonial Conference Patriot Division rival and the defending Group 1 state champion.
But it wasn't enough to quell the momentum of Gateway, or its star scorer.
"Teams have been playing me hard," Colofranson said. "I've just been able to get away from that coverage, and I've been able to score. It's just knowing where to play, knowing what position to be in."
Colofranson has been double-teamed, man-marked, shadowed everywhere on the field. Defenders have followed him into team huddles and chats with his head coach.
"There are a variety of strategies that opponents use," Gateway coach Steve Pasquarello said. "But he'll take on anyone. He's a fearless player. And he came back bigger and faster than he was last season."
Colofranson particularly stressed his extra speed this year. The knee injury he played through for much of last season turned out to be a torn meniscus.
"But I'm fine now," Colofranson said, after having surgery on the knee last winter.
All of Colofranson's focus is on the golden opportunity that his team, which returned nine starters, has to make a run at a Group 1 championship. The Gators were upset by Maple Shade in the South Jersey semifinals last year, denying them a third meeting with Haddon Township, with which they split two games with last season.
"We're pretty confident this year," said Colofranson, who has yet to make a college choice. "We don't want to go out losing in the semifinals again. We know what we have to get done. We know what it takes to win."
- Chris Melchiorre
