Frank Marchiano reaches his 100th football coaching win
SPARTA, N.J. — Sparta High School football coach Frank Marchiano had a rough start to his coaching career with the Spartans in 2010. He lost his first two games with the team, making him wonder what he would do with the club.
But those first two losses weren’t necessarily a harbinger of what was to come for Marchiano. He celebrated his 100th victory as the Spartans’ coach on Nov. 5.
Marchiano coached the Spartans to a 56-33 victory over Warren Hills Regional in the start of the NJSIAA North 1 Group 3 tournament. The victory led Marchiano to an overall record of 100-27 over the past 11 seasons. The team even had specially-made shirts with Marchiano’s face to celebrate the occasion after the game.
“I have incredible assistants and have been blessed with a lot of kids who go out there and compete with everything they have,” Marchiano said humbly regarding his success.
The past eleven years have been great for the Spartans, as Marchiano overcame those first two losses in his career to lead the team to succeed. The Spartans have never had a losing season since he became the coach. The team also won sectional titles in 2013 and 2014.
The 2021 season saw one notable similarity with the initial 2010 campaign, as the Spartans lost their first games of the year. Their season-opening loss to Newton on Sept. 3 was by one point. But the Spartans went on to win six games in a row. The team won all their league games, including a 42-28 win over Parsippany Hills on Sept. 24.
The Spartans were shut out for the first time in Marchiano’s career on Oct. 29, as they lost to Mount Olive 13-0. But the Spartans were ready to make a comeback, as the team came back a week later on Nov. 5 to start their playoff run. The team defeated Warren Hills Regional to get to the next round of the playoffs.
Marchiano has been a strong presence for many of the kids on the Spartans team. He has been especially important for many of the seniors on the team, including running backs Justin Smith and Sam Esposito. Smith became the starting running back midway through the season following an injury to Esposito, but Marchiano’s leadership has been essential in helping him move forward and take in more of a leadership role.
Marchiano is especially happy with how the team continues to perform, and he also appreciates the hard work the community puts in to support the team.
“Sparta is a great football town and a great football community,” he remarked. He hopes to continue to be a prominent coach for the team well into the future.
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