- Somers coach Tony DeMatteo, 74, has formed a father-son bond with his four 30-something assistants.
- Mike Sokolofsky, Doug Packard, Dom Narcisco and Anthony DeMatteo have coached since at least 2008.
- Somers will play Greece Athena at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 for the Class A state championship.
When his daughter, Tessa, was born in July 2014, Doug Packard scribbled a short list in his mind of the people he wanted her to meet. One name featured prominently was that of his former teacher and now aboss of sorts, Tony DeMatteo, a man who had evolved from a coach to a mentor, friend and father figure since Packard played for DeMatteo in 2000.
"When my daughter was born, he was one of the first people I was hoping to see," Packard said.
Thatbond betweenDeMatteo and his coaches first formed years ago and has continued to grow through triple-sessions and births, game-plan meetings and weddings. The 74-year old and his four 30-something assistants have developed the type of relationships that havestrengthened Somers football and extended far beyond the field and film room.
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"There are four guys and one of them is a blood son," DeMatteo said. "The other three are like my adopted sons. These guys I have mentored and molded. I treat them like my sons and they respond to my like I'm their father."
"It can be hard being away from my wife and my son coaching," one of the assistants, Dom Narcisco, said, "but if there is anybodyelse I'd rather be with, it's these guys."
Narcisco, a Tappan Zee High School grad,has spent 15 years on DeMatteo's staff. He joined a year after his former college teammate at Cortland, Mike Sokolofsky, who urged Narcisco to join him.
Sokolofsky just missed coachingPackard, who playedon DeMatteo's first Somers team, which won a Section 1 title. He came aboard in 2001 and Narcisco joined the staff the following year. Both coachedAnthony DeMatteo, who, of course,had played two years earlier with Packard and had his own college detour to Cortland.
Following his years in college, Packard'suneventful job search led him home to Somers and he joined the staff in 2005. The younger DeMatteo — Tony's youngest son — started his coaching career by working camps and finally joined the rest of the group full-time in 2008.
All four men teach in the district and haven't done much more than flirt with coaching football elsewhere.
"Coaching for Tony is such a great experience," said Sokolofsky, a native of Goshen who, at 38, is the oldest of the four assistants. "We all got caught on doing that and don’t really want to leave Somers and go somwhere else. We love the group dynamic we have. You don’t have want to leave a place you love."
That dynamic has evolved throughout the years as the coaches each earned DeMatteo's trust and developed a few areas of expertise. All five coaches meet to map the game plan. On game day, the younger DeMatteo (offense) and Narcisco (defense) coach from the press box. The play callsusually originate from their mouths into DeMatteo's headset.
Packard will signal calls into the players while Sokolofsky keeps his focus pointed on the linemen and running backs for potential in-game adjustments.
DeMatteo pointed to his son's suggestion that Somers run a reverse for Matt Pires on third-and-long late in the second quarter of last week's state semifinal. They did, and Pires broke it for a 74-yard touchdown.
"Very rarely will I trump them," said DeMatteo, who still has the final say. "A lot of people have offensive and defensive coordinators, but nobody plays with my marbles."
Narcisco has taken controlof the special teams, but each assistant has also developed into a position coach. Sokolofsky and Packard coach linemen, Narcisco running backs and defensive backs and Anthony DeMatteo quarterbacks, wide receivers and linebackers.
DeMatteo really began to give his coaches more freedom in the last fiveyears, during which the Tuskers have won three Section 1 titles and now advanced to their first state final.
"In the beginning they were just learning and didn't all have that much input," DeMatteo said. "Now, after being with me all this time, they are top-shelf coaches — all of them."
DeMatteo said his coaches will even challenge him and share their ideas when they meet on Sundays to watch film and plan the upcoming week of practice. The process wasn't always so democratic, but the group usually arrives at a quick consensus.
"And when we're there from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and all of our wives and girlfriends hate us, we're having a blast," Anthony DeMatteo said.
That's nothing new for Anthony, who has been accustomed to watching students and friends respond tohis father, who, in his 48th season, has a Section 1-best 333 wins.
Even Anthony considers him more of a friend while they're coaching together. He is perhaps the person least surprised by how close the coaching staff has become.
"He's just so comfortable for a human being to deal with that he's the guy you want to go see; you want to gravitate towards him," Anthony DeMatteo said. "He's a loyal guy. You feel it. We spend so much time together that we really are like a family. These guys are my brothers."
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