Dave Santos, who announced his retirement this past January as the Marlboro High School boys’ soccer coach after 21 seasons, will be honored at a dinner June 3.
The dinner, which will be held at the Fireside Grill, Marlboro, starting at 7 p.m., will be a tribute to the man who won the most games (187) in the history of the Marlboro boys’ soccer program.
The dinner was organized by two of his former Marlboro players, brothers Danny and Yoni Litwok. Danny Litwok served as the captain of the 2006 team, while Yoni Litwok was captain of the 2003 unit.
During his 21 years at Marlboro, Santos guided teams to three Central Jersey state sectional group tournament finals and three appearances in the Shore Conference Tournament. In 2009, Santos coached Marlboro to the championship of the Shore Conference Tournament.
His final team this past fall advanced to the championship games in both the Shore Conference and Central Jersey, Group IV state sectional tournaments.
Marlboro fell to Christian Brothers Academy in the Shore Conference Tournament finals and to Hunterdon Central Regional High School in the state sectional title game.
Marlboro ended the 2017 season with a 20-2-2 record, and Santos left with a career record of 187-197-24 at the school.
Santos, who also coached for six years at Red Bank Catholic High School, retired with an overall coaching mark of 228-250-35.
According to Danny Litwok, Santos’ accomplishments on the field paled in comparison to his dedication to his players.
“Coach Santos was very committed to his players,” he said. “Coach Santos not only taught his players how to play the game of soccer — he taught them teamwork, determination, focus and pride. Coach Santos had a natural ability to know just how far to push his players to take them to the next level, while at the same time not being over-demanding or strict.”
Danny Litwok also said that Santos’ background in soccer helped him as a coach as well.
“He was a talented player himself and incredibly knowledgeable about the game, so he commanded respect from his teams,” Danny Litwok said. “He combined this with a sense of humor that made every team meeting, practice and game a lot of fun.”
The Litwok brothers encourage all Marlboro alumni to join in the celebration. For tickets, contact Danny Litwok at [email protected] or Yoni Litwok at ylitwok@gmail.