Coach Joe Goerge Gives Dayton Football Options

Dayton head football coach Joe Goerge is doing something that hasn't been done in a long time in Springfield: building a consistent winner.  

That feat alone should put him up for Coach of the Year honors annually because once upon a time in the not-so-distant past, there wasn't even football at Jonathan Dayton High School.   

"The program had stopped for like five years, until the new superintendent came in and said he wanted to bring football back," said Goerge, who has overseen a program that has improved incrementally during his first five seasons. "There was definitely a want from the town and from the youth coaches who all wanted to bring back football."     

It wasn't easy for Goerge at first, however, as the program had to learn to crawl before it walked.    

"We started only as a JV program that first year," he said. "That year we were co-opting with Brearley, so the seniors played there and graduated there. The juniors, sophomores, and freshmen stayed with us and played jayvee. And then our second year we started varsity for the first time. It was tough at first [because] we started 0-10, then 1-9, then 5-5, and then 8-2 last year."     

Last season was indeed a magical ride for the coach, school, and community, as JDHS made its first playoff appearance this millennium. Goerge said it wasn't just the team that did the inspiring, as he was gracious when talking about the outside forces.  

"In this country this sport has so much fan support, so I think when you win it kind of galvanizes the student body and their spirit. And it also rallies a community because football is that ultimate team game," he said. "This town was hungry for some football because it had been a while and the team and town inspired each other."  

Something else inspired the team, according to the coach.    

"We heard people say, 'Oh, you can't win here,' but kids are kids and if they're enthusiastic and excited enough about it then things can change," he said. "Yes, it's a Group 1 school and our roster is small—like 30-35 kids—but so is everyone else [in their conference]."    

The veteran coach said that size doesn't always matter.    

"I've seen Brearley go 12-0 and beat a bigger Verona team a few years ago in Giants Stadium [for state title] with 30 or so guys," he added.   

Such grandiose dreams of sending Dayton to the New Meadowlands Stadium isn't even on Goerge's itinerary, though, as he says he and his staff only focus on getting better, allowing the chips to fall where they may.   

"We've been coaching together for a while and certainly won more games than we've lost. Winning is just the byproduct of hard work and continuity," he said. "But we don't talk about winning. We talk about building to get better."    

Goerge has certainly won his fair share of games but was quick to point out that he's never done it alone. He graciously talked about the large contributions of assistant coach Bob Martin. If that name sounds familiar to JDHS sports fans it's because Martin is also the award-winning head basketball coach. Martin has been Goerge's righthand man on the gridiron since 1984.           

"To have a guy like him for 25 years is incredible. He's the epitome of loyalty and commitment," Goerge gushed of his longtime friend. "He's a great coach. I never have to talk to Bob because he tells me what he's doing. He runs the defense [defensive line] and even though he calls the defensive plays, he's never been a guy who's been hung up on [positional] titles. There aren't any coordinators here . Everyone just coaches. But it all couldn't be done without him."     

What the duo has done here is remarkable because they've managed to turn a once dormant program into something very respectable. Yes, the players have lots to do with the success but the coaching staff also implemented systems to maximize their talents—and offset any physical mismatches.      

"We run the triple-option on offense and it's great because we can take a team's best two defenders and not even have to block them," he said of the time-honored option offense. "That way you don't get caught up going big on big. Kind of like what [traditional triple-option colleges] Navy and Army do. Navy shouldn't be able to line up against schools like Ohio State and keep up with them but that's what the triple-option can do for you. And if a team only has a few days to prepare for it, it can be a nightmare to defend."   

Goerge is a guru of the offense and has run it for years. His first stop was 10 years at Port Richmond High in Staten Island, then on to Somerset's Franklin High for 14 years, and is now on his sixth season at JDHS. While every stop has been different, one thing has remained constant – his schemes. The option and his manic 5-2 Eagle defense have turned JDHS into a budding program.     

"We'll run the triple-option and the 5-2 defense [with a Cover Three secondary] at least 80-90 percent of the time," he boasted.      

Because of the frenzied way his team plays, Goerge said he constantly works a balancing act to keep his players fresh.         

"That's something we have to be very conscious of this year and try to conserve the bodies," said Goerge when asked how he intends on saving legs, being that Dayton has such small numbers. "We don't go live [tackling] as much. We tell them to thud them up and stay off each other's legs. But this is camp time, so you have to go hard now for the next week or so and during the next couple of scrimmages. But then come September we'll go back to one practice a day and that'll freshen them up a bit."    

Dayton's opener is September 11 at Union High School against rival New Providence. Since JDHS lacks the facilities to play home games on the school's campus, they have their home games at Union High. It's an alternating co-opt that allows the teams to coexist. When the host school has a Friday night date, JDHS will play on Saturday—and vice-versa.           

Dayton's schedule won't be easy but if they can manage to get through its early schedule they just might get back into the playoffs, where they hope to avenge last year's post-season loss to Becton High.

"We start with our conference rivals right off the bat," said an enthused Goerge. "New Prov in the opener and then it's all Mid-State 38 Conference rivals the next four weeks: Bound Brook, Brearley, Roselle Park, and Roselle. We can't wait."    

Maybe Dayton won't be able to sneak up on opponents this year but thanks to Goerge and his dedicated staff, he'll certainly give his players a fighting chance with plenty of options to succeed.