Shore Conference Football: Oh baby! Manchester wins first game for new fan

Coach Tom Farrell Jr. proved to be a man of his word.

The Manchester High School football coach and his assistants always preach family. This week, he practiced what he preached, and he did so by doing the last thing a football coach wants to do during the season: be away from his team.

But Farrell had good reason to be absent, so let's hope he has no grass drills in his future. Instead of taking care of business at Manchester, he was taking care of business at home.

“It's awesome, a blessing, you can't put it into words until it happens,” said Farrell, who along with his wife Sophie welcomed their first child, Keira, on Tuesday. “We went to a routine appointment Monday night and we were told she had to get induced. So we called an audible. We had a backup plan, no hiccups.

“I’m so proud of my wife. She’s the head coach at home, if she says jump, I say how high. It's amazing you can't put it into words. She's healthy, we have a great support system with our parents. We’re very spoiled, we have the best support system.”

Family first

And Farrell’s football family took care of everything in his absence.

He was more of a glorified spectator Friday night when his team knocked off a talented and tough Asbury Park team 27-22. He liked what he saw, and he knew he would thanks to the guys on his staff and his team.

"Asbury Park is a phenomenal football team,” the new dad said. “Despite their record, it's what the 11 players do in those white lines. When you have three turnovers and it's a tie ballgame, it's tough. But we had to adjust at halftime. They're fast and athletic and do a lot of good things, and we didn't tackle well. But I was proud of how they responded, coming out in the second half. That’s the Manchester football team we want to be. With me not being there, shoutout to my amazing staff.”

Because he was unable to show up for school or practice, he credits defensive coordinator Gerard O’Donnell, a former head coach at Manchester, offensive coordinator Jeff Brown and special teams coach Alex Lunn with keeping everything rolling. He also gave a nod to his players.

“The only thing I did tonight was call timeouts, I just let them coach because they’re amazing,” said Farrell, who is O’Donnell’s nephew. “I didn’t even give a pregame speech because it would be false enthusiasm. I took a backseat, and that’s a testament to the team and the coaching staff.

“You know, I knew I had nothing to worry about. They are so good, I knew I had nothing to do but focus on my wife and newborn. We preach family first, you have your family at home and your family on the team. I was with my other family and they had things handled.”

Farrell walked away with more than just a win and a new addition to his family.

Keira will have plenty of toys to play with, but she officially has her first ball, courtesy of Josh Love, who rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

“After the game, we gave the game ball to Josh Love, and he turned around and gave it to me for my daughter,” Farrell said. “It was a little emotional. They were all happy for us.”

And happy for the Farrell family, who have a lot of fun ahead of them with Keira. And while dad wouldn’t mind seeing her pick up his other favorite sport, she’ll be a very loved little girl no matter what.

“I’m hoping the LPGA tour because I love golf,” Farrell said with a laugh. “Or I’m a football coach, her mom is a nurse, so maybe she’ll be a physical therapist.

“Everyone is happy and healthy, and that’s all we care about. It’s been a very exciting week. We have so much support, it’s really been nice.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore football: Manchester football coach wins for his new baby