Dowling picks three former Brick coaches for staff

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Newly appointed Brick Township High School football coach Patrick Dowling has almost all of his coaching staff recommendations in place for the Board of Education's consideration and hopes to have his list finalized by next weekend.

"We're a little behind," he said. "There are one or two staff members left to fill. We have seven salaried positions, and at least three of them [being recommended] are former coaches here. It's a mix. More of the staff is guys who have been at Brick. It's important for us to all come together and get on the same page."

Dowling was named head football coach to replace the legendary Warren Wolf at a stormy May 14 school board meeting where Wolf — the only coach in the team's 51-year history — and a number of other speakers condemned his appointment.

Dowling declined to discuss whether he has recommended offensive and defensive coordinators. But one assistant coach and teacher at Allentown High School, where Dowling coached for a year, has reportedly gotten a teaching position in Brick.

"I'm not at liberty to say, until we finalize the whole staff," Dowling said. Dowling met with the players in late May and with their parents on May 28.

"I met with the parents of 30 to 40 players, and they want to move forward," he said. "I thought it went well. A lot of them asked questions. There was some tension among some

people, but most were accepting my methods."

But he did say that there were still some critics of his appointment. Wolf and others wanted one of the current Brick assistant football coaches to get the job.

The team's returning players for the 2009 season will participate in testing this week and in a minicamp for three days next week.

Dowling said his players "have

been pretty active in the summertime" in his previous coaching positions.

The Brick Township players will get together three or four nights a week in the summer, Dowling said.

"The kids are looking forward to getting started," he said.

This week's sessions will cover agility, plyometrics and football components. Next week the players will work out in shorts and football pads during mini-camp. Players will not get into the playbook until further into summer workouts, Dowling said.

"We want to hit the ground running, and we're moving along," said Dowling. "Some people want to move backward, but a lot of people want to move forward."

The Board of Education still has to approve Dowling's appointments. All coaching positions are yearly positions.