Saddle Brook football continuing to build for the future | State of the Program

Saddle Brook seeks to continue a recent trend under its new coach.

After three seasons as an assistant, Rob Bernier succeeds William Van Kersen , who took over as athletic director at Pascack Valley. Van Kersen led the Falcons to a 7-1 record and the NJIC Union Division title in the first of his three seasons in 2021.

Prior to him, eight of the previous nine Saddle Brook coaches began their tenures with a losing season – including Darren White (1997-2003) and Leo Ciappina (2008-20), each of whom went on to lead regular playoff contenders.

Bernier would like to start strong after the Falcons finished 3-5 last season.

“Really, it’s my Year 4 with them, it’s just my title has changed,” Bernier said. “We’ve had a really good offseason – probably in the best spot we’ve been since I got there.”

There are currently 35 players in the program, including 13 freshmen.

“Actually, I got a couple of emails, and we have some new kids in town I haven’t met yet,” Bernier said. “So, if they’re interested in playing, we could be closer to 40.”

The tradition

Saddle Brook has enjoyed its share of playoff success but has yet to claim a sectional title. The Falcons' last trip to a final came in 1983 under Greg Toal, who later went on to mold champions at Hackensack and Don Bosco.

White guided the Falcons to five straight playoff appearances in his tenure, but each ended with a loss to then-rival Glen Rock. Ciappina, who played for White, overtook his mentor as the program’s winningest coach (58-67) and made six trips to the postseason in seven years.

White (48) and Gerry Gundry (43), who led a sectional-final run in 1980, are Nos. 2 and 3 and the Saddle Brook coaching win list.

MORE: Inside look at HS football teams in Bergen and Passaic counties

The challenge

The Falcons enter 2024 with only two seniors on the roster. They have fielded perennially young teams since the pandemic, but enduring the growing pains are beginning to yield positives.

“As far as the kids being ready, they’ve been working out with us for three years now,” Bernier said. “We have a strong junior class and sophomore class.”

Building up interest at younger levels has become a theme in Saddle Brook.

“We’ve been very involved with the rec [program], so our rec numbers are up,” the coach added. “We’re basically trying to build it from third grade all the way up. So, this is like a long-term plan.”

Expectations

Bernier would like to get started by getting his team to be above .500 more consistently. He played on winning teams at Fair Lawn before graduating in 1987, and Saddle Brook has posted just one .500-plus season since 2016.

“We’ve been playing for three years without seniors, basically,” he said. “So, the juniors and sophomores have been playing a lot for the last two or three years.

“This year, we should take a step forward. Next year, we’ll have probably 14 seniors on the team. So, we’re just trying to get better all the time.”

Schedule

Sept. 7: vs. Secaucus, 1 p.m.

Sept. 13: at Butler, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21: vs. Hasbrouck Heights, 1 p.m.

Sept. 28: at New Milford, 3 p.m.

Oct. 5: vs. Hawthorne, 2 p.m.

Oct. 18: TBD

Oct. 25: TBD

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Saddle Brook football continuing to build for the future | State of the Program