The Pascack Valley Football Team will take on River Dell tonight—Friday, Oct. 18—in the first-ever Zack Latteri benefit football game, supporting the Zack Latteri Foundation.
Zack Latteri was a former student at Pascack Valley High School who passed away in the summer of 2015. Since then, the Zack Latteri Foundation has been a way to give back and help those who are in a position similar to Latteri’s.
ZLF Board Trustee and retired Pascack Valley History Teacher of 33 years Karen Kosch shared her thoughts on the significance of holding a benefit game with the football team this year.
“Over the past two years, Coach Len Cusumano expressed his interest in having the PV football program support the Zack Latteri Foundation (ZLF); especially last January on [the] MLK Day of Service,” Kosch said.
Kosch explained that Pascack Valley History Teacher and Girls Basketball Coach Jeff Jasper hosted a meeting that day with a discussion about ways to “pay it forward,” which is the slogan of ZLF. Head Coach Cusumano and Offensive Coordinator Bill Weigel participated in the discussion, and it was during that meeting that these coaches decided to dedicate one of this season’s games to benefit the Zack Latteri Foundation.
The concept for these benefit games began before Latteri passed away—starting with the boys soccer team.
“The PV Boys Soccer team began hosting a Zack/Fan Night while Zack was a student,” Kosch said. “[The soccer team] invited [Latteri] to be present on the field. His friends dedicated their efforts to him. He inspired them by all of his efforts for Relay for Life.”
The efforts to support ZLF through benefit games have been present in the soccer, lacrosse, and basketball programs.
When discussing the benefit games, Kosch was grateful for the sense of community that is built through these games.
Pascack Valley will take on River Dell tonight, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. for the ‘Rumble for the Rail’ game. Fans are encouraged to wear orange to show their support for ZLF.
“We are always excited to help out the Zack Latteri Foundation; it is really our first time doing it, but hopefully it is the beginning of a consecutive run of years of this,” Cusumano said. “We are very grateful to be able to help out.”
“Of course, it’s just fun to watch a game and to enjoy the competition but when the game is dedicated to a particular cause, one that is known to many, it’s much more meaningful,” Kosch said.
