Manahawkin Community Cheering For Cincinnati Bengals Long Snapper, Hometown Hero Clark Harris In Super Bowl LVI
MANAHAWKIN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Jets and Giants might not be playing in the Super Bowl this year, but New Jersey still has reason to cheer.
A hometown hero from Manahawkin will be taking the field.
At Pietro's Restaurant, the owner is busy prepping a pizza with sliced tomatoes. The dish is a favorite of local NFL player Clark Harris, who is set to play in the Super Bowl this weekend for the Cincinnati Bengals.
"It's very exciting. You see him here as a regular and then you see him on TV. It's like I know a famous person. It is exciting," Nick Esposito told CBS2's Kiran Dhillon.
The pizza is now on special in Harris' honor.
A similar sense of pride is also being felt nearby at Southern Regional High School where Harris graduated in 2002 as an all-around athlete.
"We have one of our own in the Super Bowl, you know. Biggest game there is, biggest football game there is in our county and one of our alum is playing in it," said Chuck Donohue, the school's athletic director. "I mean we're so proud. We're so excited."
Donohue was Harris' basketball coach. He says Harris still lives in the community and always makes times to visit with athletes and students.
"He never forgot where he came from and his intuitiveness to everything that he has done for this sport, and in this sport is something that, you know, he deserves this opportunity," he said.
Harris was drafted to the NFL in 2007 after playing for Rutgers University. He started playing for the Bengals in 2009.
"Every time he's out there, even in a regular season game, we're like, that's Clark out there, just doing his thing," said Harris' long-time friend Joe Nagy, a teacher at the high school.
"Surreal," Dhillon said.
"Yeah," Nagy said.
Nagy says Harris has worked extremely hard to get where he is and has made a lot of sacrifices along the way.
"He's a great friend. Anything you need, he's right there to give you the shirt off his back," Nagy said.
He says Harris' family is already in Los Angeles ahead of the big game and many of his friends from Manahawkin are also on the way.
A few that weren't able to make it will be at a Super Bowl viewing party in his honor on Sunday.
"So proud. We just want him to bring it home for Manahawkin, for us," Nagy said.
Nagy adds the entire Manahawkin community is wishing Harris and the Bengals the best of luck.
CBS2's Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report.