Petrozelli turns his Nazareth team from doormat to district finalist

The tweet, from @nahsboyssoccer, on Oct. 30, 2018 read: “Ran the clock tonight for Freedom-Pleasant Valley in District 11 semifinal game. Congrats Freedom on a 1-0 win. Next year, I will be on the sideline coaching during this game, not in the press box!!!”

At the time, it was easy to roll your eyes or laugh at Gerry Petrozelli, who finished his first season as the boys soccer coach at Nazareth with a 2-15-1 overall record.

And as it turned out, Petrozelli did not coach in the District 11 semifinal that next year.

But, Petrozelli wasn’t too far off with his boisterous prediction, either so he, indeed, gets the last laugh.

A 46-year-old Coding and Robotics teacher at Nazareth Area Intermediate School, Petrozelli efficiently and effectively turned around a doormat program, and in his third season, coached the Blue Eagles into the District 11 final.

Nazareth, as the No. 2 seed, put up a strong fight in its 1-0 overtime loss to Class 4A power and No. 1 seed Emmaus in the championship showdown at Whitehall.

Petrozelli’s Blue Eagles, two years removed from a two-win campaign, ended up 12-2 and he ended up as The Morning Call All-Area coach of the year.

“I will admit going into the season, I was cautiously optimistic,” said Petrozelli, downplaying the prediction of two years ago. “At times last year, we looked like we could play with anyone.

“However, if anyone says they knew what to expect this season, they are not being completely honest.”

How did Petrozelli turn it around at Nazareth?

Discipline, he said.

“That’s the first thing I saw as a problem. I created a syllabus that spelled out consequences if any player was continuously earning cards,” Petrozelli said.

He also wanted to celebrate the small steps, and eventually the bigger ones’ like wins.

Petrozelli, the JV coach for three seasons, knew the talent was coming. Seniors Jakob Braman, Matthew Bayda, Jack Hilarczyk and Alex Marouchoc were leaders on and off the field for the Blue Eagles.

Married to wife, Charlene, with three sons, Petrozelli thanked his assistants Chad Friend and Joe Scanlon as well as mentors Rob Giaboardo and Nazareth girls coach Copeland “Ziggy” Lewis, who also has built a successful program.

“When I hired Gerry,” athletic director Ray Ramella said, “I was confident that he was the right person to turn the program around.”