Mark Costantino, Shore Regional a perfect marriage as he records 200th career win

Thirty-five years ago, Mark Costantino had interviews lined up in North Jersey for a special education’s teaching position, when he found out about a school near the ocean in the Jersey Shore.

“I had an aunt that worked down here, and she told my mom, ‘There’s a special ed job there,’ ‘’ said Costantino, who had graduated and played football at Bloomfield High School and William Paterson College. “My mom said, ‘Why don’t you just go down and practice interviewing.’

“I said, ‘Ok.’ I knew up north I had jobs waiting for me, but they weren’t going to hire until August. Shore Regional was interviewing in like early June. So, I came down here. I did real good in the interview and I knew I can get this job.’’

Costantino got the job. He soon joined the football coaching staff and in 1992, he became Shore Regional’s head coach and the rest has been several chapters in the Shore Conference history books.

Saturday, Costantino became the ninth football coach who has coached at least part of his career in the Shore Conference to record 200 wins with Shore’s 58-0 win over Keansburg in a Shore Conference Patriot Division game.

The 200 Win Club

Costantino (200-111-1) joins a list consisting of some of the conference’s legendary coaches.

The others in the 200 Club are:The late Warren Wolf (364) of Brick and Lakewood; Lou Vircillo (304) of Red Bank Regional and Lacey; Chuck Donohue Sr. (270) of several South Jersey schools and Southern Regional; the late Vic Kubu (263) of Middletown North and Manasquan; the late John Amabile (252) of several North Jersey schools; Middletown/Middletown North; Wall, Neptune, St. John Vianney and Allentown; Costantino’s long-time friend and rival Mike Ciccotelli (231) of Keyport; Steve Antonucci (208) of Middletown South and Joe Martucci of Matawan and St. John Vianney (206). Vircillo, Donohue Sr. and Antonucci and Constantino are all still active.“It (the milestone) means a lot because of the other men in the Shore Conference who have gotten this far and how much I respect them,’’ Costantino said.

Costantino and Shore have become one and the same

Shore had a rich history before Costantino became the head coach with NJSIAA sectional championships in 1981 with an 11-0 team, 1982 and 1988.

Costantino has built upon that with four NJSIAA titles starting in 1997, with a miraculous 19-18 overtime win over Bernards; 2010; 2014; and 2015, when a powerhouse 12-0 team was led by middle linebacker/running back Doug Goldsmith and running back/defensive back Jack Britton. Shore has also won seven Shore Conference divisional titles under Costantino.

The Blue Devils won 20 straight games from Week 5 of the 2014 season through the conclusion of the 2015 season.

“It’s like my home,’’ Costantino said. “I live in town. My children have gone through here.  I coached my son (Mark Jr.).’’

Costantino’s Shore Regional coaching career began as the defensive back/wide receivers coach under then Blue Devils’ head coach Bob Rolak in 1987. The next season, he became Rolak’s defensive coordinator.

Lessons learned from role models

Rolak, who coached the 1982 and '88 sectional championship teams, was a role model for Costantino.

“I learned organization (from Rolak), how to treat kids, how to handle situations and game management,’’ Costantino said.

Rolak’s coaching staff was a fountain of information. Also, on that staff were former Blue Devils’ head coaches Nick Cammarano and Pete Scriabba. Both were head coaches before Rolak. Cammarano was head coach of Shore’s unbeaten team in 1981.

“I was like, ‘Just shut up and listen and learn from them,’ ’’ Costantino said.

Throughout much of its history, Shore Regional has been one of the better small school programs in the state. It has also shown at times it's capable of beating schools with bigger enrollments. “The boys are disciplined. They are used to structure,’’ Costantino said. “They respond to coaching. You coach them up, and they respond. It’s important to them. We haven’t changed a whole lot.“What Bob (Rolak) did, what Nick (Cammarano) did, what Pete (Scriabba) did, we’ve kept a lot of the same traditions (like the Wing-T offensive alignment). It’s just been a different lead duck (head coach). That’s what they (Rolak, Cammarano and Scriabba) would say. They (the players) are easy to coach. ‘’

Memorable moments

Shore Regional has had many memorable moments under Costantino, but there are a few that stick out to him.

For many years, one of Shore’s biggest rivals was Keyport under Ciccotelli, The two programs were perennial championship contenders in the Shore’s small school division and in Central Group 1.

But, a 2015 game stands out.

“Probably, in recent times, I would go back to 2015, when we beat Rumson on Thanksgiving,’’ Costantino said. “It was such a great atmosphere.’’

The following week, Shore capped that season by rushing over 500 yards in a resounding 56-28 win over Palmyra in the Central Group 1 championship game. Meanwhile, Rumson-Fair Haven won the Central Group 3 title for its third of four consecutive sectional championships.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ Football: Shore Regional coach Mark Costantino joins elite club