Tag: Rich Hilliard

by Mike Pavlichko

Hilliard steps down at St. Joseph-Metuchen

After five seasons leading the St. Joseph high school football team, Rich Hilliard is leaving Metuchen.

Hilliard – the third head coach in the Falcons’ short history – handed in his resignation this week, following a 3-6 season, with one COVID-related forfeit loss.

With a mark of 30-17 in his tenure at St. Joe’s, their best season under his tutelage was a 9-1 campaign in 2017, his first season with the Falcons.

He coached several D1 prospects, including big offensive lineman John Olmstead, who graduated in 2018 and went to Notre Dame; he later transferred to Lafayette. He also coaches Jon Sot’s senior year in 2017; he went on to Harvard and became the school’s best-ever punter.

Hilliard told Central Jersey Sports Radio Tuesday he’s not looking for another head coaching job, but he’d consider it if the right one comes along. He said he had been thinking about retiring for some time, and – for now – plans to get out his golf clubs and hit the links, and spend more time with his family.

Hilliard replaced Casey Ransone in 2017, who was 26-13 in four seasons, following Bob Molarz, who began the program, which played its first varsity season against an independent schedule in 2011, joining the Greater Middlesex Conference the next year.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Somerville and St. Joseph to meet for the first time Saturday afternoon in Metuchen

St. Joseph head coach Rich Hilliard his team isn’t afraid to play anyone. They don’t shy away from a challenge.

That’s a good mindset for his Falcons to have when they entertain top-ranked Somerville Saturday afternoon at Brenner Family Field in the Saturday “Big Central Game of the Week” driven by Mark Montenero and his team at the world-famous Autoland.

The Pioneers come in with a 4-1 record, but have been dominant. Three of their four wins have been by shutout, and they have only allowed more than seven points once this season, that in a 32-20 loss to state-ranked Northern Highlands.

St. Joseph, meanwhile, is 2-3, but they’ve won two straight since losing three in a row to start the season, winning 31-7 at Piscataway, then beating New Brunswick at home last week 38-14.

Somerville is fast, and not just on foot. They run a tempo offense that puts teams back on its heels, and preparation on defense will be the key for St. Joe’s if they intend to win the game.

In fact, their best defense may be a slow, methodical offense, one that puts up some points.

Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino will call all the action this afternoon, with the game kicking off at 2 pm. Pregame is at 1:45. You can listen live by clicking here.

Click below to hear both head coaches preview the game:

Somerville head coach Dallas Whitaker

St. Joseph coach Rich Hilliard
by Mike Pavlichko

St. Joseph ends three-game skid with 31-7 victory at Piscataway

The Falcons have hung tough in three games this year, but have been unable to get over the hump.

Friday night, they learned how to finish.

St. Joseph of Metuchen has a young and inexperienced team, heavy in the sophomore class, but their experience of the first three games of their season – to Union, at Westfield and to Edison – paid off, as they beat Piscataway (0-3) Friday night 31-7 at Dominic Ciardi Stadium.

Now 1-3, the Falcons ended a skid that was their first over oh-for-their-first three in program history, while handing the Chiefs a historic setback; it’s their first 0-3 start since 1989 when they went 1-8, their lone win coming on Thanksgiving in their finale against South Plainfield.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with victorious head coach Rich Hilliard:

by Mike Pavlichko

Hilliard revamps St. Joe’s coaching staff with additions of Ciccotelli and Zsak as Offensive, Defensive Coordinators

When St. Joseph-Metuchen hits the practice field on August 9th in preparation for the 2021 season, Rich Hilliard will be the head coach yet again, but he’ll have two former head coaches as his top lieutenants.

Hilliard told Central Jersey Sports Radio this week that he’s hired Mark Ciccotelli as his offensive coordinator and Don Zsak as his new defensive coordinator.

The Falcons are coming off a tough 2020 season in the midst of the pandemic, where they scored just under 12 points a game and finished 3-5 in their first sub-.500 season since going 4-5 in 2015. From 2016-19 they had gone a combined 33-7.

With openings on his staff, Hilliard decided to go big.

Ciccotelli was a head coach at Scotch Plains-Fanwood before giving way to Austin Holman, and has also had stops at North Plainfield, St. John Vianney – which he turned into a perennial power. Prior to that, he won three state titles at Neptune (2011) and Freehold Boro (2008, 2010).

Zsak the head coach at North Brunswick for a couple of seasons before Mike Cipot took over, and before being Mark Zielinski’s assistant spent ten years at Morristown, where he helped head coach Chris Hull lead the Colonials to a state title in 2010.

Click below to hear St. Joseph head coach Rich Hilliard talk with CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko about his two new hires: