Sleepy Hollow Working Hard to Build-Up Football Program at Youth Level

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Football players helped The Historical Society of Tarrytown paint buildings.

June 10, 2023

By Tom Pedulla—

To outsiders, it might seem like same old, same old for Sleepy Hollow’s long-suffering football program after Coach Jerry Flora went 2-7 and 2-8 in his first two seasons.

But the seeds of change are being sewn and a huge effort is underway to engineer a dramatic turnaround by building at the youth level. Flora is taking a hands-on approach with the Junior Horsemen while rallying former players to support that effort.

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“We are trying to build the Sleepy Hollow program to become one of the top football organizations, starting at the youth level,” said Jason Duggan, a 2005 Sleepy Hollow graduate and a former defensive lineman. “We believe every great football program has a great feeder program, so we are trying to match that and exceed that.”

Dobbs Ferry and Harrison are nearby examples of varsity programs able to replenish talent year after year to continue winning traditions.

According to Flora, who has an extensive background at the college level, arguably his biggest challenge is to convince parents of young players that Sleepy Hollow can provide their children the academic and athletic opportunities they seek. He emphasizes that they do not have to turn to private schools for that.

“I run a first-class program,” he said. “We treat the kids with class. We work the kids really hard. We care about their academics. We get involved in community service.”

Players assist food pantries. They recently did some much-needed painting on behalf of The Historical Society in Tarrytown.

Footballs will be flying at Sleepy Hollow this summer. The school is hosting a Summer Showcase Series on June 29, July 6, July 13 and July 19 from 6:30 tp 8:15 p.m. each night. The event will feature appearances by former NFL players Jay Fiedler, Shaun Williams and Tank Daniels.

Sleepy Hollow also will be home to a flag football tournament on July 20, 24 and 27 and then on Aug. 1 and 3 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. each night. Players in grades three through 12 will vie for the “Hollow Cup” in various class brackets.

Golf balls will be flying, too, in support of the football program. J.P. Doyle’s is sponsoring a Horsemen Football Boosters Club Golf Outing June 26 at Somers National Golf Club. The event will help to salute the second Ring of Honor Class Inductees, including the 1978 championship team.

Flora served as head coach at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., from 2008-2017. In all, he has 28 years of experience and is doing whatever he can to give the Sleepy Hollow program a college feel. When the Horsemen open next season against Morristown-Beard School in Morristown, N.J., it will not be just another game. Players will be treated to an overnight hotel stay and go through their pre-game preparations the way a college team would.

It is all part of selling football and Sleepy Hollow. “My understanding is that a lot of families have left Sleepy Hollow because of the program, the wins and losses, whatever the case is,” Flora said.

To some degree, success is a numbers game. The more players on a roster, the more talent coaches have to work with. If injuries occur, depth can allow for a fairly seamless transition to a new player at the position.

Duggan, who has coached at the youth level, pointed to the need for greater participation there. “That’s been our problem for a few years now. We just haven’t had the numbers for kids signing up to play football,” he said. “Parents think football is not a safe game because head injuries have become a big thing in the last few years. I also think kids are picking some other sports like soccer and lacrosse.”

Said Peter DelMonaco, another youth coach, “We usually have strong athletes. But we don’t have enough.”

Coaches are teaching players not to lead with their heads when they make tackles in an effort to enhance safety. They also are educating parents about the values football instills.

“I think of it as the ultimate team game,” said DelMonaco. “It teaches kids how to rely on one another.” Offensive plays can fail if one member of the team does not fulfill his assignment. Defensive breakdowns leading to touchdowns can occur if there is one weak link in the unit.

Players learn values that can last a lifetime. “Hard work, dedication does pay off,” said Frank Antich, president of the Junior Horsemen Football and Cheer Board.

In a move based on enrollment, Sleepy Hollow will drop from Class A to Class B for the coming season amid hopeful signs for the future. According to Flora, he expects to have 16 players at the 10th-grade level and another 14 in the ninth grade. And he has a likely star to build around in 5-10, 170-pound Brayden Richardson, who will be a sophomore. Richardson, fast and elusive, earned rare All-League honors as a freshman.

“There is a kid that, a couple of years ago, we may have lost. We kept him from leaving,” Flora said, adding, “He’s going to be a heck of a player.”

Antich is convinced Flora is the right coach at a critical time to create renewed enthusiasm for football. Sleepy Hollow enjoyed four undefeated teams in the 1960’s and another in 1972.

“We’re so glad he’s in this area and came to our school and he’s bringing back the tradition,” Antich said. “He’s 100 percent into it.”

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