NJ Cops April2018 | Page 62

Snow Bowl X11 More than your average guys Berkeley Township Local displays special inspiration n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL n PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI JR. Berkeley Township Local 237 played Snow Bowl XII with in- spiration from – and in tribute to – Will Ferrell and Mark Wahl- berg. And James Coletti. Local 237 donned jerseys designed with “The Other Guys” emblazoned in green and white on the front, words stacked in the same formation as the poster for the famed movie starring Ferrell and Wahlberg as offbeat guys on the beat. The moniker wasn’t so much a nod to the actors, but an acknowledgement of how law enforcement can be viewed these days. Not the good guys or the bad guys; the “Other Guys.” “Exactly,” confirmed Berkeley Township team captain Jason Malley. “We’re the grinders. Like ‘The Other Guys.’” Beyond Anchorman and Marky Mark, the real headliner for Local 237 in Snow Bowl 2018 was Coletti. He is the older broth- er of Local 237 member Pat Coletti, who was part of the team that lost two of its three games by the narrowest of margins. James is a former Special Olympics speed skater who brought some of that speed to the games this year. “I couldn’t be with a better group of guys because they bring James into everything that we do, right down to the Polar Bear Plunge, this and everything else,” Pat Coletti explained. “They get amped just by being out here with him.” 62 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ APRIL 2018 Local 237 ran a play in which James took the ball and acceler- ated 50 yards – the length of the field for this flag football event – leaving everybody in his wake. The touchdown run provided a rush for the entire team. “He’s got some wheels, so he brought it right through,” Pat exclaimed. “It was pretty awesome to watch it happen. He’s get- ting a big kick out of it, and there’s no better place to be than Giants Stadium.” Local 237 went into full grind mode right from the start, and, in its first game, came back from a deficit to defeat Caldwell Local 81. That was Berkeley Township’s only win but it came against the team that won the division and went on to the play- offs. And while winning might have been the objective, it was not the inspiration. “Just to have fun, to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics and, you know, just get out here and have a good time,” Malley said. So between James outrunning everybody to the end zone and a jersey that made many participants stop, take notice and even cheer for “The Other Guys,” there was a lasting impression of Local 237’s effort that can be best described in the words of Ron Burgundy: “Don’t act like you’re not impressed.” d