After watching practice Tuesday, first-year Paramus Catholic head football coach John Westervelt invited me into his golf cart for a ride and then up into his office for a chat. We talked fishing, football, his thoughts on his football team as it seeks its third Non-Public Group 4 state title in the last 4 years.
I learned a lot about him. He’s 50, and God bless him, he has 5 kids (that beats my trio). He is a electrician by trade and has some good stories about that. He is a former Marine and values honesty to a high degree. I was struck by when we talked how soft-spoken he was – on the field, it was a different story. He was calm and thoughtful throughout our discussion.
Darren: Football teams pride themselves on routine and regularity, yet, you’re the 3rd head coach of this program in the last 7 months, is that a bad thing?
Westervelt: I don’t see a problem. There is no problem, because the coaching staff hasn’t changed and the head coach is not the only coach for this football team. I have been here since this program started to rebuild itself. I am part of the rebuilding process of this program. We are just going to continue to try to get better. We haven’t changed very much.
Darren: I noticed Blake Costanzo was here working today, you want him here?
Westervelt: Blake is a dear friend of mine, of course I want him here. He will help us out as best he can, but he has an opportunity in his life, that everyone else would exercise as well. When he got the opportunity that he didnt know about and I got the phone call (pause). We are a family here. The next guy steps up.
Darren: So how does this become John Westervelt’s program?
Westervelt: I’m not trying to make this John Westervelts program. This is Paramus Catholic football. This program has always been bigger than the head coach. It’s always been bigger than Chris Patridge. It will be bigger than me and the guy who comes after me. To make this my program would mean that it’s about me. It’s not about me. It’s about the kids. The day it’s about me, I’ll be out fishing.
Darren: So you like to fish?
Westervelt: I’ll show you….fishing is one of my loves…(Westervelt pulls out his phone and shows several pictures of big fish he’s landed, including a thresher shark).
Darren: Well then are their nerves on your part, you have the last say now on 4th and 1. It’s at least a different role you have now…
Westervelt: You are making the assumption that Partridge made all these decisions by himself last year. He didn’t. We are all on headsets. Yes, the buck stops with me. But I have 6 other coaches on the defensive side of the ball on headsets, I have offensive coaches on headsets, [I can say] “What do you think?” And if the offensive coach can say, ‘We got this coach,’ We are going to go for it, ok? It’s high school football. If he says to me, ‘Hey, I don’t feel good about this’ we will punt the ball away. I helped Partridge with those decisions last year. Ask him, he will tell you.
Darren: So what’s your first feeling of Team 47?
Westervelt: We need a lot of work. We got good kids. They are working hard. (long sigh)
Darren: In what area do you need work?
Westervelt: I just think I’m a perfectionist and the kids never match up. Here’s the problem I have, and I have it every year. This is my issue. I only remember November/December football, and when I get kids in June and July it never looks like it does in November and December and for some reason my brain doesnt reset itself back to June and July, so I expect play in June and July as I saw in November and December and it never measures up. I keep telling myself they are just learning it, but the human brain thinks in pictures right? If I say to you the word ‘cookie’ you don’t think of the word c-o-o-k-i-e, your brain forms a picture of your favorite cookie and there it is. Well, my brain has formed a picture of what my D Line looks like last November. My brain just doesn’t transition back. It’s probably me more than anything else, but I want to get to that November football team as fast as I can and until I can I won’t be happy.
Darren: So, you have a new quarterback, Allan Walters, who has already received offers from all over, which is a testament to his potential, but he hasn’t played that much, so tell me about Allan.
Westervelt: Allan is a hard worker. Allan is smart. Allan has an extremely strong arm. Allan is 100 percent football player. Allan eats, drinks and sleeps football. He is 1 of the strongest skill players on the team physically, in the gym, in the weight room. We don’t have many that are stronger than he is. Allan Walters is a border collie, if you don’t take em out and run em, he’s gonna tear the place up. He has more energy than any football player I have ever seen.
Darren: Is that a good thing for a quarterback?
Westervelt: I think so. I think in our offense because he has a desire to learn and you can’t overteach him and burn him out. He’s constantly trying to learn. Even the stuff we haven’t taught him yet he’s pulling for. He’s a great student. I’d marry my daughter off to him in a second and I don’t think I can give him a higher compliment than that.
Darren: So we are comfortable with him going forward the next couple of years?
Westervelt: No question.
Darren: On the other side of the ball, can Rashan be so disruptive in practice that it can be hard to get work done?
Westervelt: (pause) At times. At times. I mean, I control the practice, so I can control when Rashan is in there, but my offensive line doesnt want that [take Gary out], because if you can become good enough to stalemate Rashan Gary, you can block anybody. Rashan Gary….I’ve seen a lot of kids in his position back off a little bit. Rashan keeps trying to get better every day. He’s just so motivated and driven. He brings it to them every day.
Darren: Since Rashan is so highly-regarded, and sought after, can it become a distraction?
Westervelt: Not at all…Here is how I answer that question. He never talks about himself.
Darren: Do you get bothered by the question of where he’s going to go to school?
Westervelt: I haven’t experienced that. I haven’t had all those questions….maybe nobody knows who I am (laughs). If so, then I am doing a pretty good job. I want my kids to be out front, not me out front. I’m not trying to create a career for myself and get my name in the newspapers. That’s not why I did this. I had my time.
Darren: I can’t let a Big North United coach go without talking about transfers. Do you have some transfers?
Westervelt: Of course.
Darren: Impact transfers?
Westervelt: Kids that can contribute? Yes. Impact might mean something different to me than it does to you.
Darren: And what do you think about transfers? Should we make them sit? Are they hurting high school football?
Westervelt: Can I ask you a question before I answer?
Darren: Sure.
Westervelt: What is your take?
Darren: I believe they should have to sit for a limited amount of time, but not 30 days. Most people when they change jobs usually go on ‘probationary” status before they become official employees. So I think there should be some sort of deterrent, but 30 days is to long. I’ve written before that I think 21 days may be the right fit.
Westervelt: I try to look at it from the other standpoint, as a father of 5. I don’t want somebody telling me where my kid can go to school or play sports because I think they should have the freedom to do that. I believe they should have the freedom to go to whatever school they want and if a kid wants to leave Paramus Catholic and go to another school to play, I will sign the waiver like that (snaps). He has the right to do what he wants to do. We at the parochials have to put together a program where kids want to play and if we do a bad job of that, they aren’t coming, and they have that right.
I will probably come down in the same spot that you do. You have to curtail the nonsense, but….30 days, that’s a long time. You take a kid that goes to a school and everything is great and he’s in a football program and he loves his coach, but his coach leaves. And he’s the guy you wanted to play for, and he leaves for whatever the reason and he takes some of the staff with him. This is hypothetical. A new coach comes in, you don’t get along with him, our philosophy doesn’t mesh and I’m stuck there? This is America. He should be able to go and play where he wants to play.
Darren: How many players did you lose on the offensive line last year?
Westervelt: (Long Pause)
Darren: (Joking) You do need to know about the offensive side of the ball too, you know.
Westervelt: (Smiling) I do. I do, but I want you to understand something Coop, I’m gonna be a little different than the head coaches of the other parochial programs in that I am the D Line coach of this team and I will remain the D Line coach of this team.
Darren: That is what you want to do.
Westervelt: (repeating) That’s what I want to do. If I have to give that up, I don’t want to do this any more. It’s what I love. It’s what gets me here.
Darren: The other 4 coaches in this league, I’m curious, do you know them at all? Have you had relationships with them before?
Westervelt: I have spoken with Augie, I know Augie Hoffmann. I’ve never had a conversation with Greg Toal or Nunzio Campanile. McKenna I said hi to in front of the bathroom when we went there to play. I don’t know him personally.
Darren: Do you have respect for these guys?
Westervelt: There is no question. I have my opinions, but your question was whether I had a relationship and the answer is no. I definitely respect them all. I am a 50-year old guy. I have seen what all these men have accomplished, they are all fantastic coaches and I hope I can measure up and be as good as they are.
Darren: So my last question is, what would be a successful season here?
Westervelt: Undefeated state champions.
Darren: Can you do it?
Westervelt: I think so. I think so.