It was a quarter century that the title Hawthorne High School head wrestling coach was attached to Bob Pasquale. Pasquale decided to hang up his head coaching duties after the 2012-13 season and a new coach will taking on the job this winter.
Part of the reason for leaving the head coaching job was that it became increasingly difficult to juggle the position with his full-time job as a part owner of a machinery company.
“I figured it’s time,” said Pasquale, who is half owner of New Era Converting Machinery in Paterson. “You get to the point in your life when you want to step aside.”
Pasquale said that his job had him flying all over the world to meet with clients for his machinery company.
For this season it was also the end of the Ramos brothers, Evan and Ethan, who were stalwarts of the program for four years.
Ethan Ramos won the 170-pound New Jersey state title in March, while his brother, Evan, also medaled at Atlantic City by capturing fifth place at 195 pounds.
“For him it was perfect timing to step away,” said Hawthorne Athletic Director Art Mazzacca about Pasquale coaching the Ramos brothers last matches. “He wanted to step away on his own terms and he did just that.”
Mazzacca knows Pasquale well since he was his head coach when he wrestled at Hawthorne.
Pasquale said that it was satisfying for him to leave after the last matches of the Ramos brothers and the other seniors for the 2012-13 season.
“We had a good group of seniors and it was a pleasure to be around them the last four years,” said Pasquale.
While Pasquale said that each team brings its own highlights, he points to the 1994 Hawthorne team as a very special one. The 1994 team won the Group 1 North 1 state title over Pompton Lakes, one of Hawthorne’s top rival teams.
Despite stepping away from the head coaching job, Pasquale admitted that he still has coaching in his blood and would like to help the new Hawthorne head wrestling coach.
“I’m hoping that I can be an assistant coach,” said Pasquale. “It depends on the new coach, but I would like to stay on as an assistant coach.”
Mazzacca said he is still interviewing candidates as of last week to replace Pasquale.
For Pasquale the big difference between when started as head coach in the 1980s and today is the administrative work.
“Running a team takes more time with all the paperwork. It’s hard to juggle all of it,” said Pasquale. “There are so much more regulations which is good to protect the wrestlers.”
For Pasquale the most satisfying part of the coaching is just helping student athletes.
“It’s being able to contribute to young people and contribute to their lives,” he said.
Pasquale expects the program to still be competitive and more so.
“We had a lot of good assistant coaches over the years,” said Pasquale with the hope that one of his assistant coaches will be named the new head wrestling coach.
