Tag: Tom Gambino

by Mike Pavlichko

Whitaker, Vanderbeek and Immaculata AD Gambino talk Spartans’ splash with new football leadership

By the time the Q&A session cleared out, there they were: in their best suits, ready to take Immaculata football by storm.

Dallas Whitaker, a 2011 graduate and two-time state champion playing for Peirce Frauenheim had already talked to the kids. “I chose you,” he told them.

While that’s very likely the case, it’s also a little for him. It’s always been his dream job.

Whitaker caught the coaching bug at Rutgers, where he was a walk-on for Kyle Flood, but self-admittedly was “one of the least talented players on the team.” Sometimes that’s how coaches get into the profession, that moment of realization.

(Sometimes, that’s also how broadcasters get into their profession.)

Jeff Vanderbeek, who hired Whitaker as his offensive coordinator, then handed the reins to him a few years later, was there, too. In a package deal, he was hired along with Whitaker as the Football Program Coordinator Thursday, an organizational role well-suited to his talents.

As for Whitaker? He may not have the college stats, but he has plenty of coaching success.

After serving under Vanderbeek as offensive coordinator, Vanderbeek handed Whitaker the keys and the team went 36-6 under his leadership, finishing with a No. 4 ranking in the state (7-0) in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with one of the highest-octane no-huddle offenses you’ll ever see at the high school level.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko got a chance to sit down one-on-one with Whitaker, Vanderbeek and Immaculata Athletic Director Tom Gambino after a meet-and-greet Q&A at the school Thursday afternoon. Click below to listen.

Immaculata Head Coach Dallas Whitaker and Football Program Director Jeff Vanderbeek
Immaculata Athletic Director Tom Gambino

by Mike Pavlichko

SCT semifinals moved to daytime to avoid potential conflicts with other school events

Spring is a busy time of year in high schools across New Jersey. There are senior trips, proms, and countless other activities that go on.

For that reason, the Somerset County Tournament has moved its baseball semifinal games earlier in the day on Thursday, April 27th. Instead of 4 and 7 pm, they’ll now be held at 1 and 4 pm.

Baseball director Tom Gambino, the Athletic Director at Immaculata High School, says the change had nothing to do with the availability of TD Bank Ballpark. The Somerset Patriots – the Yankees’ AA affiliate – are on the road that week, in the middle of a six-game series at Harrisburg.

Gambino says the park is an excellent venue, and a great opportunity not only for the teams that play there in the tournament, but also for fans and players around the league to come watch high school baseball in a pro environment, at high school ticket prices.

Of course, Central Jersey Sports Radio will have full coverage and live play-by-play of the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament, with the semis on April 27th, and the finals on May 9th, also at TD Bank Ballpark.

Click below to hear Somerset County Tournament baseball director Tom Gambino talk about the move, as well as an overview of this year’s tournament: