H.S. Football: It’s 200 wins and counting for
Hasbrouck Heights’ Nick Delcalzo
When you start putting together a list of the premier high school football coaches in North Jersey, make sure you leave some room for Nick Delcalzo.
The Hasbrouck Heights coach reached a significant milestone Friday night, picking up his 200th win when the Aviators, ranked No. 19 in The Record Top 25, defeated North Arlington, 40-6. He’s spent his entire 27-year career coaching the Aviators, and, remarkably, has suffered through only one losing season.
That’s the stuff legends are made of.
“Twenty-seven years is a long time at one school,” said Delcalzo, who also played for the Aviators. “There are still guys like that out there. Me. Bob Valli [at Cresskill]. Chuck Johnson [at Ridgewood].”
Delcalzo is one of the links to the days when Heights’ Depken Field was the only lighted facility in Bergen County and no one dreamed of high school football teams playing national schedules.
“Coaching now is a lot different than when I first started,” Delcalzo said. “Back then, we didn’t start until Sept. 1, but now it’s all year-round. Now, you have to go all summer long just so you’re on the same page with everyone else.”
Hasbrouck Heights is a Group 1 program that thrives on community involvement. Delcalzo was reminded of that Friday night when he came home and found his house decorated by the school’s cheerleaders and a note of congratulations already posted on the message board in front of the school.
“You know the community is behind you here,” Delcalzo said.
Delcalzo said his wife and family deserve a lot of credit for his longevity, and he’s anxious to get started on the next 100 wins.
“Right now, I enjoy this,” Delcalzo said. “It’s funny because when you reach 100 wins, you think about how many you might get.
“Now, I don’t know. I’m just taking them one at a time.”
