Physical education teacher Mr. Jared Mazzetta will take the reins of the North Hunterdon football program following the resignation of Mr. John Mattes.
For the past seven years, Mr. Jared Mazzetta has been working tirelessly behind the scenes, helping to create faster, stronger, and more flexible athletes for various North Hunterdon sports as the overseer of the weight room. Now, he’s ready to take center stage as the most high profile coach in the school.
The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional Board of Education approved Mazzetta as a replacement for varsity football head coach John Mattes at its meeting on February 25. Mazzetta, a physical education teacher at North, was a member of two state champion Hunterdon Central teams in the late 90s before playing for four years at Virginia Tech.
Mazzetta will continue to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator, despite taking on the additional responsibilities of being head coach. He has been at the helm of the team’s offense for the past three years. While fans can expect more of the spread offense that North adopted under Mazzetta’s tutelage, he was quick to point out that “we always adapt new plays to the offensive personnel on the field.”
In media interviews, Mazzetta has pointed to creating a “hard hat mentality” among his players, and he emphasized that, when it came to who started and played, “nothing is a given. Everyone is competing. The guys who show the hard work and dedication will be the guys on the playing field.” He also mentioned that, in spite of all the sweat and grit, there had to be one other element- fun.
Mazzetta also made a point of thanking his predecessor for helping him so much. Mattes, who resigned in December after piloting the Lions to their first winning season (6-4) since 2002, began grooming Mazzetta for the head job little by little over the course of the past year. “I started to include him in issues that would pop up- situations with players, parents- so he would understand what was involved,” Mattes said. He cited Mazzetta’s organizational skills, interaction with students, and willingness to devote lots of time to accomplish goals as being among his former assistant’s strengths.
“He studies the game as much as anyone I’ve ever been around,” Mattes reported. “He is constantly looking for things to make himself better as a coach.”
While their exact roles on the staff are yet to be determined, the Board also approved assistant football coaches Mr. Ryan Lachner, Mr. John McSweeney, Mr. Mike Owdig, and Mr. William Krebs for next season as well.
Raised in Flemington, Mazzetta began playing football in seventh grade on the Flemington Pioneers youth team, although he was still enjoying basketball and his first love, baseball, at the time. After his first football season at Central, he began to focus exclusively on improving himself on the gridiron. Among his teammates were two other current North faculty members, Mr. Andrew Comforti and Mr. Anthony Petraglia. All three played on the d-line together, while on offense, Comforti was the quarterback, Petraglia was on the o-line, and Mazzetta was the tight end.
Arriving at Virginia Tech in 2001, Mazzetta’s first quarterback was Michael Vick, who went on to star for the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles and gain notoriety for his mistreatment of animals. His head coach at the time, Frank Beamer, still leads the team, and is currently the winningest active NCAA Division One coach, with the longest consecutive tenure. Among other teammates to play in the NFL are: D’Angelo Hall, cornerback for the Washington Redskins, Josh Morgan, wide receiver for the Redskins, and Eddie Royal, wide receiver and kick returner for the San Diego Chargers. Mazzetta, a senior captain, won titles in two conferences- the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference- and played in the Sugar Bowl.
He lives in Bridgewater with his wife, Rebecca, and one year old son, Mason Anthony, who apparently has already begun training for his football career, according to his proud papa.
When many people think of Mazzetta, a YouTube clip comes to mind. During his senior year, the Hokies were taking on the West Virginia Mountaineers, who were ranked #3 in the country at the time. While ahead 3-0 in the second quarter, Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall (who later played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Steelers) threw a pass over the middle in Mazzetta’s direction at midfield. West Virginia cornerback Jahmile Addae met Mazzetta at the same time, catching him square with his shoulder pads and part of his helmet for a tremendous hit. While the referee was throwing a penalty flag for 15 yards for leading with the helmet, Mazzetta staggered to the bench with the help of his teammates after temporarily “blacking out.” Unlike today, with the strict protocols about concussions, Mazzetta was back in the game a short time later. If he can build on the momentum begun this year by the North Hunterdon varsity football team, that autographed picture of Mazzetta in his Virginia Tech uniform currently on eBay for $15 may end up being a bargain.
A recent eBay search uncovered this autographed photo of Mazzetta from his days as a tight end at Virginia Tech. The seller was asking $15 for the item.