'He Passed The Torch... I Have to Keep It Growing'
Kevin Leamy has certainly paid his dues, and the result is his first high school football head coaching job.
A 2005 graduate of Gateway, Leamy is the new head football coach at Schalick. He replaces Mike Wilson, who was named the head coach at Clearview.
Leamy, who was a running back and defensive back then linebacker at Gateway, played college football at Division III Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.
Leamy was a college wide receiver and he enjoyed a successful season as a three-year starter.
As a senior in the 2008 season, he had 48 receptions for 484 yards and four touchdowns. Also that season he set a single-game school record with 14 receptions in a 17-10 loss to Amherst.
The record stood until 2017, when Mike Breuler caught 15 in a game, a mark that still stands.
After college, Leamy got right into coaching, serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Gateway. He then spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Clearview before coming to Schalick, where he was an assistant coach the past three years. He coached running backs, offensive line and linebackers.
“I am excited,” the 38-year-old Leamy said. “I get to put my own stamp on the program, which is something I haven’t been able to do before and I am pretty excited about it.”
He takes over a Schalick program that has been on a certified roll. During Leamy’s three seasons, the Cougars have gone 26-8. Schalick has reached a sectional final two straight years, losing to Glassboro each season.
According to Leamy, there are six starters returning on offense and seven on defense.
A key factor, according to Leamy will be the fact that he is familiar with all the players.
“It’s huge,” he said. “They already know me and know what to expect from me.”
Because of that he doesn’t think there will be much adjustment to having a new head coach.
“Not a whole lot of things are changing as far as the program and the culture stuff,” said Leamy, who is a sixth grade special education teacher at Pittsgrove Township Middle School. “Mike Wilson did an awesome job getting us to this point. He passed the torch, and I have to keep it growing.”
Leamy not only teaches in the district, but he lives in Pittsgrove, where Schalick is located.
He has met with the team and is spending plenty of time preparing for his debut season as a head coach, one that was earned through a lot of hard work both as a player and an assistant coach.
Photo: Kevin Leamy with Schalick players / Courtesy of Kevin Leamy
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Author: Marc Narducci
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