Here's Why West Morris Central Football Stands Out As Top Program: Patch Letters

LONG VALLEY, NJ — A successful high school football program is built on more than preparing to execute the perfect plan on game day — and the West Morris Central Wolfpack could be one of the best in the state, this letter-writer says.

Michael Ben-David, who served as superintendent for the West Morris Regional High School District from 2015 to 2023, shared his thoughts with Patch on the WMC football team — including the value of a dedicated coaching staff and a strong team culture, and what other schools need to realize when they're coming up against the Wolfpack.

His entire letter is posted below:

"What it takes!"

This past fall/winter West Morris Central lost in the North I/II regional final football game. It was the third time in a row West Morris had reached this game, winning in 2021 and dropping in 2022 and 2023. The disappointing part for the players and coaches is, of course, that the 2021 team never got to play for “all the marbles” as NJ and the NJSIAA only went to a “true State Champion” format in 2022. But I digress.

What you need to know about West Morris Central is that it just may be the pound-for-pound best football program in the State. You see, West Morris Central is a shrinking Group III school tucked away in Western (read: bucolic) Morris County. Over the past 10 years its enrollment has gone from over 1300 to under 1000. And, unlike many schools in which athletic participation and focus is concentrated in one or two sports, West Morris is actually really good in almost everything–including academics!

So how did this happen? And, since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, how might some of you interested in greatness replicate what’s going on there? Well, brace yourself, because what it takes (to borrow from TB12) is everything you’ve got, and more.

Let’s start with the people. Head Coach Kevin Hennelly has been a staple at West Morris since 1997. He’s got over 197 wins, teaches in school, lives in the town, and is the kind of person that kids want to be around. Coach Hennelly’s brand of football is really about what goes into a great family–love, acceptance, routine, traditions, and–oh yeh, really high expectations. This is an elixir that turns average into good; good into great; great into exceptional; and exceptional into a SB Champion (see Michael Burton, Chiefs 2023).

Coach Hennelly isn’t alone in this endeavor. His coaching staff is a who’s who of talented educators and coaches (Henry Frayne, Barry Buchanan, Kevin J. Hennelly, Rob Goodwin, Tyler Berntsen, Augie Meyer, Sean Morris and Brian Stukes) that all (sans Meyer/Morris) share the following–they all went to West Morris, they all played at West Morris, they came back to work at West Morris, and they all send or will send their own kids to West Morris. Did I also mention that in the last 61 years, there have only been two football coaches at West Morris? (Hennelly 27 years & Piccirillo 34 years)

When you coach football at West Morris, you coach kids–which is to suggest that they coach through the ball not to the ball. The barriers to entry into this fraternity are high. You must love what you do. You must want to do it 24/7/365. And you must “buy in” to the history and the brand.
The brand is Wolfpack football - think John Facenda, think Friday Night Lights, think Bruce Springstein meets Hickory. When you stand in the coaches room in the fall, winter, spring, and summer the discussion isn’t about vacations, it’s about kids and football. It’s about practice, it’s about new plays, it’s about this family, this kid, this clinic.

Like all successful programs, winning at West Morris isn’t just about points and titles. It’s about the little things. You need to know how the team lines up to enter and exit the field. You need to know how and where the banners need to be placed. You need to know how the uniform is to be tucked in. You need to know where the coaches stand, where and how the team enters the stadium, which way the wolf must face, and who's hosting the coaches/families after the game (usually Coach Mary).

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that “foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”, but what about not so foolish consistency. In today’s hyped-up, transactional, NIL athletic environment, what seems to be true is that all things being equal, consistency or, perhaps, stability is what’s key in ensuring some level of success/dominance.

What that means for all of us educational and/or corporate leaders out there is that it’s important to recognize when you’ve got something good. And even more important to know when to leave well enough alone.

Not surprisingly, West Morris Football figured this out long ago. It’s the reason the team (and school) has and will continue to punch above its weight for a long time. It’s the reason educators, coaches, players and families will continue to return to this small tucked away gem in Long Valley, NJ.

So if you’re hoping to compete year in and year out against Coach Hennelly and Wolfpack Football, you better have a bigger school, more kids, and way more talent. Otherwise, you're going to have to do it the old fashioned way–and that my friends means strapping yourself in, embracing the grind, and giving it everything you’ve got!