Community Corner

Former Hills Football Captain Denies Involvement In Brawl

Prosecutor's office dismisses charges against Troy Zaffino; he said he wasn't at the house where a fight involving students from Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley high schools occurred.

A former Wayne Hills football captain charged with assault has said trying to prove his innocence in the matter "has been hell."

Senior Troy Zaffino told 1010 WINS that he was not at the party where the fight occurred. The wide receiver and defensive back said if he had been, he would have tried to stop it. Zaffino will graduate in June.

Darren Del Sardo, the attorney representing Zaffino, said the charges against his client were dropped by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office a few weeks ago.

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Zaffino and eight other Wayne Hills football players were charged with assaulting two  students after a party in October.

Seven of the players plead guilty to simple assault and were earlier this year. Andrew Monaghan, the only adult at the time the charges were filed, agreed to enter Pre-Trial Intervention, a probationary-like program, NorthJerey.com reported last month.

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The incident generated a firestorm of controversy.

Residents in town were often divided on how they thought coach Chris Olsen and district officials should have handled the situation. 

The incident prompted district administrators to adopt a coaching the team and remaining the school’s athletic director. Olsen has since put .

The nine players, all starters, did not play in the team’s state sectional title game. Hills , giving the Patriots their second consecutive group state championship and Olsen his eighth in the previous 10 years. Hills came back to win the game in the final three minutes.


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