With highly revered and respected head coach Rick Giancola’s departure before the 2023-2024 season, a big void needed to be filled. Giancola left the Red Hawks after 40 years in which he won 260 games and won NJAC coach of the year seven times. With the high expectations that Giancola set, newly acquired first year head coach Mike Palazzo had a daunting task ahead of him
Coach Palazzo lived up to the challenge, leading the Red Hawks to a 5-5 record and 4-2 in conference play. The five-win season was the team’s best since the 2019 campaign.
Now entering his second season with a plethora of returning starters, Palazzo said he is looking forward to watching his players continue to grow and learn under his system.
“I am looking forward to watching the guys continue to grow and develop under the system that we have built,” Palazzo said.
Head coach Mike Palazzo led the Red Hawks to their best record since 2019.
Photo courtesy of Matt DeLuca
One of the players who has thrived in the new system is the reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) defensive player of the year, junior linebacker Nicholas Burgess.
Burgess led the NJAC with 101 tackles and added two sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and five quarterback hits. Despite all his individual success, Burgess said that he would want nothing more than to win an NJAC title.
“I’ve accomplished a lot, and all that hard work goes to my teammates, my coaches and my family,” Burgess said. “But for me, the biggest accomplishment would be to win the NJAC.”
Junior linebacker Nicholas Burgess is the reigning NJAC defensive player of the year.
Photo courtesy of Matt DeLuca
On the other side of the ball, the ground-and-pound rushing game was a staple for the offense last season. Junior first-team All-NJAC running back Henry Lewis led the conference in rushing with 724 yards and four touchdowns. Lewis looks to again ignite the run game for the Red Hawks entering the upcoming season.
Another returning starter looking to lead the Red Hawks on the offensive side of the ball is junior quarterback Aidan McLaughlin. After joining the starting lineup at the tail end of last season, he gained a lot of experience.
Now entering the season as the full-time starter, McLaughlin said that he is excited for what the Red Hawks can accomplish.
“I’m really excited for this season,” McLaughlin said, “We have a lot of veterans on both offense and defense and the expectation is to come out of the season with an NJAC.”
Junior Quarterback Aidan McLaughlin will take over as the full-time starter this season.
Photo courtesy of Matt DeLuca
While the Red Hawks have their sights on winning a conference title, they also have their sights on making history. Currently, the Red Hawks sit at 497 all-time wins. With the 500-win milestone looming, Coach Palazzo talked about what that would mean for both him and the program.
“[The 500th win] would be amazing,” Palazzo said. “It is something that would be incredible to be a part of,” said Palazzo.
Coach Palazzo added that the milestone is an indicator of the prolonged success that the football program has had over the years.
“I tell recruits all the time, this is not a program that hasn’t been successful, there’s a lot of [NCAA Division III] programs and college programs that have never been successful,” said Coach Palazzo. “I was here for Coach [Giancola’s] 200 and 250th wins so reaching 500 wins would be amazing to be a part of.”
