6/21/2011 - High Point Finds Solution With Percey
Rutgers football wasn’t the only team to have a High Point solution this week.
The state university sold the naming rights to its football stadium to Sparta-based High Point Solutions owned by two proud High Point graduates and the owners’ alma mater found the solution to its football coach situation within the halls of the school.
Former assistant coach Bill Percey officially received the keys to the program this week when the High Point Regional High School Board of Education unanimously named him the school’s replacement to the very successful Jim Delaney who left the district to take over the top job at Montville when his teaching position at High Point was eliminated due to budget cuts.
“I’m absolutely elated and excited to get the job and I can’t wait to get going,” said Percey, who also stepped down as the Wildcats’ boys varsity basketball coach to concentrate on football and was an assistant to Delaney the last three seasons.
“We have a great bunch of kids who have been waiting for their turn to play behind this great senior class,” added Percey, an assistant coach at Wayne Hills under Hall-of-Fame coach Chris Olsen for six seasons before coming to High Point. “There is a lot of work to do and they know they have to step it up.”
Indeed they do. The 18 seniors that graduated this week helped turn the fortunes of the program under the outstanding guidance of Delaney. The Wildcats had their best season since 2001 when they went 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the American Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference in 2010.
High Point also won its first state tournament game since 2001, and second in school history, when the Wildcats topped Pascack Valley 28-20 in the opening round of the North 1, Group 3 tourney.
The Wildcats dream season came to an end in the section semifinals to state power Wayne Hills in a 49-0 defeat.
“We are happy Bill got the job,” said High Point AD Gib Carter. “His will bring continuity to the program, high energy and the kids like him. He also has a great background working with Jim, who did a great job and we will miss, and he was at Wayne Hills. We’re excited.”
I agree with Carter, it was the right hire. Ever since it was announced Delaney was going to lose his teaching position speculation began on who would take over the program at such a critical time.
When speaking with Percey you can hear the enthusiasm in his voice when he talks about the High Point football team. A smile creases his face when he talks about the team’s dedication in the weight room and the support the squad receives from the local community and school administration.
After observing how excited and passionate he is about High Point football, you couldn’t possibly see the school selecting anyone else to take over the football program.
Delaney, who went 19-22 in four seasons including a 13-8 mark the last two, seemingly has the program going in the right direction. He awoke High Point Nation and the community was back into football again after too many losing Saturdays.
My feeling is that Percey will pick up where Delaney left off. Yes, he lost one of the best classes the school has ever seen, but football numbers are way up at the school and the weight room is no longer treated like detention for the players. They want to be there.
Percey said he isn’t planning on making any wholesale changes and he will run the flexbone attack that Delaney brought to Wantage.
“I want to keep it familiar for the kids, they know the offense,” said Percey, who will call the plays. “It is unfortunate what happened to Jim because I learned so much from him. He will do a great job down at Montville.”
Montville is also a member of the American Division and the Wildcats had their way with the Mustangs last year in a 42-7 victory.
“We have kidded each other,” said Percey of facing off with Delaney. “We each wish each other the best of luck and that we each go 8-1.”
Percey said being an assistant coach to Olsen also gave him the motivation to become a head coach.
“He has been a great influence and still is,” said Percey. “Just the way he runs the program, making the kids believe they can win and he has a great wealth of knowledge,” said Percey, a Wayne Hills graduate. “He has been a big supporter of mine and we would love to get to the level Wayne Hills is at.”
Percey came to High Point three years ago to take over the boys hoops program and he did a nice job getting the team into the state tournament the last two years. The Wildcats return a good nucleus of young players and Percey said he thinks the Wildcats will be fine.
“It was a difficult decision,” Percey said of leaving hoops. “We are starting to turn the corner with the youth program and we have some nice young players. But being a head football coach has always been a dream of mine.”
Carter said the school is looking for a replacement for Percey. As I have chronicled in this blog recently, there are plenty of quality candidates available in the area, so whomever the Wildcats hire will be stepping into a good situation.
Percey isn’t the only thing that is going to be new this fall for High Point football. The Wildcats will play their home games under the lights on Friday nights after the school put in permanent lights this spring.
“Coming from Wayne Hills, Friday night was football,” said Percey. “What a great job the football club, the parents and the school did. The kids are so excited they are talking about opening night like it is their birthday.
“Now we want to go out and show the community why we did this,” he added. “Opening night will be special.”
It certainly will be. I’m glad High Point hired Percey and that Delaney landed on his feet at Montville. It was just a terrible situation all around because Delaney did not want to leave.
And the name game associated with who would take over was crazy. Joe Mattessich of Jefferson publicly acknowledged he had an interest and every name you could come up with from former Pope John coach Vic Paternostro to New Jersey Stags head coach Gary Haase had been mentioned to me at one time or another as a candidate.
So High Point found its football solution and only time will tell if it was the right one, but I’m betting the Wildcats won’t be in the business of looking for a new head football coach for years to come, budget pending, of course.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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