Weehawken head coach Jake McNish would’ve had his way, his team wouldn’t have had the slightest clue that his 400th career win loomed on the other side of Weehawken’s late-season matchup with Wallington.
McNish is a humble leader, not one to direct attention to himself in lieu of a group-oriented mindset.
Nonetheless, McNish’s coaching pedigree is one that deserves recognition. His assistant coaches thought so too, and they let their players know about it as well, alerting them of the impending record just ahead of game time
Weehawken’s players embraced the circumstances, putting together a gritty effort on both sides of the ball to cement McNish’s name – and that game – into the annals of Weehawken history.
“I didn’t want them to know,” McNish said about his players’ awareness of the milestone.“I didn’t want them to have added pressure.”
Any inklings of a gripe with his squad’s knowledge though, were quickly wiped away post-game, as McNish joined his squad in a jubilant celebration in the locker room
“We’re just a grind it out team,” McNish said with pride regarding troupe. “We jumped out pretty quickly, and went up by 10, but [Wallington] came back. But we stuck with it, and ground it out. [Juniors] Keanu Ray and Tristen Cole played very well.”
Adding to the win’s magnitude: It came on the second half of a back-to-back
“The kids won a big county game yesterday in OT win against Ferris,” McNish added.
It’s been a topsy-turvy season for Weehawken, who’s dealt with a barrage of obstacles, including a COVID bout that forced a pause in play.
“We got shut down for over 20 days. We lost a bunch in a row [early], but the kids work hard, they don’t quit.”
For McNish, COVID, nor any other potential roadblocks, have kept him away from the game he loves. And while he doesn’t know when his coaching days will end, he knows where it’ll be.
“I’ve been here 31 years, been the head coach for 28. I’ve never looked to go anywhere else, I had offers to, but never did.”
Weehawken’s Hudson County tournament victory over 11th-seeded Ferris pushed it to the tourney’s second round, where it meets sixth-seeded Dickinson Saturday afternoon
For McNish, the team’s key to postseason success is simple: “Just keep hitting our stride. Try to improve every day. I always tell the guys that, try to improve every day.”
McNish himself embodies that mantra to a tee.
