Forest Park definitely has talent, but to start the season it was mostly young and inexperienced. After losing a senior class that included mainstays like four-year varsity starter Brandon Edozie and guard Ethan Salvatierra, plus talented guard Jaiden Perry to transfer, Bruins Coach Mak Dogbatse only had two seniors to lean on in 2025-2026. So, alot of people figured it might take until late January or February for Forest Park to be good.
Well, the Bruins are good now.
On Monday night in Arlington, Dogbatse’s team won the George Long Tournament Championship at Wakefield by defeating Colonial Forge 51-43. The victory moved the Bruins to 9-1 on the new season and avenged a loss to the Eagles in last year’s regional tournament.
“I thought we would be competitive all year but I didn’t think we’d be this far so quickly,” said Dogbatse when asked if he thought the team would be where it is this early in the season. “But we’re playing good defense and that’s one thing we try and get our young kids to buy into is playing good defense.”
“If we can do that, we’re going to be in a lot of games that we play.”
While it’s true Dogbatse only has two seniors, he does have a couple of good ones. One, Ernest Akese made the George Long All-Tournament Team. The other, Antonio Jones, was named George Long MVP.
Against Colonial Forge Jones, who also scored 22 points in Saturday’s win against Centreville, came up big in the fourth quarter with two huge three-pointers. Jones had gone to the bench in the third quarter with three fouls, and had been off from long-range since halftime.
“I was thinking I got to keep positive, my team’s going to need me down the stretch,” said Jones when asked about what he was thinking when he had to sit in the third quarter. “So I came in, played some defense, and my threes ended up falling.”
Those threes were massive in a game where both teams played tough, gritty defense. Jones’ first in the fourth quarter put his team up 44-40 and after Colonial Forge (7-4) responded with a bucket, Jones hit again from long range to make it 47-42. Then, the Bruins’ defense essentially iced it, with junior guard Dreyden Coates scoring on a breakaway after a steal.
Jones finished with 17 points, while Coates provided a big spark off the bench with nine points. Junior guard Keon Alston, who also made the all-tourney team, had 11 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Antonio Vargas added seven points and seven assists.
Talented guards like Coates, Alston, and Jones will definitely continue to carry the Bruins into the future. But right now, they are fortunate to have guys like Akese and Jones to help them along the way.
“They’re going to be good in the future,” said Jones of his teammates. “I’ve got to set the example by going out there and playing hard and never giving up.”
–Chris Jollay