Connolly ready to start a new era and season for John Jay football

By JIM MACLEAN 

It’s a new season, a new league, a new process and a whole new coaching staff for the John Jay varsity football program as the Wolves get ready for fall.

Brendan Connolly calls out instructions at a John Jay football practice. JIM MACLEAN PHOTO

When John Jay Athletic Director Christian McCarthy made the decision to move the Wolves into a new developmental league and not compete for the Section 1 playoffs this fall, he knew it would help to find a new head coach that understood the process and could lead the program in the right direction.

He found the perfect candidate in Brendan Connolly, a veteran coach who has been through the same process before. Connolly grew up on the football field, watching his dad Brian Connolly as head coach at Edgemont win three state titles. Connolly played in high school at Edgemont for his dad and went on to play football in college at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. Connolly then came back home and was head coach at Edgemont, then Riverdale High, then Carmel High, and now he is ready for his first season as the new head coach at John Jay.

A bright future

“We love it, we’re here for the kids, a new coaching staff, a great group of guys and we’re excited for the opportunity,” Connolly said. “We’ve been through the process, and when everyone knows that you genuinely care about the program, that’s where you start. We did it before and we have to lead by example as coaches. We’ve got a really great group of kids, we’re young, but we’ve got a good nucleus of older guys and they’re all working hard. The future is bright.”

One look around the field at a recent spring football camp practice on the turf at John Jay and you could see why Connolly is excited. The field was full with lots of energy and enthusiasm for a spring day of football, with good numbers coming out for the team.

John Jay is coming off a disappointing season with just one victory last fall, and with limited numbers of seniors and juniors on the roster it was clear the Wolves would be a young team trying to compete against the powerhouses in Section 1 Class A. The new developmental league will give the roster a chance to build for the future competing against rivals like Fox Lane and Horace Greeley this fall.

There are some really talented veterans returning to lead the way including senior running back Nick Rinaldi and junior wide receiver James Tesi, but there will be a lot of sophomores and freshmen in the starting lineup.

“We have some skill guys, some really good athletes, a lot of mundane stuff we have to refine, but that’s what all good programs are founded on,” Connolly said. “Once we get that, I think we’ll be in a good spot. We’re focused on the day to day and we have to get better at blocking and tackling. We’re not worried about August and September yet, we’re worried about practice tomorrow.”

Connolly has the Wolves working hard to get ready, starting off with spring camps at home and then working at football camps at Mahopac and Arlington this summer before getting started in the fall.

So far he likes what he sees on the field, but he knows what it takes to turn it around and build a successful program.

“We’re excited to see the energy and enthusiasm they bring every day, it’s contagious,” he said. “Football practice is the hardest thing you can choose to do for the chance to play eight to 10 games in a season, but there’s no comparison to playing a Friday night football game in front of packed stands against a rival. It’s an unparalleled feeling, and the guys that come out say it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding.”

Connolly went through a similar process at Edgemont as a coach when the program saw numbers decline and the Panthers moved to the developmental league for a couple of years to rebuild. The current plan for John Jay is to come back to Section 1 next year with strong numbers in the lower grades having a chance to gain experience and compete.

He knows what it takes to be a state champion, and he knows that it will not happen over night. It will take time to build the program back up and he is committed to help turn it around.

“We have a great opportunity in front of us, but we’ve also got a lot of work to do just like every other program in the section,” Connolly added. “We talk about culture a lot, but it has to be more than just a slogan on a T-shirt. It takes days, months, years to build and you have to live it every day. Every year is a new team. Seniors graduate and the culture always has to be dynamic and moving forward. This is the 2026 team, let’s see what they can do.”