Tony Colasurdo has been the head baseball coach at Weehawken High School for the last 16 years. And for the first 13 of those years, Colasurdo had to endure some tough times, with the Indians losing more games than they won.
"There were some years when we won four games, maybe five," Colasurdo said. "I never forget those days."
However, those troubled times have to seem like ancient history, because the Indians have been doing their fair share of winning.
In fact, over the last three years, the Indians have practically done nothing other than win. Ever since a group of talented players arrived at the school at the same time three years ago, the Indians have become a dominant force in the Bergen County Scholastic League National Division.
The Indians captured back-to-back BCSL National titles in 2001 and 2002, the first time that Weehawken had won a baseball league championship since joining the league in the early 1980s.
However, if the Indians wanted to experience "a three-peat," a phrase made popular by famous basketball coach Pat Riley when he was coaching the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight NBA titles, they were going to need some help.
The Indians suffered a loss May 9 to Becton, which put them a game behind the arch rivals with five games remaining. To even get consideration for a share of the league crown, the Indians were going to have to win all five remaining games and hope that Becton would lose at least one contest.
"It wasn’t going to be easy," Colasurdo said. "We knew after we lost that game to Becton that we had to win out. The door was left open for us, but only slightly."
The Indians did their part, defeating Wood-Ridge, Harrison, Hasbrouck Heights, Lyndhurst and North Arlington in succession. When Becton suffered a loss to St. Mary’s Tuesday, the "three-peat" became a reality, even if the last one is a co-championship to be shared with Becton.
"We have a great group of kids who have been together for a long time," Colasurdo said of the Indians, now 19-2. "They all game from a pretty good feeder program in the town. I basically stay out of their way. I can’t tinker with their success. I know that they play well together, and I let them play."
Three players, namely senior Alex Montanile and juniors Danny Lopez and Chris Jodice, have been fortunate enough to play for all three league champions.
"When I came to Weehawken, I didn’t know what to expect," said Lopez, who was selected to the All-BCSL National team for a second straight season, batting an amazing .580 with 12 RBI and 41 runs scored. "I knew that the program was good, but I had no idea that we could actually win three in a row. It’s like a dream come true. When I played Little League, I would go to watch the varsity play and hope that I could do well. Then, you finally get to high school and you win three straight championships? What more can you say?"
Jodice, who is batting .370 and has a 6-2 pitching record, also earning All-BCSL honors, believes that the team’s success is related to having played together for so long.
"We’ve all been together since Little League," Jodice said. "We do practically everything together. That really helps. But when you get to high school, you don’t even think about winning one championship, never mind three. It’s incredible, almost unbelievable."
Teammates Montanile (.456 and 19 RBI) and Wilson Veras (5-0 record as a pitcher with a .420 batting average) were also selected to the All-BCSL National First Team. Junior Kevin Kallert, who is batting .483 with five homers and 19 RBI, made the Second Team, which was voted on by the league’s coaches.
Now that the "three-peat" has been completed, the Indians have a bigger goal in sight. After all, this group has still yet to win an NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group I state title, having lost to Becton, 7-6, in heartbreaking fashion in the last inning of the title game a year ago.
"The three championships have been put behind us," Lopez said. "We’re all thinking about the one thing we don’t have, the state championship. We came close last year, but we want that more than anything this year."
"We want to get a ring," Jodice said. "That’s our main goal. And we hope to run into Becton again."
The Indians were slated to begin their state playoff quest Friday afternoon against Park Ridge, weather permitting.
Colasurdo said that he doesn’t know why he went from being a coach of a downtrodden program to the coach of a dynasty practically overnight.
"It’s really inexplicable," Colasurdo said. "I really don’t know what to say. I’m not working any harder than I did before or doing anything differently. I think once the kids got a taste of winning, they didn’t want it to stop. There’s also the added pressure of keeping it going."
Colasurdo said that winning three straight championships hasn’t changed his way of thinking one iota.
"I know what the other coaches are going through," Colasurdo said. "I can see it in their faces. I’ve been there. It’s made me a more compassionate opponent. I know what they’re going through, so that makes me appreciate this more."
And there were times during the losing years when Colasurdo wondered whether he would ever get to enjoy the success he has today.
"I never thought it was possible," Colasurdo said. "I always looked up to and admired guys like Tony Falco [of Secaucus] and Bobby Carcich [of Emerson Borough] and wondered if we could ever get to the point where they were. You never think you could get the number of talented players that Secaucus and Emerson Borough had."
But now, Weehawken has those players and has been winning for three years – and possibly beyond. After all, players like Lopez, Jodice and Kallert all return for their senior years in 2004.
"Without a doubt, we can do it again," Jodice said. "We will still have some solid players. Hopefully, we can make it four."
There’s only one problem. There’s no catchy phrase for winning four straight championships. You can be rest assured that the kids of Weehawken will think of one before that day comes.