Pemberton football honors former coach at Homecoming celebration

Pemberton Township High School football coach John Rosnick is presented with the Lions Bowl trophy after a 21-14 win over Rancocas Valley at Coach Bill Gordon Field on the campus of Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey on Thursday, November 25, 2004. Photo provided by Pemberton Township Schools

For current Pemberton Township High School football coach Gerald Davis, it feels like yesterday when John Rosnick asked him to become an assistant coach at the high school level.

Davis was invited to join the Hornets' coaching staff in 2015. His son, Noah Davis, was in his fourth year as a starting defensive back for Pemberton and went on to play Division-II football at Seton Hill University. Noah's younger brother, Cole Davis, also played at Pemberton under the direction of Rosnick for a season in 2018 before a collegiate career at Franklin & Marshall College after graduation in 2020.

The current Pemberton coach helped develop the high school's feeder program when Rosnick was at the helm.

"He liked what we were doing at the youth level and invited me to come up to the high school level," Davis said.

Rosnick passed away in June at the age of 66. He was born in Philadelphia and was a longtime resident of Burlington County. Rosnick spent 34 years as a health and physical education teacher at Pemberton Township Schools after he graduated from Southern Connecticut State University. He was a member of the Hornets' football staff for 33 years and was the head coach of the program for 16 years. After his retirement in 2018, Rosnick moved with his wife, Sherrie, and two daughters, Cathryn and Holly, to Fort Pierce, Florida.

"It was emotional for me," Davis said, "because I wouldn't even be here coaching at Pemberton. It was coach Rosnick who invited me from the youth level to come coach at the high school level. I owe him everything. He saw something in me to bring me up to this level."

The former coach was honored before Pemberton's 20-0 loss to Deptford in a West Jersey Football League Royal Division clash at William McDowell Field last Saturday. It was the Hornets' Homecoming celebration.

Family members traveled from Fort Pierce to join the Hornets to honor Rosnick’s life. Davis presented the family with flowers, and the public address read a statement in honor of the program's former leader. A moment of silence was observed before both teams took the field.

"It was very special to have his family here," Davis said. "They came all the way from Florida. I was glad that they were happy with how we presented everything. That made me very proud and happy that we could honor him in that way."

Pemberton Township High School football coach Gerald Davis, fourth from left, presents the Rosnick family with flowers in memory of former coach John Rosnick before the Hornets' West Jersey Football League Royal Division football game against Deptford at William McDowell Field on the campus of Helen A. Fort Middle School in Pemberton, New Jersey on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Photo provided by Pemberton Township Schools

Rosnick guided the program from 2002 to 2017. He accumulated an 80-83 record and led Pemberton to eight playoff appearances with postseason wins in 2004, 2005 and 2015. The 20-6 triumph over Delsea in the 2004 South Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals was the program's first playoff win since a 9-7 victory over Rancocas Valley in the 1977 South Jersey Group 4 final.

The Hornets also won a BurlCo/Olympic Liberty Division title in 2004. In 2005, the Hornets went on the road as the No. 6 seed to upset Hammonton, 17-7, in the S.J. Group 3 quarterfinals.

Landis Williams played for Rosnick at Pemberton from 2002 to 2006. He went on to play football and run track at the University of Maine and was signed as a free agent by the Denver Broncos in 2010 before playing in the Arena Football League.

“I developed a relationship with Rosnick that was bigger than coach and player,” Williams said. “He often checked on me while at Maine and when I was in Denver. I had the opportunity to even coach on his staff in 2014. I was blessed enough to be in contact with coach Rosnick all the way up until his passing.”

Williams also competed with Johnnie Troutman. Troutman received first-team all-state and All-South Jersey honors under Rosnick's tutelage. He started 19 games at Penn State University and was a fifth-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2012. Troutman started 24 games in two seasons for the Chargers.

Troutman and Williams are just two of many players from Rosnick’s tenure that played collegiate and professional football beyond high school.

In 2015, Pemberton earned a 23-21 come-from-behind win over Oakcrest in the South Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals. It remains the most recent playoff win in school history. The Hornets won the West Jersey Football League Liberty Division championship and set a school record for most wins in a single season after a 9-2 campaign that concluded with a loss to Camden in the S.J. Group 3 semifinals.

The 2015 season was dubbed the "Revenge Tour” by players.

"Being a part of that ‘Revenge Tour’ and having Rosnick at the helm was very special," Antoine Wilson, a four-year starter from 2012 to 2015, said. "Being that all the talent Pemberton had in coach Rosnick's tenure, it was nice being a part of something so special to all of us and breaking the record."

Senior members of the Pemberton Township High School football team celebrate with the Commander's Cup trophy after a 22-20 win over Northern Burlington at Northern Burlington County Regional High School in Mansfield, New Jersey on Thursday, November 26, 2015. Photo provided by Pemberton Township Schools

Wilson was also a four-year starter for the Hornets' basketball team as a point guard. He helped Pemberton win its first sectional championship in school history in 2016. His favorite memory was an interaction with Rosnick as a senior after a 72-64 victory over Northern Burlington in the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals when Rosnick worked as a security guard for basketball games.

"He wasn't one to show much emotion," Wilson said. "Not even during the football season. It was basketball season and he always loved to watch and support his athletes. He would be security at our games. Playoffs roll around for the basketball team, and we captured a win against Northern Burlington. 'Coach Ros' was showing some excitement and I ran over to him and gave him a little chest bump. We shared a small moment there that I'll always remember."

The Hornets football team won five straight Lions Bowl matchups against County Route 630 rival Rancocas Valley from 2003 through 2007. Pemberton defeated the Red Devils six times during Rosnick’s tenure. He also guided Pemberton to six wins over Northern Burlington for the Commander's Cup. The two teams are longtime rivals separated by Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

“It’s hard for me to remember if I ever lost to R.V. while playing varsity football,” Williams said. “Coach always talked about tradition and ‘Hornet Pride’, which we took very serious. We knew the guys that played before us and always wanted to be his best class. No matter how good our year was going or how much we were struggling, he always made it known that those two rivalry games were for bragging rights.”

Rosnick’s impact on his family, friends, colleagues, students and players is everlasting.

“Coach Rosnick was more than a coach,” Williams said. “He was a father figure and family to many of us. He gave us structure, and taught us that life has consequences. Although he was a man of few words, his presence will live on.”