7/15/2010 - Marchiano Named Sparta Coach
Frank Marchiano is fully aware of the outstanding tradition the Sparta football team has built over the last 50 years.
Now the longtime Spartan assistant and former Jefferson star is ready to continue the Spartans’ winning ways under his tutelage as he has been named just the sixth head football coach in school history.
Marchiano was approved by the Sparta Board of Education at its June meeting and he takes over the reins from Sparta AD Pat Shea, who stepped down to concentrate on his ever-expanding duties as AD at the school.
“It is an incredible honor and privilege to be the head coach at Sparta,” said Marchiano, an assistant the last 11 seasons and the defensive coordinator under Shea. “To have the opportunity to be the head coach in one of the finest school systems in the state is an honor.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I’m excited to work with this group of players,” added Marchiano. “Every year coming in you face certain challenges and I think this group is ready to work hard.”
Marchiano takes over a program that went 9-2 last year and placed second in the National Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference behind rival Pope John. The Spartans also qualified for the state playoffs before losing in an instant classic, 41-38 in OT, in the North 1, Group 3 semifinals to state power Wayne Hills.
Shea decided in May that he needed to step down and Marchiano was his No. 1 choice to replace him. In two stints at Sparta, which covered 15 seasons, Shea went 102-50 (.671) with four Sussex County Interscholastic League titles and one state sectional crown when the Spartans brought home the hardware in 2003 after topping Dover in the North 1, Group 2 final.
In Shea’s second stint the Spartans went a combined 18-4 and shared the final SCIL crown with Jefferson and Pope John in 2008.
“When I found out Pat was stepping down, I talked it over with my family and I decided to throw my hat into the ring, so to speak,” said Marchiano, who graduated from Jefferson in 1991 and played for the Falcons’ outstanding mentor John Cinotti.
“I’ve always wanted to be a head coach,” he added. “And Sparta is a great place to be.”
Marchiano did a fantastic job with the Spartans’ defense the last few years, but he said he will take over the offensive play-calling this year. The Spartans’ basic formation is the Delaware Wing T, but Marchiano said he will add a few wrinkles, just like Shea did.
Marchiano also said he is in the process of replacing two assistant coaches who also stepped down.
Longtime assistant Gene Mendes, for my money the best assistant coach ever in Sussex County history, be it football or basketball, has stepped down as did fellow veteran coach Tim Librizzi, another former Jefferson star who has played a major role in the Spartans’ success.
Marchiano can still lean on another veteran in assistant coach Ken Windt, who has coached in Sussex County as either a head coach or assistant the last 30 years.
Marchiano said his coaching style is based on everything he has learned over the years from the various coaches he has played for and worked with.
He played high school ball under Cinotti and played high school baseball under another outstanding coach in Mike Yahnko. In college, he played for one of the most winningest football coaches in Division III in Eric Hamilton at The College of New Jersey.
He also coached under Chris Eastman at Jefferson before coming to coach for Shea at Sparta 12 years ago.
“Every single coach I played for I stole the best parts from them,” said Marchiano. “Coach Cinotti was a big influence on me and still is, and I catch myself saying the same things that Coach Hamilton said to me. I learned so much from them.
“Also, Chris Eastman was great to work for and I learned so much from Pat and Gene,” he added. “You just take bits and pieces and that is how you develop your philosophy.”
Sparta will be playing in the new-fangled American Division of the NJAC this season. The division has a more SCIL feel to it as the Spartans will face archrival Pope John, High Point, Jefferson and Vernon, which Sparta did not face last year.
The Spartans will also face Montville, Morris Hills and Mount Olive in divisional play. They will battle North Bergen on opening night in their independent game and they will take on defending North 2, Group 3 champs West Morris in their Week 9 crossover.
Last year, Sparta demolished Hoboken in its independent before nipping Roxbury, the eventual North 1, Group 4 champ, 20-13, in a classic in Week 9, handing the Gaels their only loss of the season.
“We will see quality teams in our division, just like last year,” said Marchiano of the new realignment. “We didn’t see Vernon last year, but Chuck Tepper does a great job there and it will be good to play them again.
“We added North Bergen and West Morris is our crossover,” he added. “We lost Roxbury and get West Morris, so that is like jumping from out of the fire and into the frying pan.
“And anyone who knows high school football knows about North Bergen and Coach (Vinny) Ascolese,” he added about the Hudson County Hall-of-Famer who owns an incredible 341-122-7 record with the Bruins, who went 5-5 last year and made the states.
“He is a legend and has been there a long time,” Marchiano said. “But we are going to go down and do our best to get win No. 1 against him.”
It is a shame that due to all the budgetary issues at Sparta that Shea had to step down because of his expanded role at the school. Shea is an outstanding coach and his players love playing for him.
But if he had to leave, then Marchiano was the right choice. I advocated Marchiano’s selection when I heard Shea stepped down and I’m glad the district board of education felt the same way.
Naming Marchiano keeps the continuity that Shea had built and I see no reason why Marchiano won’t keep the winning tradition going at Sparta. Here is wishing Marchiano all the luck in the world. He knows he just joined a very exclusive club and he is ready to become a longtime member.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines
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