Coach Todd Romano was recently named Coach of the Week Game Changer by the Jets for the week of October 26th. In his first season as head coach, he has led Caldwell Football to win the American Gold Conference championship and extended the team’s win streak to be the longest current in the state of New Jersey at 22 (at time of writing). In addition to being the head football coach, Coach Romano is also a Phys Ed teacher at JCHS.
Coach Romano attributes this honor to his team, remarking: “Any accolades that come my way are because of the work of the players and the coaching staff.” This is his first season as head coach, as he was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator last season, and has been a part of the Caldwell coaching staff since 2005. Last season he also received the Group 2 Assistant Coach of the Year award from the New Jersey Football Coaches Association (NJ.com). Coach Romano has been preparing for football season since March when he was hired as head coach.
When asked about his favorite memory of the season so far, Coach Romano was quick to cite the win against West Essex. He comments that that week the team was “Really focused, played well, and won against a good opponent.” The 16-13 win was the first time since 2010 that Caldwell has won against rival West Essex (The Progress).
Romano stopped playing football after college, but he always knew that he wanted to work around the game. He explained, “My brother was on the team, and I would just hang around the practices. I always wanted to be involved with the game”. As a coach, Romano works closely with his coaching staff. Preparation for Friday night starts on the previous Saturday. The staff generates reports on the opposing team from watching film and builds practices around the game on Friday. Coach Romano’s favorite part of coaching is the preparation. He loves “preparing to play an opponent, the work that it takes, and the attention to detail.”
Coach Romano does have superstitions. On Fridays, he eats a Nutella bowl from Playa Bowls for lunch and takes a shower before reporting to the field house. He also says that he is a pacer, and during warm-ups you can find him pacing up and down the field. Senior football player, Ryan Lawrence, speaks highly of Coach Romano. He says that Coach Romano is “An outstanding coach and person. He is so connected with the students and knows us well. He is like no other coach I’ve ever had and is always well prepared.”
As part of the Coach of the Week award, Coach Romano will also receive a $2,500 donation to the football program. Although he isn’t sure how the program will use the money yet, he hopes to do something to thank his players and coaching staff. The football team will also receive tickets to attend the Jets vs. Detroit Lions game in December, where Coach Romano will be honored on the field at MetLife Stadium (New York Jets).
Coach Romano plans to take the rest of the season one game at a time. He says “Our goal is to win every Friday night.”
