By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Mainland Regional football coach Bob Coffey announced his retirement after 30 years on the job prior to the Mustangs’ annual Thanksgiving Day rivalry game against Egg Harbor Township. In his retirement, coach Coffey may want to think about picking up a part-time gig writing Hollywood scripts. Coffey’s final game pacing the sidelines with his clipboard in hand was the stuff of legend, as the Mustangs went ahead 24-13 only to watch the host Eagles rally to take a 25-24 lead late in the fourth quarter. That set the stage for one final Mainland drive, which was capped off in record-setting fashion when senior place kicker Mike Juliano nailed a 42-yard field goal — his Cape-Atlantic League single-season record 10th — with 3:53 remaining to give the Mustangs a dramatic 27-25 victory. “It’s just an unspeakable feeling. There isn’t a better way to end my career here at Mainland, taking home the Thanksgiving Day trophy,” Juliano said. “I just want to thank coach Coffey, coach (Jim) Cooper, all my teammates, my holder Sam Jackson, Ty Coffey my long snapper, and of course my parents.” “It’s incredible. I’m glad he broke the record. He’s been working hard, so I’m glad he got to do it,” receiver Ryan Swenson said of Juliano. The snap from Ty Coffey was a little bit low, but Jackson — the starting quarterback who also serves as the holder for Juliano — got it down just in time. Juliano curled the kick inside the left upright, with plenty of distance. “I thought I had more pressure on me. But I thought if I got it down, he would make it,” Jackson said. 
Egg Harbor Township receiver Spencer LaSure breaks free from Mainland defender Teddy Bergman on his way to a second-half touchdown. LaSure finished with a game-high 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns for EHT. Rice found LaSure on a halfback reverse pass for a 56-yard score early in the fourth quarter to cut Mainland’s lead to 24-19, and with 6:32 left EHT took its second lead of the game, 25-24, when Moore ran up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, however, leaving the door open for the Mustangs. “I think coach Coffey almost had a heart attack on the sidelines. That’s one of the craziest games I’ve ever been a part of. It’s a heck of a way to go out. It was a lot of fun,” Jackson said. “(EHT) battled their butts off. Every time we thought we had them, they would come out with a big play and come right back and take the lead. I’m proud of the way we came back. We could have held our heads down after that first touchdown, but we kept going. “I don’t know if coach was nervous, but you could definitely tell it was getting to him. It was tough for all of us. He’s been here for 30 years and has been an incredible coach. He was definitely amped up.” “We came together as a family and won one more for him. It was nice to do. It was emotional in the beginning of the game, but we came together like we had to,” Swenson said. “It was definitely cool. Coach was calling all the right plays, and it was just a great all-around effort.” Coffey finishes his career with a record of 187-116-2, including South Jersey titles in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002 and 2008. “I’m so happy to have done what we have done for 30 years. I have a great wife, Donna, who has been my partner through it all. I’m very humbled. I know how lucky I am,” Coffey said. Coffey said having his last game also be the final game of his youngest son’s career made this Thanksgiving extra special. “He’s been with this program, like my son Matt, his whole life. This has been a family thing. They both came up as water boys and then as football players,” coach Coffey said. “It’s an end of an era for him as well, but we are lucky to have the type of family we have and to have done all of this together. Football has brought us together and been a driving force in our great relationship.” “To be honest, not much is going through my mind right now, I’m just in a state of shock. It’s been a roller coaster the entire time, but that’s what football is. I wouldn’t have wanted to go out any other way. I’m just so grateful to have had this experience — not only with my father, but with my mom, my brother and the whole community,” Ty Coffey said. “That’s all I’ve been hoping for all week, that at the end, when the clock strikes zeroes, we can be winners and he could go out as a winner like he deserves. After 30 years, he deserves a win, and we gave it to him today. I couldn’t be more grateful.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Football: Mainland coach Bob Coffey finishes career in dramatic fashion with thrilling win over rival EHT
