Honors Given To 2 Ridgewood Coaches

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood Public Schools hockey coach Michael Lucchesi and basketball coach Michael Troy have each won honors from the Bergen County Coaches' Association after sucessful seasons.

After leading the Ridgewood High School Hockey team to an historic 2025 season, Lucchesi has been named "Coach of the Year," the school district said.

In his 16th season as Head Coach and 23rd overall coaching at Ridgewood, Lucchesi has a career record of 227-132-22, according to the district.

This season, he led the Hockey Maroons to an 18-9 record and the program’s first-ever sectional championship.

The season’s most dramatic moment came in the state tournament quarterfinals against Ramapo. Down 3-0 with only five minutes left, the Maroons rallied. They scored a crucial goal with just 2.9 seconds remaining to force overtime. Player Will LoSauro then scored the winning goal, capping off an incredible performance where he scored three times and assisted on the tying goal.

The Maroons went on to defeat Randolph in the sectional final at Codey Arena. This was Lucchesi’s first-ever win against Randolph, and it secured the sectional title for Ridgewood. Large crowds cheered them on to victory.

"Michael Lucchesi truly cares about his players, both on and off the ice," said athletic director Keith Cook. "His smart coaching and his ability to
motivate the team led to this amazing season and this well-deserved award. He’s a real asset to the Ridgewood athletic program."

He also focuses on life lessons like teamwork, hard work, and sportsmanship.

Michael Troy

Also, Coach Michael Troy was named Bergen County Basketball Coach of the Year after a milestone season.

Under Troy's guidance, Ridgewood has won the section three times in the last four years, the district said — with Troy surpassing his 300th career victory this season
“I am incredibly humbled to receive this recognition,” said Troy. “The season was marked by determination and drive from the very first game.”

The season was also marked by the journey of Johnny “Buckets” Jackson, who led the team to the N1G4 boys basketball final despite undergoing chemotherapy.

Find out more about the district here.