East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants and Gatorade have selected Mr. Tim Strenfel of Middletown High School (Middletown, NY) as the Lou Rettino High School Coach of the Week for Week 6 of the 2019 season. Middletown won the annual Erie Bell rivalry game following Friday's impressive 57-14 victory over Port Jervis on the road at Glennette Field. Both teams were undefeated heading into the matchup, but the Middie Bears scored on their first five possessions and never looked back in their sixth consecutive victory over Port Jervis.
The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants' continuing effort to support local youth football programs. The Giants elected to name the award in memory of former Union High School (NJ) coach, Lou Rettino, for his fine commitment to the game of football, his community and the betterment of his athletes' lives. Each week during the high school football season, the Giants selected one area high school head coach as the Coach of the Week winner. The selection is based on the coach's continuing commitment towards promoting youth football, developing motivated student-athletes and his overall community involvement.
In recognition of Coach Strenfel's selection as Coach of the Week, a $2,000 check will be granted to the school's football program from The Giants Foundation and Gatorade. He will also receive a certificate of recognition signed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, and will be acknowledged with an in-stadium announcement when the Giants host Dallas on November 4th. All 2019 Coach of the Week honorees and the 2019 Coach of the Year will also be invited to attend a dinner hosted by the Giants at MetLife Stadium in the Spring, and will be invited with their teams to a Giants preseason game in 2020.
Coach Strenfel, 36, was a star wide receiver for Hanover Area High School in Wilkes Barre before going on to have a standout career at Division II East Stroudsburg University. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach for one season near home before pursuing a career as a physical education teacher in the Middletown School District. Strenfel spent 10 seasons as an assistant football coach at various levels in the district and is currently in his third season as varsity head coach. He has helped Middletown become one of the finest teams in the Hudson Valley this season after the Middies finished 3-6 his first year and 4-5 last season.
"I want what is best for these kids,'' Strenfel said. "Yes I want to win football games, but at the end of the day, I want every single kid who comes through to know that when football ends, you need something to bank on. All the kids who have played for me know that I hound them about, 'I want you to be a good person.' You are going to get better at football just through practice, but in school and off the field, I want them to be better people.''
"Tim is a tireless worker," Middletown athletic director David Coates said. "I like not only his coaching ability but his ability to connect with our kids. They love playing for him and they know how much he cares about them, two crucial ingredients in the team's success.''
Strenfel lives in Middletown with his wife, Shawna, and two young children -- daughter, Addison, and son, Jordan.
