Ed Stinson’s return to head coaching a Hudson County football team lasted just two seasons.
The Hudson County Sports Hall of Famer and state coaching honoree, who was just named the Hudson Reporter Coach of the Year as well as the Coach of the Year by the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League coaches, resigned his position at St. Anthony last week.
This comes after Stinson led the Friars to an 8-4 record and the finals of the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 1 state championship game, the school’s first-ever appearance in a state title game.
“I thought that what I did here for two years, in terms of moving things along in the right direction, promoting the program, was pretty good,” said Stinson, who was 12-10 in his two years with the Friars. “We built a locker room for the players and were able to provide a bus to and from practice. We made the program a little more competitive.”
Before Stinson ever coached a game, he aided in the recruitment of two former Friars, namely Jamar McGloster to Syracuse and Darius Roper to Duquesne. Stinson didn’t coach either player, yet put the ball into motion to secure both a college scholarship.
Stinson said that he will always remember the kids he did coach at St. Anthony, players like the Terry brothers, Eli and Devin, both of whom became Hudson Reporter All-Area performers, as well as other All-Area honorees Devonte McLaurin and Alex Vidal.
“They were great kids to be around,” Stinson said.
Stinson said that the challenges were just too much to remain as head coach.
“Football is a numbers game and the school enrollment is a problem,” Stinson said. “There are the difficulties involved with player development. I think I’ve taken the program as far as it could go.”
Stinson reiterated that it’s not a retirement, that at age 67, he still feels invigorated coaching football.
“I’m also not actively pursuing anything else,” Stinson said. “At this point, I’m open to a viable opportunity. I didn’t put a shelf life on how long I would have stayed here. It’s just a nature of the sport. Football has become a year-long commitment. There is virtually no offseason. That’s how good programs do it.”
Stinson, who will more than likely remain as the school’s vice principal until the end of the school year, said that he wanted to give school president Bob Hurley and athletic director Buddy Matthews enough time to find a replacement.
“That was completely my motivation for doing this now,” Stinson said. “I wanted to give them some lead time. The program can’t be dormant for long. They need to get a replacement.”
Stinson was asked if the dwindling roster of returning players played a role in his decision to step down.
“That was certainly a consideration,” said Stinson, who said that there were only 16 returning players on the active Friar roster. “No doubt that made it tough.”
But Stinson said that top running back Torrence Williams and most of the Friars’ gigantic offensive line should return.
“It’s just hard with the returning numbers,” Stinson said. “At least the program is pointed in the right direction. I think this certainly rounds out my resume.”
Stinson spent two stints as the head coach at Hoboken High School, leading the Red Wings to six NJSIAA state championships, including five in the decade of the 1990s, when Hoboken was considered one of the best programs in New Jersey. Stinson has won more than 260 games as a high school head coach, which ranks him third all-time in coaching wins in Hudson County, behind the recently deceased Vince Ascolese (who coached Stinson at Demarest) and the legendary Joe Coviello.
Matthews noted that if there are any candidates interested in applying for the head coaching position at St. Anthony, they should contact Matthews at (201) 653-5143…
On that same coaching note, Juan Garcia has also resigned his position as the head football coach at Marist High School. Garcia also coached two years as the head man at Marist, posting a 6-14 record, handling a host of obstacles throughout the tenure, including several players transferring to other local schools and the unfortunate death of freshman player Kylin Polhill in November of 2013.
Garcia, one of the youngest head coaches in the state, cited personal reasons for his departure. Garcia is also active as a softball coach, so he will find a position elsewhere, no worse for the wear for his trying time with the Royal Knights. He did lead his team to two straight appearances in the NJSIAA state playoffs. Ironically, Marist faced St. Anthony in the playoffs last November, a game that became St. Anthony’s first-ever state playoff victory…
In the football coaching circles, St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen, who received a trophy from national scholastic website MaxPreps.com as the No. 1 team in New Jersey, took his coaching staff to California last week to coach in the Semper Fidelis U.S. Marines All-Star Classic…
Lincoln senior Kiante Johnson bounced back from a recent two-game suspension to have a monster game against North Bergen. Johnson, the reigning Hudson Reporter Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, had 31 points and 16 rebounds in the Lions’ big 65-55 win over the Bruins…
The biggest name to come out of nowhere this girls’ high school basketball season has been Ferris standout Samantha Hines, who is averaging better than 22 points per game for the vastly improved Bulldogs. Hines has led Ferris to a 6-4 record this season, including a big 49-31 win over McNair Academic last Wednesday, a game that Hines tallied 23 points…
Secaucus continues to roll along. The Patriots are now 10-0 after a big win over Harrison last week. The talented tandem of Julia McClure and Andie Lennon continue to shine, but John Sterling’s team is getting solid play from Kristina Ulrich and Kendall Caruso as well…
Former St. Dominic Academy standout Bria Smith is having a spectacular season at New Jersey City University. Smith, a sophomore power forward, collected the 10th double-double of the year, with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a tough 65-63 loss to Rutgers-Camden. Smith had 22 points and 15 rebounds in a win last week against St. Joseph’s of Brooklyn…
On the boys’ front, Nassir Barrino had 16 points and Sammy Friday had 11 points and 13 rebounds in Hudson Catholic’s gigantic 67-29 win over Snyder, drubbing a Tiger team that had lost only once prior…
There’s a major sense of sadness involved with the news that the Izod Center (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena and the Continental Airlines Arena) will more than likely close at the end of this month. This reporter has spent countless hours in the facility covering a host of sporting events. We’ll have more about the closing in next week’s editions…
Hudson Reporter Boys’ High School Basketball Top Five: 1. St. Anthony (8-1). 2. Hudson Catholic (8-2). 3. Marist (8-2). 4. Snyder (8-2). 5. Bayonne (6-2)…
Hudson Reporter Girls’ High School Basketball Top Five: 1. Secaucus (10-0). 2. Lincoln (6-2). 3. Marist (6-1). 4. North Bergen (5-3). 5. Ferris (6-4)…–Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.