Harrison head coach Nick Landy won the 200th match of his career on Wednesday, as the third seeded Blue Tide took down sixth seeded Union City, 25-19, 25-18 in the quarterfinal round of the Hudson County Tournament in Harrison.
He now holds a career record of 200-109 in his 11 seasons leading the Blue Tide.
Landy, the 2016 NJ.com Coach of the Year, took over at Harrison in 2008, but it wasn’t smooth sailing right from the beginning, as his team went 3-20 that season. Since that first year, the program has elevated itself into one of the top programs in not just Hudson County, but the whole state, which was highlighted by its state final appearance in 2016.
“When I took it over I was kind of by myself then my assistant coach (Anthony Sabia) came in,” Landy said. “We’ve been building it up to this type of program where I can get this many wins. I didn’t think I was this close to 200. (Just) a couple of years ago we got our 100th win.”
Landy credited Sabia, as well as the school and the administration, for giving the program their full support and helping build it into a program that could achieve this level of success.
“We have tremendous support from the school system,” Landy said. “They allowed us to start a program down in the middle school. So the kids were coming to us with a bit of knowledge. The recreation department holds open gyms for us and holds leagues in the summer. A couple of years ago, Side-Out sports visited, and they allowed our guys to go play. Kids going to (play) club makes such a difference. When we had tryouts (afterward) we couldn’t believe the ability.”
The road to Landy hitting 200 career wins this season certainly wasn’t without its bumps. For the program’s 199th win last Friday against Dover, it had to win in three sets against a team that would have tied for the WJVL title with a win that day.
But after that win, Landy had more confidence in his group, even as it was going into a match against a tough Union City squad on Wednesday. The Blue Tide were able to pull out the win, despite the potential distractions of senior night, as well as the pressure of the impending milestone.
It also marked Harrison’s seventh win in a row this season, as it now stands at 19-7, and has earned a date with second seed St. Peter’s Prep in the semifinals on Thursday.
“It was a little nerve wracking, we thought we’d get it last week, but we miscued in a few games,” Landy said. “We beat Dover and came from behind for 199, so I kind of felt more confident after that match and we finally got ourselves together. I’m a big Yankee fan, so I’m a believer in working harder at the end of the season. We’ve got a couple of mistakes here and there but it’s really exciting to come together. I tell the kids every year that it’s their legacy, and I don’t really worry about my own accomplishments.”
Raymond Ugaz led the way for Harrison with 13 kills. Sandro Barrantes dished out 23 assists, while Tristen Crespo came up with 12 digs.
Mike Gurnis may be reached at mgurnis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeGurnis. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.
