While other new coaches have been forced to have their getting-to-know-you moment with players through a screen, John D'Arco Jr.'s return to Tuckahoe was different. He and his wife have been teachers in the district for 15 years, and D'Arco coached with the Tigers under his dad from 1999-2013.
He is no stranger.
"I think that's what's helped me so far, being around in the building," D'Arco said. "My wife has had some of these students. So have I. Everybody who is on the team, I know who they are. It's not like I'm starting from scratch."
D'Arco also knows what to expect on the field – and where he wants the program to go next.
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During his tenure as an assistant, the Tigers won two state titles, went to the Carrier Dome four times and seemed like a perennial state contender. Getting back to that point will require consistent dedication.
"I think getting them to buy into that is going to be the most challenging part," he said. "If they can trust the process and buy in, they're going to see the results."
D'Arco has confidence in his players, too. There are five linemen returning: seniors Rob Sypher and Dean Richman and juniors Andrew Reichelt, Nicholas Santucci and Louis Chiavetta.
"The offensive and defensive lines will be the strength of our team," D'Arco said.
Tuckahoe also returns key seniors Jonathan Sasso (at linebacker) and Jadon Gerald (a defensive back) on defense, but only junior running back Michael Meyers is back at the skill positions on offense. Meyers rushed for over 600 yards as a sophomore and will provide the offense with a power runner. D'Arco said both Sasso and Gerald will be more involved on that side of scrimmage.
The offense will have a few players compete at quarterback, but sophomore Michael Annunziata does have one game of experience. He started and won the state quarterfinal as a freshman after starter Justin Lee served an automatic one-game suspension following an ejection in the Section 1 final.
At first, the go-to player will be Meyers.
"I think he's going to be pretty good," D'Arco said. "He'd rather run you over than run around you."
History
The program has won a Section 1 record 15 championships, but that achievement hasn't been solely due to playing in a small classification. The Tigers have advanced to the state semifinals 11 of those times, went to the Carrier Dome another five and won state titles in 2006 and 2010.
Expectations
D'Arco isn't shy about long-term goal, but getting there begins now.
"We did it once before. There's no reason why we can't do it again," he said. "For years, we were one of the top teams in New York state at the small-school level. I feel we have a pretty good blueprint. Now it's just about following it."
Coronavirus impact
After taking over during the pandemic, D'Arco has watched last year's film to evaluate the returning players. But he said the one hole in that analysis is the sophomore class.
Most of those players weren't on the varsity and only played at the modified level. At a small school like Tuckahoe, some of them will be counted on to contribute this season.
"That's one of the difficult parts I'm trying to navigate right now," he said of assessing which sophomores will get on the field.
Helping with the evaluation will be three new assistants: former Iona Prep, Westlake and Bronxville head coach Jeff Napolitano; Anthony Cesarini, who has coached with the Eastchester Blue Devils program and the modified team at Tuckahoe; and Kevin Chen, an all-state lineman who starred on the 2010 state championship team.
Tentative schedule
Prior to football season being postponed until March, Tuckahoe was scheduled to host Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Hastings and travel to Briarcliff/Hamilton, Haldane, Ossining, Bronxville and Edgemont.
Josh Thomson is the Local Sports Editor for The Journal News and Poughkeepsie Journal. He can be reached by e-mail at jthomson@lohud.com, on Twitter at @lohudinsider, and on Instagram at @lohudinsider.
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