WINSLOW TWP. – It was 2:24 on the scoreboard.
The St. Joseph Academy football team was trailing 42-17 in Winslow City when a timeout was called Wednesday night.
The Wildcats’ season and legendary coach Paul Sack’s career with the program was coming to an end.
His players knelt as they received their final training session. Sacco, who had lived what he called “one of the hardest days of my life,” went around the circle and tapped each of them on the helmet. In the most difficult times, Saka did what he always did, he supported his children.
“I’m glad I was with them,” said Sacco, who planned to leave in the summer before agreeing to coach one final season at the program synonymous with his name. “It was a great experience in St. Joe. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
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Sacco led St. Joseph to a 6-4 record this year and closed out his career 358-75-5. He is South Jersey’s all-time wins leader and third in New Jersey history. He won 20 state championships and was a mainstay of the school and community.
“I’m just a high school football coach at a small Catholic school in a small town in Hammonton, and that’s about it,” Sacco said. “I’ve been very fortunate to win a lot of football games. I didn’t win them, but the children.”
Those who watched and played for him disagreed.
“The best coach of all time” Jada Byers, a two-time Courier Post Hitter of the Year said.
“It’s more than just football,” explained Anne Marie Mercado, St. Joseph’s dean of students. “What he does for all the kids off the field, in the community, it’s not about winning. It is about the character he created and instilled in the children. My kids didn’t want to play for anyone.”
“He really motivates me, I’m not going to lie, because he never gives up,” added senior running back Richard Chandler. “No matter how much is on him, he never gives up. He is never a foldovite. He really motivates me. This is my boyfriend.’
Chandler said he called Sacco before every game this season and told him he would do whatever it took to get it done for him. He told him the same thing, hugging Sacco before the team ran to the sideline before the kickoff.
The Wildcats fought tooth and nail for Sacco all season.
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It looked like his final campaign would be a total disaster after the team’s season-opening 30-10 loss to St. Augustine.
Then the magic happened.
St. Joseph’s has won five straight games by one score, including great comeback 29-28 over Lenape in which he rallied from a 15-point hole in the final six minutes with a pair of good layup shots.
“We lost the first game and after that I think people were saying they weren’t going to win another game,” Sacco said. “I think I was thinking the same thing, and then we went on a five-game winning streak, and then we had Delsey on the ropes and I said these kids have got character.’
However, each exciting win also brought Sacco one game closer to the finish line. He’s been dreading Wednesday since the team’s very first scrimmage, when it visited St. Joseph-Montvale.
His family and friends showered him with motivational lines throughout the fall to keep him going, but when he walked into the postgame huddle one last time, he was struggling. His wife, Peggy, grabbed him and hugged him.
Sako didn’t think he would be able to talk to children. Peggy told him she could.
“She said I’m proud of you,” Paul said.
Saka made it almost two minutes before he had to stop and gather himself.
He talked about how people always ask him where the team ranks. Sacco’s family never had children, but they’ve produced hundreds of student-athletes over four decades, and his response to questions about how his teams stack up has generally been the same.
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“I always say, ask me in 10, 15 years and see how they’re going to develop through life.” he said.
This was Sacco’s goal, helping to turn boys into men. Now his path is unknown, but he knows where to start.
“It’s time to rest a little bit and spend time with (my wife) and the dog that I love to death and spend a little more time with my family,” he said. “I don’t know where I’ll be next.”
Winslow shines in last outing
The Eagles ended the campaign on a high note as they played their best game of the season, first-year head coach Bill Belton said.
“Better late than never,” he laughed.
Quarterback Jimmy Wilson Jr. had a finale to remember as he was 14 of 20 for 260 yards and 5 touchdowns.
“How are you going to wait for the last game of the year to get the best game of the year,” Belton joked with him on the sidelines. “I’m proud of him and everything he’s done for the program.”
Ejani Shakir was his primary target, catching 5 passes for 142 yards and 3 scores. According to South Jersey historian Chuck Langerman, he ranks fifth on South Jersey’s all-time receiving list with 159 catches.
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Cam Miller also had 6 catches for 97 yards and 2 scores.
Winslow led 17-14 after three quarters, but had four TDs in four possessions in the final stanza to close out the year strong.
“When you can play an opponent like that, beat one of those programs, it’s definitely a big deal for our program going forward,” Belton said. “That’s something to build on and we can go from there and attack this offseason and focus on getting bigger, faster and stronger.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports reporting for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or by email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also reach him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism by subscribing.
