There is a lot of context that has to be sorted through, but I will try to keep this about Holy Trinity football, and how it affects the NYCHSFL. This is a follow up on this post. To summarize, Holy Trinity decided to move on from Head Coach and 1998 alumnus Gino Tassone after a very successful season for the Titans, and in my opinion, not a good move as it pertains to the football program. Since Holy Trinity has decided not to comment about his dismissal, I did not reach out to them for comment on this piece. Well, it is now February, and I have heard, uh, quite a bit more information on the environment that is going on in Hicksville.

See the email below:

Bethpage is a Division III Long Island program, and went 9-2 last season, falling to Wantagh in the playoffs. Coach Mack takes over a program that is now quite behind the 8 ball when it comes to assembling a team. I have heard from current parents that 6 football players have transferred out already with 8 more intending to leave in June. The lack of communication, and planning for this has been a big issue all along, as I have had many parents reach out to me for an update. Now to set context on the situation that Coach Mack is walking into.

After I published the last post, multiple stakeholders, current parents, alumni, etc. reached out to me with similar stories regarding the administration’s reluctance to meet. A meeting did happen on Tuesday, January 27 at night. This meeting should have happened the first few weeks after Mr. Sloan was hired in October. It was sold as a “Athletics Meet and Greet” where you had to register to attend. See below:

It was recorded by multiple people. I listened to the first part, where the principal, Brian Columban, was grilled by parents about the direction of the athletic program, and the circumstances around Mr. Tassone’s dismissal. I can tell you that the official line that Holy Trinity is using is that there was disagreement between Mr. Tassone and Mr. Sloan over the treatment of a student. My sources indicate that Mr. Tassone was in defense of that student, advocating for the student’s interest and well-being. The administration did not want to have a Q and A about this, and did not want to address anything about the football program specifically, and really made an effort to shut down any discussion in public about it.

It appears that Holy Trinity is heading in a direction that will highlight their academics, and their commitment to the Catholic faith, the latter being one of the pillars of the Morning Star Initiative, which was run by the Marianist religious order (who run both Chaminade and Kellenberg). There was talk of an outright ban on “recruiting.” I know that this is an ‘oh so sensitive’ topic, but current rules in the CHSAA place a ban on recruiting specifically for athletics, and the culture at Holy Trinity has traditionally been athletics focused. So, naturally, there is a gray area as to what is, and is not acceptable.

From my point of view– every Catholic school recruits. Holding an information session, sending out fliers, posting ads, open house events, are all examples of recruiting. Athletics, particularly the football program, is a key component to student life extracurriculars, and is a major draw to attract families and kids. The point made about not allowing recruiting is completely ridiculous, especially for a school with under 500 students, down from around 650 when Mr. Columban started.

Coach Mack comes into a situation in which he is going to have to earn the trust of the parent community, the alumni community, and will need to be resourceful. He also has a demanding schedule, Holy Trinity is ranked #1 in the ‘AA-2’ division, and plays 3 ‘AA-1’ opponents. The Catholic league welcomes Coach Mack, and I wish him luck!

What do you think of this hire?

Enjoy mid-winter break!