By— Greg Tartaglia, The Record Sports Department
Harrison’s 20th season of boys volleyball brought about its first 20-win campaign, and Nick Landy led the way.
The Record Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year took the Blue Tide from 3-20 in 2008 to a 28-3 mark this spring.
Its trophy haul included a third Hackensack Tournament title in four years, plus the West Jersey Volleyball League, Hudson County and North 2 sectional championships, all program firsts.
“He’s the man that pulled us through to [win] all those awards,” senior David Penaherrera said.
“We’ve really worked to build up this program, me and [assistant] coach [Anthony] Sabia, to what it is now, and it’s just amazing,” Landy said. “We really brought a fire to it, within our school, and people are really behind us.”
Of the 22 current programs in North Jersey, Harrison is the only one from a Group 1 school. Yet it was able to draw nearly as many fans to South Brunswick for the state semifinals as each of the Group 4 schools that qualified.
The attitude Landy fostered has been as significant as his eight-season record of 125-83.
“Everybody’s a family,” junior Piotr Namiotko said. “Coaches, players, everyone was there for us, from the end of last season all the way through this season.”
