State of the Program: New coaching staff trying to put Whippany Park football 'on the map'
Luke Maginnis has spent a lot of time promoting Whippany Park football on social media. It's part of the first-time head coach's plan to put the team "back on the map."
Maginnis was confirmed by the Hanover Park Regional Board of Education on Feb. 8. He had the Wildcats in the weight room a couple of weeks later, waking up at 6 a.m. to lift every weekday.
"That was a great way to get things to where we are now," said Maginnis, who will be a special education teacher at Whippany Park. "The culture was just waiting there. I think it's been waiting there for a long time. It's just having the right people and giving them accountability."
A self-described "farm kid at heart," Maginnis played at Warren Hills and then was a three-year starter at linebacker for Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. He started coaching at Smyrna (Delaware) High School, winning a state championship while still student teaching. Maginnis did a graduate assistantship with the football team at FDU-Florham, then moved through Glen Ridge, Bernards and most recently Caldwell.
Brian Maginnis, a former Warren Hills coach and North Hunterdon teacher, will be the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator alongside his son. Former Sparta quarterback Anthony Broccoletti will be the Whippany Park QB coach and junior varsity offensive coordinator. Isaiah Turner, a Morris Hills and FDU alumnus, will be the linebackers coach and JV defensive coordinator.
Brian Wenzel came over from Verona to be the line coach. Irvington native and Cedar Knolls resident Al Singleton, who won the Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, will coach outside linebackers and the offensive line. Jimmy Zilinski, who played and coached at Morristown Beard, will coach the running backs and defensive backs. Julian Johnson, who was at Boonton last fall, will be the safeties coach.
The Wildcats had a week off for July 4 and Maginnis' honeymoon, and will have another right before official practice begins on Aug. 9.
"It's been a lot of work already, but I'm up for the challenge," Maginnis said. "They really want to win so bad. They show it by their actions, not just by what they say."
Tradition
The Wildcats won the 1980 NJSIAA North 2, Group 2 title, but have rarely made the playoffs since. They've won nine games in the last five seasons, seven of them in 2021.
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The challenge
Maginnis has been trying to build relationships with the new coaching staff and players, Whippany Park administrators, and the wider community. He has been "recruiting the hallway" since arriving in the winter, trying to build the pool of potential players.
"They really want to win so bad," Maginnis said. "They show it by their actions, and not just by what they say."
With 60 players available, Whippany Park will have varsity and "froshmore" teams, combining the sophomores and 13 freshmen on JV – a model Maginnis brought from Bernards, where he was defensive coordinator. Maginnis has introduced a no-huddle, run-first system, with a three-man front on defense.
"We're bringing a lot of new age things, getting them caught up with the times at Whippany Park," he said. "We're getting them nice gear, changing up the logos a little bit, playing music at practice, little things kids really enjoy doing."
More: They played the games. We did the math. Who's No. 1 in Morris/Sussex high school sports?
2023 schedule
Sept. 1: vs. North Warren
Sept. 8: vs. Parsippany
Sept. 14: at Pequannock
Sept. 22: at Hackettstown
Sept. 29: vs. Wallkill Valley
Oct. 6: at Mountain Lakes
Oct. 13: at Kinnelon
Oct. 20: vs. Boonton
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: New Whippany Park NJ football coach hopes to bring consistency
