Talking With: Panther Football Coach Rick Punzone

Rick Punzone wanted to be a football coach ever since he was a little kid, and his love for the game has been strong from the moment he took to the Walt Whitman High School football field as a linebacker and running back.

"I was never the superstar athlete," says Babylon's head football coach, who's been coaching for 22 years. "I was just a technically sound kid who loved the game."

Punzone went on to play at the University of Albany as a defensive end and received an undergraduate degree in criminal justice. He then attended Springfield College where he earned a master's degree in teacher administration and took on his first coaching role. 

The sixth grade math and social studies teacher says he's extremely proud of this year's Panthers squad, which faces off against Bayport-Blue Point today at the Phantoms' home field at 1 p.m. in the Suffolk County semifinals.

He's hopeful his experienced team will play the consistent game they've played all year and advance to county finals. His personal coaching goal is to achieve 100 wins before he's eligible to retire in eight years. Right now his record stands at 67-15.

Punzone's already surpassed that mark as the girl's varsity softball coach with a 161-41 record earned during his nine years as coach.  

"Softball is a players' game, which parents tend to not realize as much. I have been blessed with having great players for many years now," says Punzone, noting the Lady Panthers have won three Suffolk County championships, a Long Island championship and three league titles.

The Smithtown West resident taught and coached at Babylon schools for a decade, and then left to serve as Athletic Director at South Huntington for two years.

But the administration job wasn't a good fit as he prefers working with students and so he returned to Babylon.  

"I was lucky enough that Babylon welcomed me back with open arms," he says.

As football coach he's held to a 'no-cut' policy and believes in welcoming any player who has the drive for the sport.

"I love to welcome everyone onto the team. We will never cut anyone who wants to come out," he says.

Patch's sports writer Corey Swike spent a few minutes talking with Punzone Friday before the Panther's practice to get his insight on playoff strategy.   

Patch: What's your take on how this season has gone and the Panther's football accomplishments? 
Punzone: We got off to a shaky 2-2 start this year. In the history of the program, we have been in the Suffolk County Championships for 13 straight years. Babylon has been to seven Long Island championships and we have won four.  The school has won 15 consecutive Big Four champions. We had one losing season in 33 years.

Patch: What are your offense and defense philosophies? Do you change them based on skills or do you adapt your players to the scheme?
Punzone: We adapt the players to the scheme. We are a predominantly running football team. Before becoming head coach I was defensive coordinator for 13 years under Hans Weiderkehr.  The base formation that we run is 4-3 with different looks.

Patch:  How hard is it to get into coaching?
Punzone: My original aspiration was in the area of college coaching. Getting into high school coaching is not that big of an obstacle, it's finding a teaching job which is the hard part. Coaching at the college level is so much more difficult to break into. Longevity at the college level is also hard to come by, which is why I ultimately decided on high school.

Patch: What does the next season look like for the Panthers?
Punzone: We lose a few leaders and key members of the team. However we are always about turn over and evolving as a whole.  We will have about half of the kids of the current 42 players on the varsity squad this year. 

A Look at Babylon's Football coaches:

Defensive Coordinator: Chris Moora has been on the staff for eight years and this year marks his first year as defensive coordinator. Moora is also the head basketball coach.

Special Teams: Coach/Recievers/Defensive End: Bill Singleton, an alumnus, is in his fourth year on varsity and sixth year of coaching.

Offensive Line/ Defensive Line Coach: This is Vinny Delapi's first year on the varsity level and fourth year in the program.

Offensive Coordinator/QB/LB coach:  Steve Fasciani is in his third year on varsity.