The Jersey Journal, 12-Aug-11
By Patrick Villanova
Sitting behind his new desk in the basement of Weehawken High School, Zach Naszimento speaks fervently about the leaps and bounds the school's once downtrodden football team is making.
Naszimento, who is entering his first season as the school's football coach and athletic director, has a plan for transforming the Indians football program into a successful one.
But the first-year head coach won't be going it alone. Across from him sits his best friend, his mentor and his new assistant coach -- his father Bruce.
"My father was the first person I contacted to come with me, because I couldn't do it without him," said Zach, adding that Bruce will serve as the team's offensive coordinator.
"On top of him being my father, he's my best friend. For us to be together doing something like this, it's exciting, it's fun."
The father-son tandem's top priority is reshaping the culture of a program that has won a combined four games over the last three seasons.
"He's just relentless. He's changing the climate and the culture of the team," said Bruce.
Naszimento, 33, graduated from Secaucus High School in 1996 and earned a scholarship to play defensive end at the University of Cincinnati, he graduated in 2000.
For the last three years, Naszimento has been at the right hand of former Hoboken High School coach Ed Stinson at Queen of Peace in North Arlington, from 2008 to 2009, and last season at Hackensack High School, where Stinson now serves as an assistant coach.
While Stinson has been one of his chief mentors, Naszimento said his father has brought credibility and stability to a program in transition.
"There's nothing out there that he hasn't seen," Naszimento said of his father, who spent the last 12 seasons coaching with Charlie Voorhees at Secaucus High School. "I constantly use him for guidance."
Structure and discipline are no doubt the bedrock of Naszimento's approach, from his regimented practices that are filmed each day to grueling workouts in the school's newly updated weight room.
"He has a plan and we all follow it," said Bruce Naszimento. "He's ready. There's no doubt about that. He's ready.
Make no mistake, as close as the father and son are, emotions often run high between this fiery duo.
"I definitely fired him a couple of times, but it's usually over dinner," the son joked. "I've fired you twice, but rehired you at least three times."
Despite the effort and time Naszimento has put into the football team, he's looking forward to his duties as the school's athletic director, as he replaces longtime administrator Richard Terpak.
He'll apply the same standards he has set for the football team to the rest of the school's athletic programs, Naszimento said.
"Everything that Weehawken was in the past has nothing to do with what we're going to do today.
"People looking at Weehawken as an (automatic) win, those days are done, those days are over," Naszimento said.
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