Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast

In Part 2, Coach Tesi describes becoming part of the first staff at the new Colts Neck High School in 1998, and how he ultimately became the schools long time Head Freshman Football Coach. Coach Tesi describes the transition of the program to Coach LaCava and how players initial reservations gave way to complete buy in and new program successes. Coach Tesi recalls some of his most fond memories as the Colts Neck Head Freshman Coach and shares how he and Coach LaCava developed a close bond initially as colleagues then as great friends. Coach Tesi describes both his jubilation and great disappointment in witnessing the Varsity Team compete in its first State Final run, only to lose a close game in the 4th Quarter. Coach Tesi ends by describing his coaching experiences after he left the Colts Neck Staff and his fond memories of Coach LaCava's tenure from 2009-2013.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In Part 1, Coach Vince Tesi describes growing up in Staten Island, NY and why he played travel youth football for the Staten Island Boys Football League until he graduated from high school. Coach Tesi details how he decided to attend the University of Miami and the steps he took to walk on the UM Football Team as a member of the scout squad for his freshman year. During this time Coach Tesi met future All Pro Nose Tackle and Super Bowl Champion Giant Jim Burt and they subsequently became college roommates and forged a lifetime close friendship. Coach Tesi describes why Jim Burt offered him to manage his newly purchased 7-11 franchise during his NFL career before he ultimately decided to return to school to get his MA in Education to become and teacher and coach. Coach Tesi ends Part 1 by describing how he became one of the 32 teachers selected to open the new Colts Neck High School in 1998, and how Jim Burt played a part helping him secure an interview.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In this episode, we welcome our friend and former Colts Neck Defensive Back Coach Greg Hope. Coach Hope has an extensive football past and he details his good fortune of being coached by very good men at every level, from Wall Pop Warner to Wall High School to Montclair State University. Coach LaCava and Coach Hope initially met over 20 years ago when both were assistant coaches at Manchester High School. While at Manchester they formed a tight bond of friendship that began to grow after they shared an early weight room workout. Coach Hope joined the Colts Neck staff as Defensive Back Coach when Coach LaCava was hired as the Head Coach in 2009, and he immediately played an important role in the development of Coach Letson's Cougar Defenses. A career Health and PE Teacher, Coach Hope became the Colts Neck Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach after Coach LaCava's final season with the Cougars in 2013. Coach Hope went on to lead Colts Neck to a State Sectional Volleyball title, and he continues as the Female Cougars VVB Coach to this day.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Coach Letson directly addresses long standing critics and digs deeper into his defensive philosophy, game planning and influences including Bill Belichick and former Ocean Township great Coach George Conti. This episode includes how Coach Belichick's game plan in Super Bowl 25 greatly influenced Coach Letson's defensive thinking and approach to game planning throughout his career: Stop their A Game and force them to win with their B Game. Coach Letson's tackles critics of his approach of creating piles on the LOS when necessary if a DT is at a significant size disadvantage and reviews how Coach Conti's tactics in leading his great Big Red Teams helped him to understand the nuances of high school football as compared to the other levels. Coach Letson reviews some game football of Colts Necks game against eventual CJ Group 3 Champ Neptune in 2011 and go to the Board to describe how his 2-5 Allentown Defense forced a 7-0 Notre Dame team to run the ball in 2001 in helping to keep the game within reach into the 3rd Quarter.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Coach Letson details how his version of the 53 Defense evolved over his years as the Defensive Coordinator at Middletown High School South, when the school appeared in 5 straight NJ CJ 4 State Title games from 1988 to 1992. This episode includes some X's and O's and video footage of 2 of his most dominate MLB's whose unique talents shined in the same 53 scheme 18 years apart: #52 Joe Little Middletown South class of 1993 and Tyler Van Wagnor Colts Neck class of 2011.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In this episode, we welcome Dr. John Andl, a man who has meant so much to both of us as a coach, mentor and lifelong friend. Our journey with Coach Andl began when he joined Coach Comeforo’s staff at Middletown South High School in 1985 and he became Coach LaCava’s RB position coach. In 1986, Coach Letson joined Coach Andl as an assistant on South’s coaching staff as the Secondary Coach and little did we know at the time that the three of us would reunite in the future on several different stages. Coach Andl was to become the Head Coach at Middletown South in 1988 when he hired both of us to join him on his staff, and he subsequently led South to consecutive CJ Group 4 Finals in 1988 and 1989, winning South’s first ever State Title in 1989 with a 21-3 victory over Madison Central. The 89 Team received the post season USA Today ranking of #13 in the country. Coach Andl would later join us at Colts Neck High School in 2009, where he would be Coach LaCava’s top Offensive Assistant and be an integral part of the Cougars high powered offense and 2013 CJ Group 4 State Finalist.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In this episode, we welcome our great friend Jack Nascimento, our former Colts Neck Assistant and current OC at Donovan Catholic. This episode underscores the lifetime bond of friendship that coaching this great game of football together can create, which sometimes only takes 1 year together as this episode reveals. Coach Nas describes his introduction to the game with a great experience with Keyport Indians Pop Warner Program and his decision to attend SJV to play football and baseball while all his childhood friends attended public school. Coach Nas won the QB job as a sophomore and ran the Wing-T for Coach Penta for 3 years. Following graduation circumstances lead Coach Nas to immediately coach the Freshman for Coach Penta at SJV and he immediately fell in love with coaching. Coach Nas details his journey from there, making a stop at Brookdale Community College to Pitch for Coach Johnny Johson before making coaching stops at SJV, Raritan, Ida S Baker in Cape Coral, FL, Monmouth, Marlboro, Colts Neck, Holmdel and now Donovan Catholic for the last 8 seasons. Coach Nas shares with listeners the horrific injury his son Gavin experienced while playing for him at Donovan Catholic in 2024, an update on Gavin's progress and how grateful the family was for the tremendous outpouring of support during that difficult time.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In this episode, we welcome our friend and coaching colleague, Coach Craig Cicardo. Our ties with Coach Cicardo go back to when we were all coaching in Middletown, NJ in the late 1980's and early 1990s. Coach Cicardo has a very interesting path and one that also has some similarities to our own. Coach Cicardo was a part of the inaugural football class at Lacy High School in 1981. At Lacey he played QB under the legendary Shore Football Great Lou Vircillo. Following his college football career at FDU where he also played QB, Coach entered the world of college coaching at McNeese State in LA, where he coached WRs for a short time before returning to NJ and becoming the Head Coach Baseball at Mater Dei Prep in Middletown. Shortly thereafter the Head Football job opened, and Coach became Mater Dei’s Head Coach at the young age of 24 where he remained as a fixture in the area for 10 years. Coach Cicardo became the Head Coach at Pinelands Regional High School in 2000 through 2003. During his tenure he led the Wildcats to their first playoff berth in school history. Coach returned to college ball in 2004, coaching the WRs for one year at Monmouth University before returning to his roots and joining his beloved Head Coach Lou Vircillo as an assistant at Lacey for the next 6 years. From 2010 to 2012 Coach Cicardo returned to the college coaching ranks, coaching both at Kean and The College of NJ, remaining at the latter from 2015 to 2021. Coach Cicardo has been the Head Coach of the NJ Warriors Junior College Football team out of Jackson since 2022 and in this episode, he describes this opportunity for community college students in depth.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Our Special Guest in Episode 8 is Kevin "KC" Keenan, our former player at Allentown High School who joined our staff upon graduating high school in June 2002. KC shares his coaching and career journey and how his special relationship with Coach LaCava impacted his decisions during a time of uncertainty in his life. KC also shares how he and his Allentown teammates embraced Coach LaCava's challenge to be different, and fought for respectability as a football team. This episode reflects the special bond coaches and former players develop when they become coaching colleagues and lifelong friends.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Our special guest in this episode is our close friend and coaching colleague, Joe Murphy. This episode takes a deep dive into Coach Murph’s lifelong passion for the game of football that first began with playing Pop Warner in Middle Queens, NY where he was born and raised, to the present day as an Assistant Coach for the Allentown Redbirds. Coach Murph reflects on his playing days in the NYC Adult Unlimited League (any size, any age, any weight) for the Long Reds from 1972 to 1975, and his transition into coaching for Allentown Pop Warner (NJ) in the early 90s. The hosts share their experience of meeting Coach Murph when they came to Allentown in 1999 and his transition onto their staff where they began a lifelong friendship. Coach Murph also describes his experience of coaching former Colts Neck female place kicker Abby Letson, who was among the top NJ statistical leaders in 2013.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Our special guest in this episode is Abby Letson, Colts Neck High School's female place kicker from 2012 to 2013. Abby, who is Coach Letson's daughter, shares her unique experience on the Colts Neck Football team, going from a successful youth travel soccer player to kicking an x-point in a NJ State Sectional Football final. Abby won the kicking job during her senior year, and she went on to be one of the most successful kickers in the state, kicking 44 x-points and a 35 yard field goal. This episode is especially helpful for any athlete who may be hesitant to pursue their dreams due to societal or other pressures. Filled with funny anecdotes and the importance of a solid, ethical program culture created by the Head Coach, this is a must see episode!____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Our guest on this episode is Chuck Welsh, former Head Football Coach of Freehold Township High School in NJ from 1986 to 1993. Coach Welsh is a very close friend, a consummate education professional, a cerebral and caring coach, a loving husband of over 50 years, and a father and grandfather who has a very unique personal story that you will want to hear.Circumstances in Coach’s life led him to enter the Milton Hershey School for Boys at the tender age of 4. Milton Hershey was a residential school for underprivileged boys who met certain criteria for admission. Coach Welsh lived at the Hershey School from age of 4 until he graduated from their high school at age 17. In his senior football season (1964) he was a starting defensive tackle for the Spartans and details his experience playing high school football during this era. After attending a junior college, Coach was drafted into the Marines where during bootcamp his superiors noticed his qualities of discipline and responsibility and he was nominated for the coveted distinction of Most Outstanding Marine in his Platoon of 80 recruits. Coach ultimately did a tour in Vietnam where he was a machine gunner and received a Purple Heart for being wounded in action. After his discharge from the Marines, Coach Welsh ultimately chose a career in Education and after completing college was employed as a social studies teacher and assistant football coach at Freehold Boro High School in NJ. Coach remained at Freehold Boro as the Defensive Coordinator for 12 years until he was hired for the Freehold Township Head Football job. Coach Welsh gets into the successes and challenges over his 8 years as Head Coach, and remains in regular contact with many of his former players who speak fondly of him as a leader, mentor and motivator. ____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In this episode, Coach Letson brings up some favorite memories over his many years of coaching, with discussions including: getting creative to motivate players when your team needs an edge; how tough players never cease to amaze; the difficult decisions Coach Lacava had to make for his player safety, and more!____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Coach Letson shares his lifetime experiences and influences that shaped his personality as a coach and his philosophy as a High School Defensive Coordinator for 21 seasons.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build successful high school football programs.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

In this episode, Coach LaCava reviews his offensive philosophy on the high school level, including how it evolved over the years from being a player to a Head Coach at Allentown, Colts Neck, and Holmdel high schools.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build a successful high school football program.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

We're kicking off this episode with our very first special guest: Coach Chris Bova! Coach Bova played with show host Greg LaCava in high school and was coached by co-host Tom Letson. His love for the game and his deep connection to Greg and Tom brought him back to the football field as a coach, and together these three share a long, successful coaching history alongside a lifelong friendship.Tune in to hear lessons on how to think outside the box when you're outmatched on the field, how a person like Coach Bova views the long-term effects of LaCava and Letson's approach to program culture — and what football and coaching truly mean in the lives of young men over generations.____________________________Here We Go! A High School Football Podcast is hosted by Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava. They offer a combined 50+ years of coaching experience to help new and seasoned coaches build a successful high school football program. Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!

Welcome to Here We Go: A High School Football Podcast! In this episode, your hosts Coaches Tom Letson and Greg LaCava will discuss their football history, from playing to coaching. They'll give you a look at what this podcast is all about and what you can expect to hear when you tune in.Be sure to subscribe to get notified when new episodes are released!