John Jay Lets Go of Lacrosse Coach

The boys lacrosse teams at John Jay High School start practice on March 8. That much is certain. But what isn't known is who will be coaching the Indians' varsity, junior varsity and freshman team.

That's now the scenario, following some major developments earlier in December, involving the school's nationally renowned program.

Nick Savastano, who led John Jay to four straight sectional titles from 2005-08 and a win over the No. 1-ranked team in the nation (Huntington) in 2007, was told by school officials on Dec. 15 that he would not be retained after a 10-year tenure as the Indians varsity coach. 

The moves do not however, affect the status of Savastano and Hoaglund as physical education teachers in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

Junior varsity coach Erik Hoaglund was told later in the day, he would also not be returning. The school's freshman coach, Don Rabidou, had announced in the fall that he had decided not to return to his position.

This happened in the wake of an investigation of the Indians' lacrosse programs that Savastano said, started because of a parental complaint charging verbal abuse by John Jay's coaches.

First-year John Jay athletic director Chris McCarthy said he could not elaborate on the reasons for the move because it is a personnel matter.

"They said, it involved comments that were said to the kids," said Savastano.
His older brother, Vinny Savastano, who served as a volunteer assistant with the Indians, will also not be returning.

The massive shakeup means McCarthy has to scramble to fill all the openings that now exist.

"I'll be making a plan of action to put the best possible staff in place," McCarthy said the day the moves were made.

During the school district's investigation of the program, only one current varsity or JV coach, Geoff Nolan, was permitted to remain involved with the team. Nolan ran a winter box league. He is expected to remain on the varsity coaching staff in some capacity, the coming season.

Savastano compiled a 147-53 record at John Jay for a .735 winning percentage. John Jay was ranked 11th nationally, by Inside Lacrosse in its 2008 preseason poll after the Indians stunned the nation's top-ranked team, Huntington 11-10 in double overtime, in the 2007 state semifinals.

That win, which broke Huntington's 63-game win streak, put John Jay in the state finals for the first and only time in school history, where the Indians lost to Jamesville-DeWitt.

During Savastano's tenure, John Jay also became the first team to ever beat Yorktown on Yorktown's home field twice in the same season (2006). The second of those wins came in the sectional finals, marking just the second time since 1980 Yorktown has failed to win a sectional championship.

After serving as an assistant coach at John Jay, Savastano, a Lakeland graduate who went on to become an all-America midfielder at Springfield College, was named John Jay varsity head coach in 2000, replacing Bob Kear, who founded the Indians' program as a club team in 1976.

Kear's John Jay coaching career also ended amid controversy, when the administration relieved him of his coaching duties in 1999 amid charges by team parents that he favored his twin sons, who were then sophomores on the team.

Kear, who like Savastano remains employed as a physical education teacher at John Jay, pursued legal action against the school district regarding his dismissal. That legal action has still not been resolved. Savastano said he has not decided if he will file a grievance with the teacher's union.

"We had something great going," Savastano said. "The program was blossoming. We were sending kids to Division I programs. I was in the school during the day, so it gave me the chance to work with kids. I feel like I was more than a coach, I was a mentor."