Friday, October 4th marks a big day for Central and for their head football coach Kevin Hennelly. WMC defeated Parsippany Hills 42-7, earning Coach Hennelly his 200th win. With Hennelly’s big 200th win also falling on the same day as Central’s Homecoming game, attendance for the game couldn’t have been higher.

     Coach Hennelly has been the head coach since 1997. Over the years, Coach Hennelly has built up a strong reputation as one of NJ’s best coaches. He was named Coach of the Week by multiple teams like the Jets and the Giants. Hennelly has won a total of seven state championships so far (2001, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2021, 2022, 2023) and with a 202-99 overall record, he might just be approaching his 8th. If Hennelly is able to bring Central all the way to MetLife, it will be the fourth championship in a row which has never been done before in Central’s football history.

     With these impressive stats, Hennelly has become a living legend at Central, even gaining the nickname from the town “The Gray Wolf.” Hennelly states “I’d rather be called the brown wolf but I guess it’s fitting with the gray hair.” Hennelly claims that there was an already established winning attitude and a winning program when he took over the program for Coach Piccirillo back in 1997. Hennely states “I just use my job not to screw it up. ” Hennelly continues “What’s established is hard work. Playing tough, being tough with playing in the off season really pays off.” The dedication shown by the Central’s football players is immense and demonstrates how a good mentality can affect the team. Hennelly does a lot for Central’s football team, dedicating so much of his time to not only the team but to the individual players as well. This winning mentality that has been installed into the players just might bring WMC all the way to a fourth sectional title this season. 

Check out the video interview here