Jason Volpe named head coach as Delsea football prepares for new era

Jason Volpe is fully aware of the task ahead.

In a community that breathes football, Volpe has the difficult challenge of replacing a legendary coach and taking over a program fresh off a state championship run.

Volpe, 39, was approved by the board as the next head football coach for Delsea Regional High School on Wednesday night.

It will be Volpe’s first head coaching job. He was an assistant coach for Vineland for 14 years and was on the Delsea staff as an assistant last fall.

While the school has been open since 1960, Volpe joins a very short list to hold the job.

John Oberg won a then-South Jersey record 230 games from 1960-1993 before his next-door neighbor Sal Marchese took the program over and ran it for the next 31 years, accumulating 249 wins, 11 sectional titles and the first state championship last fall.

More: Sal Marchese steps down as Delsea football head coach after 31 years

Now, the Crusaders turn to a Vineland native to guide the team into the future.

“I’m really excited to get started,” Volpe said. “Obviously there is a huge amount of pressure being on the third head coach in school history and especially after what those coaches have accomplished. Just in recent history, winning a state title last year and being state runner-up the year before. Those are huge shoes to fill.

“I’m confident in what we’re going to be able to continue to do here. It’s important to keep that culture and work ethic they built going. It’s not just having talent, it’s how you use it and develop it. There is a recipe for success here.”

Volpe learned the Delsea way as an assistant coach in the program last year, working with the freshman and junior varsity teams. He also said several assistant coaches will be staying on the staff, including offensive line coach Ron Flaim, quarterback coach Mark Deal along with Tom Sweeney and Darryl Price.

More: Legendary Delsea football coach, athletic director John Oberg dies

The season watching Marchese and Co. work proved invaluable for Volpe.

“It was beneficial to see how things operate here,” said Volpe, who is a physical education teacher at the school. “The day-to-day stuff, how they schedule things, what their routine is like. It was huge benefit to be able to learn from these great coaches and how they relate to the kids.”

That doesn’t mean there won’t be major changes for Delsea, especially on the offensive side of the football.

The Crusaders will say goodbye to the Wing-T, a staple for the program for its entire existence.

“I’m going to run a shotgun offense,” said Volpe, who was an offensive coordinator during his time at Vineland.

"He's very innovative," former Vineland head coach Dan Russo said. "His offenses at Vineland hold most of the records, including 395 points in a season (2016). He has the perfect demeanor to work with kids too, never gets too high or too low."

Daniel Russo, a junior at Delsea and the former Vineland coach's son, was the quarterback at Vineland in Volpe's offense. He transferred over to Delsea where he was a fullback/linebacker on the Crusaders' state championship squad.

"He's always thinking ahead," the younger Russo said. "He has a plan for everything. If the other team would shoot something at us, he'd would always have something to counter it."

Delsea athletic director Ken Schoudt said Volpe had strong answers during the interview, but it was question he asked the AD that was impressive.

“He asked what I was looking for in a coach,” Schoudt said. “I told him I wanted someone who is going to respect what happened before they got here, but was ready to make it their own, putting their own twist on the program.

“He’s got his work cut out for him. He knows it. But there’s nothing in his mindset that this program is going to fall off. Jason is ready to pick the ball up and run with it.”

Volpe said Marchese told the new coach to be himself and not to be influenced by anyone on the outside.

“He said that everything is going to change and that’s OK,” Volpe said. “He’s been very supportive and very helpful. He told him I can lean on him.”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Delsea football names Jason Volpe as its third head coach in 64 years