Hauppauge's Joe beats Hills East's Mike
Hauppauge head coach Joe Patrovich, left, speaks to his son, Half Hollow Hills East head coach, Michael Patrovich, right, before the football game. (Oct. 28, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
In the waning seconds of a heart-thumper of a football game at Hauppauge, Kathy Patrovich stands vigil behind the fence. Her placement is perfect for the occasion -- directly behind the goalpost, not favoring any side -- as is her wardrobe (a neutral brown).
But though the picture of impartiality, Kathy, wife of Hauppauge coach Joe Patrovich and matriarch in a family of coaches, probably has more at stake in this one than anyone.
"It's my husband and my son, who I both love dearly," she said. "If it could end in a tie, I'd be very happy."
She doesn't quite get her wish, but in the battle of the father (Joe) against the son (Mike Patrovich, first-year coach at Hills East), it certainly comes close.
Hauppauge edged Hills East, 22-21, Friday night on Corey Wood's 17-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion with 55 seconds left in the third quarter. Wood accounted for three touchdown runs and 20 points in the game.
R.J. Nitti scored two touchdowns and passed for another for Hills East. Both teams finished 3-5. Hills East had been hoping to finish .500 for the first time since 1997.
Mike, though displeased with the loss, remained upbeat and acknowledged that sure, coaching against his old man was pretty cool.
"It's great," he said. "To play each other is a special thing . . . Everything I am is because of my father. He's opened doors for me and he's the reason I'm a head coach."
Kathy added that it didn't hurt that the family lives a life centered around athletics. Fridays and Saturdays are for high school football; Sundays are generally spent watching the NFL.
It's been time well-spent: Eldest son Joe Jr. coached wrestling at Smithtown and the youngest, Ryan, a recent graduate of Hofstra, is an assistant coach at Hills East.
"I have no idea what encourages them," said Joe, laughing. "The time, the emotion, the roller coaster -- you'd think they would say, 'Let me do something normal.' "
Normal, though, has its disadvantages. For one, it would kill nights like Friday. It was the first time in Long Island high school football history that a father and son coached against each other. In the Patrovich household, it led to playful jibes and a week of anticipation.
Still, there was nary a word whispered about bragging rights. "I don't think either one of us look at it like that," Joe said. "This is about our seniors and [two programs] who are trying to turn it around."
Added Mike: "I'm just following his lead."
As the scoreless fourth quarter rolled around, Kathy said the outcome probably was the best she could hope for. "It couldn't be any closer," she said. "It's very exciting. It's great."
A fair assessment, though Joe Jr., standing with his mom, gave a more colorful account: "It's down to the wire," he said, which was perfect. "You root for someone to not go down 20 points, lock himself in his room and not come out for a week."
