New LHS Head Football Coach Connects with His Players; John Deluca “Has a Vision for the Program
T he past few months have been somewhat of a whirlwind for John DeLuca and his young family.
First, there’s DeLuca’s dual-job change, from a teacher/coach in Wakefield to the new Lexington High head football coach and special education teacher in Lexington.
Bound for Fenway Park
This is the fifth year Lexington and Concord-Carlisle will celebrate Thanksgiving playing each other since restoring the rivalry to the holiday. After Concord-Carlisle moved to the Dual County League in the early ‘70s, LHS faced Burlington for nearly 50 seasons on Turkey Day.
Adding to the excitement is that LHS and Concord-Carlisle are taking their Thanksgiving rivalry to none other than Fenway Park this year, playing the night before (Nov. 26) at the historic ballyard, a thrilling complement to the 250th anniversary celebrations in both communities.
Of course, there’s the added fact that 2½-year-old Sadie DeLuca will be welcoming a new sister in November. Kelly DeLuca’s due date is Nov. 28, so now comes the visual of a dashing daddy from the sideline.
“I’ll be super psyched to be playing in that kind of atmosphere!”
Sophomore Ethan Hatch, the Minutemen’s starting quarterback.
“We’re going to Beth Israel, so I can just run down the street,” DeLuca quipped. “I’ll meet you there. It’s going to be wild.”
Obviously, that’s not the likely course of events should someone want to arrive two days early. But with how wondrous things are falling into place for John DeLuca this year, the hospital being just down Brookline Avenue from the Fens adds to the fine fortune.“I was pretty shocked,” DeLuca said of the LHS coaching and teaching jobs becoming available simultaneously. “I guess it was a case of the stars just being aligned. When I saw the Lexington job was posted, I thought it was a no-brainer to apply for it.”
What This Program Needs
A Topsfield native, DeLuca graduated from Masconomet Regional High in 2005, after starring for coach Jim Pugh at fullback and linebacker. He prepped a year at Deerfield Academy before playing four years of outside linebacker at Union College, one of the Northeast’s finer Division 3 programs.s great energy, with a background at a quality Division 3 program like Union,” Lexington athletic director Naomi Martin said. “He’s a good fit for Lexington.”
DeLuca replaces Shane Wilson, who was at the helm for four seasons. At 38, DeLuca has brought a youthful exuberance to Lexington High and its athletic program, which surely isn’t lost on school staff and the student-athletes.
“There was something about John and his demeanor,” Martin said. “His straightforward values and culture, that stood out to us. We’re hoping it’s the beginning of a long relationship, having somebody who’s young and has a vision for the program.”
“He’s what this program needs right now,” said senior two-way lineman James Moehring, one of the Minutemen’s five captains. “It takes a lot to change a culture, to instill discipline. As he is in the building, he has access to our grades, to our attendance. He just raises the standard for us, and he’s picking us up, too, telling us that we’re made for this.”
“The guys seem a lot more motivated,” said two-year starting fullback Alex Manson, also a senior captain. “Coach brings a huge positive presence that people like being around. Our practices are more efficient, and overall, people seem to be a lot more committed.”
TEAR IT UP – Teamwork, Effort, Attitude, Respect
Though the motto has yet to wind up on T-shirts, DeLuca and the team punctuate every gathering on the field with a shout of ‘TEAR IT UP – Teamwork, Effort, Attitude, Respect.’
“These values are in line with the high school’s values and are values you need to be successful far beyond after you’re at Lexington High School,” DeLuca said
DeLuca is another product of the Wakefield High coaching tree, where legendary mentor Bill Tighe served as an assistant and head coach before eventually beginning his 36-year reign at LHS. George Peterson was a freshman coach there before directing the Minutemen to back-to-back Middlesex League titles, with Milwaukee Brewers Gold Glove right fielder Sal Frelick calling the signals as Lexington’s celebrated quarterback.
During his three seasons under Warriors coach John Rafferty, DeLuca enjoyed a sense of success in the Middlesex League he hopes can be infused in his Minutemen, who are bound for Fenway Park.
“It’s going to be a really fun experience, to play our rival at Fenway Park, to wrap up our senior year. I just want to enjoy every single moment there.” Senior captain/two-way starter John Lilley
“It’s going to be really special,” said DeLuca, who was informed of the Fenway trip in August. “I’ve been very fortunate because I joined the Wakefield staff the year we won the Super Bowl. I got to go with that team to Gillette Stadium, so this is a life memory for the kids and coaches.
“Regardless of how the rest of the season goes, that’s going to be our Super Bowl,” he added. “Being in that type of environment really makes it feel like a Super Bowl – you’re at a sports monument playing your rival – it’s going to be awesome.”
One of DeLuca’s finest Fenway memories came with college classmates, on hand to see Union’s hockey team play on Jersey Street.
“It was just after I got out of school, so it was awesome to see how they did the layout. And the amount of alumni that came out to attend the game, that was very special.”
“I was in eighth grade, and me and one of my friends went [to Fenway] for his birthday,” Manson recalled. “We were pretty close to the field, and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a home run to win the game against the Rays, and I was on TV. I’m so excited to play at Fenway, it’s going to be awesome. To win with these guys at Fenway would be truly incredible.”
Lexington/Concord-Carlisle is the second half of the Wednesday doubleheader, following the Plymouth North/Plymouth South matchup at 4 p.m., featuring the town that brought us Thanksgiving.
On the Tuesday, Middlesex League rivals Melrose and Wakefield square off at 5, followed by Brookline/Newton North at 7:30. Tickets for each doubleheader are $20 and can be purchased at https://www.mlb.com/redsox/tickets/events/high-school-football.
Fenway’s gridiron will be all set up by Nov. 15, when the Coast Guard Academy faces the Merchant Marine Academy in the Secretaries’ Cup. The following Saturday, Holy Cross takes on Georgetown, with the college football action concluding Dec. 27 with the Fenway Bowl.
The Middlesex League continues to enjoy a fine run at Fenway over the past few years, with the Reading-Stoneham and Winchester-Woburn football rivalries already meeting there, as well as the Arlington and Burlington boys’ hockey teams facing other on Fenway ice.
“Everyone has had fantastic things to say about the experience,” said Martin, who noted preliminary talks with the ADs and Fenway Sports Group began in the spring, with the deal solidified in July.
“We’re super excited about the opportunity, and response from staff and community and football program have been great,” added Martin, who this past summer accompanied the state champion Lexington girls’ track team, which was honored by the Red Sox, at Fenway. “We’re thrilled to be part of the conversation. Knowing both communities, they’ll travel well.”
“I’ll be super psyched to be playing in that kind of atmosphere,” said sophomore Ethan Hatch, the Minutemen’s starting quarterback.
Added senior captain/two-way starter John Lilley: “It’s going to be a really fun experience, to play our rival at Fenway Park, to wrap up our senior year. I just want to enjoy every single moment there.”
This is the fifth year Lexington and Concord-Carlisle will celebrate Thanksgiving playing each other since restoring the rivalry to the holiday. After Concord-Carlisle moved to the Dual County League in the early ‘70s, LHS faced Burlington for nearly 50 seasons on Turkey Day.
Logistics are in the process for the cheerleaders’ participation at Fenway, as well as hopefully the LHS Pep Band.
There also is hope for an appearance by both the Lexington and Concord Minute Men Companies, a classic touch to the celebration of the 250th. All this will happen at Friendly Fenway, which was built in 1912. Lexington and Concord began their football rivalry 19 years earlier in 1893.
“Fenway Park never really gets old,” Martin said, “there’s always a magic to it.”