Culture Change Leads Manchester Football To Historic 4th Straight Win To Start Season

MANCHESTER, NJ — When Tom Farrell Jr. took over as head coach of the Manchester Township High School football team in 2022, one of the key things he wanted to do was change the culture to one of family and community.

Farrell's hope was that creating a sense of family would help the Hawks find the winning consistency that has been lacking in years past, one that translates into a winning record.

After notching their fourth straight victory — the first time in school history that the Hawks have opened a season 4-0 — it appears the change has taken root. The result has been a different energy in school and in the community.

"The home games have been awesome," Farrell said Thursday night, the night before Manchester defeated Keansburg 45-17 to make the Hawks 4-0 on the season "To see the community show up and support these kids is great."

"We have to have people sit in the end zone now because the bleachers are so full," he said. "The positive vibe — I don't think Manchester has seen this."

It's a positive vibe that Farrell and his assistant coaches — and the players — have worked hard to build through a variety of methods.

There is the team's motto, DIG. It's represented by a shovel the team brings to games, reminding the players to dig deep for their best efforts, but its letters stand for three words that have been the underpinnings of Farrell's lessons: Discipline, Integrity and Grit.

The lessons of discipline have produced a 3.0 GPA and a commitment among the players to do the work during the offseason.

"This past offseason there weren’t kids missing weight room after school," Farrell said. The players asked about watching film, so they could see the mistakes and improve on them.

"The kids really bought in," he said.

Each week, the players present their jerseys to one of their teachers in the team's "My Teacher, Your Impact" program, which Farrell started last year. It's a way for the players to connect more with their teachers, a reminder of the importance of academics.

The team also spent time in the community, including making trips to Manchester's senior communities. They talked with the residents about football and helped them with their technology challenges.

"We were doing Tech 101," Farrell said.

The community has provided support in other ways, outfitting the team with new uniforms that have given the players an extra boost of pride.

Farrell said four of his assistant coaches are volunteers and have different connections, and those connections led to donors who funded them.

"We surprised the kids with the new uniforms at our pasta party before our first game," he said.

It was a way to tell the players "we love you guys, we support you guys, we believe in you guys," Farrell said.

That support is lifting the players, and they believe in themselves, he said, but Farrell said it's important that they don't get too far ahead of themselves.

"We have to just focus on one game at a time," Farrell said, noting that the team lost seven straight games in 2022 after starting positively. "You have to handle business."

"You’re going to get every team’s best effort throughout the season," he said, adding "you have to earn the win."

The goal is to earn the wins to capture the Shore Conference Patriot Division title and a trip to the NJSIAA playoffs. To get there, Manchester must beat Keyport, Jackson Liberty and Lakewood.

Farrell said the Hawks have leaned on their running game. Senior Josh Love has racked up 14 total touchdowns and 870 total yards, including 640 yards rushing, while junior Aidan Lunn has provided support with 8 touchdowns and 552 total yards, including 431 receiving yards.

The team's growth is a testament to the team and the staff and how committed to the process they have been, Farrell said.

"As a first-year head coach, a lot comes at you fast," he said, reflecting on the efforts to change the culture and the response. "The support I have and the players and parents have been a big part of this."

"It's easy to be a head coach when you have the staff I have and the fine young men that I have," Farrell said.