Thumbs up for 2019 thoroughbred meet
Coach with history of turning around teams tries again at Watervliet
Jose Ortiz, who was crowned top jockey for the 2019 thoroughbred meet, smiles after guiding his horse, Basin, to victory in the 115th running of the Runhappy Hopeful at the Saratoga Race Course on Monday in Saratoga Springs. Leading horse and jockey to the winner’s circle are owner Terry Green, right, and assistant trainer Scott Blasi. Monday was the last day of this year’s meet.
Pete Porcelli, throughout a varsity football coaching career that is closing in on two decades in duration, has never shied away from a challenge. In fact, he has embraced them.
In his first varsity job, Porcelli guided a struggling Catholic High program to a 6-3 record. Twice during stints at Lansingburgh and Hoosic
Valley, he took programs that had never won a playoff game and guided them to title games.
The latest career move for Porcelli finds him as the head man at Watervliet. The Cannoneers have a storied tradition on the gridiron, last winning a Section II Class C championship in 2008.
Porcelli, who played in the Arena Football League during the 1990s including a four-year stint with the Albany Firebirds, brings a blue-collar coaching mentality to a blue-collar city.
“I am definitely honored and humbled to be the coach here,” Porcelli said. “I am not from here, but I remember when I was playing with the Firebirds watching the highlights on TV and seeing Watervliet winning. I was very impressed with their style of football. We are going to get back to that. We are going to grind, we are going to run the ball and let the chips fall where they are going to fall.”
From the moment he landed the job in February, Porcelli wanted to make sure he generated interest in his program that once again features a Double Wing offense. It is the same style offense that helped propel Lansingburgh to six straight Super Bowl appearances and four titles and helped Hoosic Valley advance to a pair of Class D title games.
“We are trying to change the culture here and get it back to what this school was all about,” Porcelli said. “When people came to Watervliet back in the 90s, it struck fear in people’s hearts. It is going to take us a while to get to that point. That is what is the ultimate goal to be a respected program.”
Watervliet has 46 players on its 2019 roster, a massive uptick from 2018 when Watervliet finished 2-6 overall.
“Having the kids all get
excited about the sport is important. This is the first step for us as a program to improve,” Porcelli said. “It is going to take a lot of hard work. We are trying to get where this program was in the 90s. They are not afraid of contact. They are ready to bring their lunch pail and get the job done.”
Kareem Duncan, a senior running back who missed the 2018 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, is excited to be back and believes Porcelli has the Cannoneers firing in the right direction.
“I think we have a good group of hard working guys that will be pretty good this year. I like Pete. He’s a really good coach,” Duncan said. “Everybody has been in the weight room and we’re looking to do well. I think the guys feel like we can be better than we’ve been.”
Porcelli believes his squad, a member of the South Division, can certainly challenge for one of the eight available playoff berths.
“It depends on how fast we can gel. We’re just looking to improve. We’ve got a ways to go,” Porcelli said. “We are still trying to find our identity.”
When the team scrimmaged Saturday, the coaching staff wore T-shirts with the words “Trust and Believe” on the back. It is the team’s motto for the season.
“All of the kids are important, whether they are a starter or a backup,” Porcelli said. “They want to be a part of something great. This community is salivating for a championship program.
“They have to trust in the system, they have to trust in themselves and trust in their teammates. They have to believe in themselves, believe in their coaches, believe in their teammates and believe we can get this program back where it was.”