RIGHT MAN, RIGHT TIME: SABELLA BRINGS TOUGHNESS, WINNING PEDIGREE BACK TO DON BOSCO

Dan Sabella wants to make one thing clear -- it’s not about him. But should the longtime and highly successful head coach bring Don Bosco Prep football back to, or even close to, the level it once was during its heyday under Greg Toal, Sabella is certainly going to be a big part of the narrative. Sabella, 44, is on the fifth stop of his coaching career in Bergen County and he’s won everywhere he’s been -- save for a two-win season at Ridgefield Park last year -- but if he stayed longer than a year, history suggests he’d probably have eventually won there, too. He's never been this close to Don Bosco before, but he's also never been too far. In 2006, when the Ironmen won their third state title in a five-year span under Toal, Sabella was leading his alma mater, Bogota, to its first and only outright sectional title ever. From 2007-15, when Don Bosco Prep won six state titles in nine years, it was Sabella who was beginning a streak at Paramus that still stands today, now at 12 years and counting, of consecutive playoff appearances. That streak included leading the Spartans to a pair of sectional finals in 2013 and 2014. His success at Paramus landed him an opportunity at nearby Paramus Catholic in 2016, his first taste at non-public football. It was his first and only chance to take on Toal and Don Bosco Prep, before Toal’s contentious split with the school that off-season. The result? Two meetings. Two Paramus Catholic wins over then-reigning state champion Don Bosco, including a 35-29 victory in the state semifinals. And eventually, a state title for Sabella and the Paladins. He reached the pinnacle of his coaching career that year, topping a program he “admired from a distance," and now he’s back seeking a similar type of success in Ramsey. “I just have always followed this program and been in awe of the success they had over those years,” said Sabella, who enters 2019 with a 128-68 career record. "What Coach Toal and these guys were able to do up here was special and now it’s exciting to be part of that tradition. "Now it’s about wanting to get back to playing a high level of football and representing the Bosco brand to the highest level we can. The way it was during that great run they had here.” Having experience in ‘Big 6’ football will only help Sabella and the Ironmen -- “it’s beneficial just knowing the climate,” he said -- and his players agree that he has brought a different mentality to the program, as they look to continue to improve after a rough two-win 2017 and up-and-down 6-5 season last fall. "He's brought this mindset of being nasty, being intense and being physical on both offense and defense," senior quarterback Jahquil Batts said. "He'll definitely get on us if we're not doing our thing the way he knows we're capable of," senior defensive lineman Dakeel Thompson said. "There's no letting up in practice with him," senior defensive lineman Jahmir Greene said. "He wants us to hit. He wants us to be physical and to really let loose. That's the only way we're going to get better." For the Ironmen seniors, Sabella represents their third head coach in the last four years. From Toal to Mike Teel and now Sabella, there remains a sense of tradition and history up the hill at Granatell Stadium. Senior linebacker Colin Ramos said Sabella has brought "a great toughness" to the program -- the same kind of toughness Don Bosco became synonymous and nationally recognized for under Toal. The Ironmen will be tested immediately the first two weeks, taking on a consensus top five team nationally, St. John Bosco, in California on Aug. 30 and another nationally ranked opponent one week later at home when Washington D.C.'s Gonzaga comes to town. "We're really going to find out about ourselves quickly," Sabella said. "It's been a long buildup and now we're about a week away. It'll be a tremendous challenge, but that's what we signed up for." And that is what Sabella is here for.

RIGHT MAN, RIGHT TIME: SABELLA BRINGS TOUGHNESS, WINNING PEDIGREE BACK TO DON BOSCO

Photo Credit: The Star ledger