Football: Sacred Heart University the right fit for Mainland Regional kicker Mike Juliano

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher You could say Mainland Regional’s Mike Juliano is having a pretty good senior year. During the football season, he set a Cape-Atlantic League record by making 10 field goals, and his last was a game-winner on Thanksgiving against rival Egg Harbor Township that helped longtime coach Bob Coffey go out a winner in his final game wearing the headset. This winter, Juliano helped the Mustangs’ swim team to its second straight South Jersey title, and Mainland became the first CAL team to beat mighty St. Augustine Prep since 2003. And he still has the baseball season to look forward to. Something else Juliano has to look forward to is his college career, as he officially signed this week with Sacred Heart University, an NCAA Division I school located in Fairfield, Conn. The Pioneers will have a junior and a senior place kicker on their roster next year, so Juliano could be the heir apparent for Sacred Heart as both a kicker and punter. Juliano was an all-South Jersey kicker and punter last season and is one of the best place kickers in Mainland Regional history. “He’s come a long way. He’s my No. 1 kicker. And he’s also picked up punting in a short amount of time. People just expect a kicker to be able to punt, but it’s a whole different animal,” said Jim Cooper, Juliano’s kicking coach whose son, also named Jim, was also one of the best kickers in Mainland history and plans to kick for Wagner next fall after completing his degree at Temple in just three years. “The big thing with Mike is, he has ice water in his veins. He doesn’t get nervous of frazzled. That’s why he’s able to go in on Thanksgiving Day and kick a field goal like that, with all that pressure. Not only hundreds of people, but coach Coffey’s final game of his career that spanned decades. He came in and treated it just like another kick. I think he really proved he’s ready for the next level.” Mainland Regional senior place kicker Mike Juliano is flanked by his mother, Melissa, and father, Mike, as he signs his national letter of intent on Tuesday to attend Sacred Heart University on a partial athletic and academic scholarship. Also in attendance were, from left, football coach Bob Coffey, swimming coach Brian Booth, baseball coach Billy Kern and Jim Cooper, Juliano’s kicking coach. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “I was looking at a couple of D3 schools, like Gettysburg, Muhlenberg and a couple of schools in the Centennial Conference, but when I visited Sacred Heart, the coaches were just on a very personal level with me. I got to meet some of the guys on the team and I got to connect with them. I thought it was the right fit. I thought about it on the train ride home, and when I got a chance to settle down and think about it at home, I thought it would be a great place for me to further my education and my athletic career,” Juliano said. “It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders. The whole college process, whether you are participating in athletics or just looking for a college to go to in general, is stressful. So I’m glad to have it behind me.” Juliano, who said he plans to major in business, said academics played a big role in his decision. His scholarship, which is both athletic and academic, will cover about half the cost each year, said his father, also named Mike. “Each school has their own selling point, but Sacred Heart stuck with me the strongest, and I felt that was the best place I could continue with my kicking skills and help them be successful as a team. I’m going to major in business, and they have an impressive new business school building, so that was a big selling point for me. And it’s right near New York City,” Juliano said. The Pioneers went 6-5 last season and have gone 25-11 since Mark Nofri had the interim tag lifted and became the head coach. Nofri does a lot of recruiting in New Jersey, as the 2016 class will feature 11 players from the state, including five from the Shore Conference. The Pioneers also feature several South Jersey players, including wide receiver Andrew O’Neill of Washington Township, safety Alec Finelli of Rancocas Valley, offensive lineman Knikeem Lewis of St. Joseph and current sophomore defensive tackle Paul Stanton of Ocean City. Sacred Heart’s athletic director also is former Major League Baseball manager Bobby Valentine. “I spoke with the coaches up at Sacred Heart and they are very high on him. I think it’s a perfect opportunity for him to step right in, even as a freshman, and win the job,” Cooper said. “I’m a little surprised there weren’t more schools recruiting him. He had a good amount, but a kid of his skill level. But things are changing in college. They are not giving out scholarships like they used to. When Coop signed (with Temple) they were handing out scholarships left and right, but in just a few years, you look at a school like Rutgers who just lost a kid who decommitted and went to Penn State. They are bringing in a recruited walk-on from Indiana. So times are changing, but I think Mike got a great deal and I think it’s a good fit for him.” Juliano said he doesn’t mind staying in the northeast and having to kick in difficult conditions. He’s used to it, he said. “I’m a northeast kicker, I’ve been trained that way, so I should be used to it. I wanted to stay within a reasonable distance from home so my parents could come see me play,” he said. “I have a sure path of what I’ll be doing the next four years, so that’s a lot of weight off my shoulders.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]