This morning after breakfast I pulled Don Bosco football coach Greg Toal aside and sat down and talked in one of the meeting rooms here in California. I don’t know if I have ever sat with him one on one like that before.
We talked about what it’s like playing teams playing all over the country, whether New Jersey teams practice too much over the summer, where he sees his program fitting into the new possible NJ football plan and if having so many kids transfer in and out of the Big Four schools has become a concern.
A lot of people give you credit for North Jersey football playing games all over the country, like it will today. Did you ever envision that 15 years ago?
Toal: No, I didn’t envision that back in 1999. It’s one of those things that just happened. Back in, I guess it was 2003 – De La Salle – when the (then NNJIL) league voted against us [playing out of state games]. Most of the guys were really good, they said these kids have an opportunity to go out there and play, why would you go against them. Yeah, no, we never envisioned, this is one of those by-products, we started thinking in 2002 how can we get this going. That was huge. The promoter who was going to promote the game, he wanted to get 1 and 2 in the country and felt he could get a lot of people in Giants Stadium or wherever.
Do people give you too much credit?
Toal: Too much credit? I’m not in the credit business. But we obviously, we haven’t ducked anybody over the years.
As you’ve gotten older, do you find yourself enjoying these trips more and more? If nothing else, but a way to see the country and challenge your team?
Toal: Yes, obviously, we have been on some nice trips. This has been a great trip, Laguna Cliffs has been beautiful. It’s interesting, going to Alabama, all over.
So where else is there to go, is Texas on your list?
Toal: Not really, because they play different rules. That’s why no one plays Texas, because they have cut blocking. I guess they play NCAA rules, not high school rules, so you have to change your techniques and everything like that. I don’t know if we will ever play there. The team we played last week, St. Joes of Philly, they played a Texas team. They played Dallas Jesuit.
Did they talk about the cut blocking?
Toal: No.
Could you see it on film?
Toal: Yes, you could see it. That’s always a concern. But there are enough great team to play, that’s for sure.
There is a new proposal in New Jersey with the public schools starting earlier and playing a max of 14 games with their season ending in mid-December, and the non-publics would stop at 12 and you would end before Thanksgiving. Have you seen the plan?
Toal: To me, it would make sense, if you are going to let them play 14, why not let us play 14? (laughs).
But the problem is you don’t have the number of teams in the playoffs, you only have 8 teams in your section.
Toal: Right, right, right. I really haven’t looked at the proposal.
If you could, wouldn’t you rather have a game earlier, if the publics are going to start Labor Day weekend or the weekend after, wouldn’t you want a game earlier?
Toal: Yes, I would. But I don’t mind playing in December and I like playing on Thanksgiving.
Another thing they talked about in the summer, was teams practicing so much over the summer. Since NJSIAA rules allow kids to practice whatever sport when the spring season ends. But are we practicing too much over the summer?
Toal: Well, it’s the only way you can compete with these teams. We come out here and teams are in their third and fourth game and we are in our first. That’s the problem, you go out to Ohio, Ohio starts really early, Alabama [starts early]. If you are going to play a national schedule, you have the opportunity to practice in the summer, because they have spring practice and they start early.
But coach, aren’t the scrimmages becoming more and more like games?
Toal: Hmmm. (pause) No. I don’t think so. I think it’s still a scrimmage.
People are starting to worry about wearing down the kids and maybe push the NJSIAA to have a dead zone to let them rest.
Toal: Yeah, we take a week off in July, we go 4 days a week in July, you just have to be smart about it. They are still kids and you want to make sure they get time away, but if we are going to play this competitive schedule, it makes sense to give us the option to practice during the summer.
Now, coach, in a general sense and I won’t name any names, has the transfer thing gotten bad?
Toal: Yes, it has. It has, to be honest with you.
Your AD called it free agency, and he’s right.
Toal: It’s really become parents are shopping their kids around. It’s become if I cant get my way here, I will go somewhere else. It’s really the parents, that’s really been the issue.
What can be done about it? Should the league step in and pass a rule that you can’t go from one Big North school to another and be eligible right away?
Toal: Yes, I think so. I think so. I think that makes sense.
It kind of goes against the spirit of what this is all about.
Toal: Yeah, it’s like, if I don’t get my way, I’m running out of here. I think it has really become the parents and the kids are running some of the football programs here and it’s unfortunate, because that’s not what the spirit of football is about. Two things happen when kids face adversity, some stay and fight and others run, if you run, the running will continue as long as you let it.
It’s funny that you say fighting, when I talked to you after the St. Joes Philly game, one thing you said about your team is that they are fighting. Is that what you have this year, a team that will fight for 4 quarters?
Toal: I think so.
Maybe a team that doesn’t have the superstar talent or 5 star recruit…..
Toal: I think so. They are good kids. They are fun kids to be around. I think they are competitive and we will find out how competitive. I totally believe that they are competitive. Like you said, not the most talented team, but they are extremely hard workers and they are good kids. These kids are going to be successful in life. They get the important messages. Unfortunately, some parents as soon as a kid faces adversity they run. They teach the kids to run for it. There is too much of that out there and kids don’t really learn the lesson in life that you will face adversity. As soon as they aren’t the star, they are out of there. I think most coaches are going to play – 90 percent of all coaches – will play the best guys. I think there is very little politics in who is going to start and who is going to play.
Isn’t that part of the fun in coaching, assembling the group, seeing what you have and putting them in the best place where they can be successful?
Toal: Yes, that’s part of coaching, seeing what talent a kid has. Here’s the thing, you have kids who might be a very good defensive end in high school and his parents say he has to play linebacker because he’s not big enough to be a defensive end in college. We have had kids who played defensive end in high school and played linebacker in college.
Colleges are smart. It all comes down how fast a kid goes, how high he jumps. They’ll look at him on film, and they will get him in the right position. A lot of parents don’t get that. Most of what they are doing, recruiting is a tape measure and the clock, and good coaches figure they can do the rest. Everybody is projecting their kids to play in the NFL and that’s not really the case. Guys that get to the NFL are few and far between, and to be honest, you have to stay healthy and be lucky. There’s a lot of luck with it. I think too many parents are projecting their kids to be the next superstar rather than saying what are the benefits we are getting out of football. Your kids are becoming a lot better person. He’s working harder in school. He is developing an appreciation for education because of football because he is studying and he knows he won’t play unless he performs in the classroom. The parents who get those messages really get it. The ones grooming their kids for the NFL I think they are missing the boat.
Deep down, today Bergen is in Utah, Joes is playing a school from Florida, are you rooting for them today?
Toal: Sure you do. Obviously. I will root for Nunzio especially. He’s a guy who was a great assistant for me and a great guy. He’s a good man. He’s a good father, a good person. We have a good relationship and I didn’t want that to be damaged. You coach and you compete in between the lines, but when it’s all said and done, I think it’s important that you have respect for your colleagues and all that. There are some people that are a little harder to like.
All four of the North Jersey programs are outstanding, it should make the games between all of you special.
Toal: The quality of football is very good, and hey, it’s good for high school football. There will be a lot of challenges and I think it’s exciting.