Old habits often die hard when new coaches take over high school varsity football programs.
However, Philip “Phlip” McGuane believes New Egypt High School’s players are adapting well to different offensive and defensive schemes as they prepare for their Sept. 12 opener at home against Riverside High School at 7 p.m.
“Things are going well. The kids are working hard and very coachable with the new offense and new defense. They’ve done a nice job learning it,” McGuane said.
McGuane succeeds Luke Sinkhorn, who left after five seasons as head coach to take over Howell High School’s football program.
New Egypt has switched from its multiple sets on offense to a Delaware wing-T that McGuane has used during his long coaching career, most recently for one season last fall at Parsippany High School. He also had a brief stint at Dunellen High School and 15 seasons at South Plainfield High School.
“I like their work ethic,” McGuane said. “They understand what I’m asking for with the tempo in practice. They’re coachable and competing [for starting spots] well.”
McGuane takes over a team eager to leave behind last year’s 2-8 record that included an NJSIAA consolation victory over Keansburg High School. The Warriors recently found success with back-to-back NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011. The Warriors won 15 games and earned a state playoff victory over those two seasons. Like Sinkhorn, McGuane has realized that coaching a Group I school has its limitations. With many players starting on both sides of the ball, depth becomes an issue.
“With Group I, staying healthy is a key,” McGuane said. “If somebody goes down, you lose two starters in one player, and it also impacts special teams [where many players turn in triple duty].”
Junior Alex Barnett, who is up from the junior varsity team, takes over at quarterback, with junior Chris Wolff and freshman Kyle Frimel as backups. Frimel’s older brother, Kurt, is off to a college football career at Cornell University and was an NJSIAA outdoor track and field Meet of Champions qualifier in discus.
McGuane acknowledged Barnett’s skills and his savvy to improvise when a play may break down.
“He’s athletic [and] a heady kid who has improved,” McGuane said.
He’ll hand the ball off to senior veteran Trevor Buckalew, who is back in the starting lineup at fullback, as well as experienced halfbacks Chris Simms, a senior, and Geno Tortoriello, a junior. Senior Andrew Bunce and junior Chris Tereszczyn will also see time on the field. Senior Nick Pritchard is the tight end, and he is backed up by sophomore R.J. Lees.
Wolff, sophomore Tim Seiler and freshman Matt Mansure are wide receivers expected to see a lot of playing time.
The offensive line is loaded with seniors, but center Alex Sempervive is the only returnee with proven starting experience. Guards Adam Estey and John Petrenko, and tackles Jack Darienzo, Dan Buschoff and Cody Campbell are solid players who performed well in scrimmages against Audubon High School and Manchester Township High School last week. Another scrimmage is scheduled for Sept. 5 at Point Pleasant Beach High School.
There is more depth on the line than usual for a Group I school, with two-way line prospects Eric Katz, a senior, and Liam Snell, a junior, eager to step in at any time in different positions.
Pritchard is the kicker and punter, and he also plays inside linebacker alongside Estey.
Other defensive starters also move over from the offensive side, with Petrenko and Buschoff at tackle, Sempervive and Darienzo at end, Buckalew and Lees at outside linebacker, Simms and Tereszczyn at cornerback and Tortoriello at safety.
“The defense is coming along with the new system they have to learn,” McGuane said. “The coaches have done a great job of the installation and teaching it to the kids, and the kids have worked hard at it.”
Ted Amo, a former head coach at Green Brook High School and Linden High School and a former defensive coordinator at North Plainfield High School, is the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at New Egypt. He also works with the quarterbacks and inside linebackers. McGuane is offensive coordinator, coaching the offensive line and outside linebackers. Paul Carrezola, a Rutgers University graduate this spring, is the latest addition to the staff, working with the offensive and defensive lines and tight ends. Brendan McCarthy will be back for his third year as assistant working as special teams coordinator and with the line. Don Bunce, a New Egypt graduate who played wide receiver and defensive back for the Warriors, has also joined the staff.
McGuane is also the new athletic director, and he said his adjustment in his first year at that position has been made easier with the help and advice of former athletic director, Jim Sawicki, who is now head trainer; and school principal Gene Mosely, who was the principal at Dunellen when McGuane coached there.
It is the second time that New Egypt had an athletic director who also served as varsity coach. Rich Carroll was baseball coach and athletic director at New Egypt before leaving two years ago to become director of athletics at Middletown High School South.