Mike Smith, who coached the Jackson Memorial High School football team to an NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship in 2005, has resigned as head coach in order to spend more time with his family.
Smith coached the Jaguars for eight years.
“I was on the sidelines this fall thinking that I was missing watching my daughters, who are playing field hockey,” said Smith, whose daughter Haley is a freshman at Jackson Memorial, and his daughter Brooke is a sixth-grader at McAuliffe Middle School. “I’ve been in this a long time and had a lot of good years. I’ll still be around watching how they do and rooting for them.”
Smith, who is a special education geometry teacher at Jackson Memorial, said three coaches on his staff expressed interest in the head coach’s position to him, but he said he will not get involved in the selection process.
Smith said those three coaches did not include Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Walt Krystopyk, who Smith said he expects will want to remain as girls track and field coach, or offensive coordinator Rob Dahl, who teaches at Brick Township High School.
Smith was Jackson Memorial’s defensive coordinator in 2000 and 2001 before becoming the Jaguars’ head coach.
Although he said the dramatic lastminute victory over Brick Memorial in the state title game was his most memorable highlight, an eight-yard pass from Corey Lavin to Joe Reggio on a broken play as time was running out at Rutgers Stadium, he also was proud of the program developing a string of state playoff appearances from 1999 through 2007 and 1,000-yard rushers in 14 of the past 15 seasons.
Included in that group was Will Clayton, who rushed for a school record 1,780 yards in his only year playing high school football. Clayton transferred for his senior year from St. Rose High School of Belmar, which does not have a football program.
Smith also spoke proudly of the NCAA Division I prospects who came up through Jackson Memorial’s program, including Jeremy Brown, a safety and linebacker who went on to play at Duke; and tackle Ray Brown, who went on to Vanderbilt; as well as three players who went on to play at Monmouth University, linebacker Joe Cella, safety Bob Cole and cornerback Joe Aruth.
“A lot of it is the great atmosphere,” said Smith. “It’s a community program with the involvement of the youth programs, but the credit goes to the kids.”
In 2010, Jackson Memorial finished 6- 4 after scoring a Thanksgiving victory over cross-town rival Jackson Liberty High School. The Jaguars were 5-5 in 2009. Jackson Memorial’s only losing season under Smith came in 2008 when the Jaguars went 3-7.
Eight defensive starters and six starters on offense are expected to return in 2011, including junior running back Brandon Winston, who rushed for 1,200 yards.