Algonquin names Bill Long as next football coach
By Ken Powers Community Reporter
Northborough/Southborough - Growing up in Marlborough, Bill Long remembers there was a lot at stake whenever the Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) and Westborough High football teams faced off against each other on Thanksgiving Day.

"Every year it seemed like one of the teams was undefeated and the other was playing for a league title," Long said. "No matter where the game was played, there was a lot of tradition and history on both sides of the field."

Long is now an integral part of that history and tradition, having been named head football coach at ARHS late last month.

"The prospect of being the head coach at Algonquin was very enticing," Long said. "There's a great tradition there, from the Dick Walshcoached teams of the 1970s to the legendary Frank Kronoff coaching there in the 1980s, as well as enormous potential."

Long is a 1992 graduate of Marlborough High, where his father, Jeff Long, served as athletic director for many years. Bill Long graduated from Norwich University in May of 1997.

Four months later he was an assistant on head football coach Paul Duplessis's Marlborough High staff . Long spent his winters between 1997 and 2002 creating and coaching the wrestling program at Wachusett Regional.

The last four years, Long has been an assistant football coach at St. John's, his primary responsibilities being coaching the defensive line and the special teams unit. The Pioneers were Division 1 Super Bowl champs the first three years Long was an assistant there. During that same time span, Long also served as the head wrestling coach at St. John's.

The ARHS job is Long's first as head football coach. Assisting him will be Rick Concotta, who will serve as defensive coordinator, Nick DiRoberto, who will be the offensive coordinator, Dutch Holland, who will coach the off ensive line, John McAuliff e, who will coach the linebackers, Joe Ventimiglia, who will coach the wide receivers, and Andy Boschetto, who will coach the freshman team.

"Bill is a quality individual and an outstanding coach," St. John's head football coach John Andreoli said. "He's ready to assume the head coaching reins of a program and I think this is a fantastic job for him. I'm thrilled Bill's getting this opportunity, as is our entire staff ."

Long's Tomahawks will face Andreoli's Pioneers in the third week of the upcoming high school football season

Long is ARHS's third head coach in four years, having replaced Mike Vulcano, who was head coach of the Tomahawks the last two seasons. He said one of his priorities coming into the job is to bring a sense of stability to the program and give next year's seniors a chance to experience some gridiron success before they graduate.

"For a lot of these kids, I'm the third diff erent head football coach they've had since they enrolled at Algonquin as freshmen," Long said. "They couldn't have imagined having that many head coaches in one sport. What I'd like to do next year, first and foremost, is give them a chance to have some fun and win some games."

Having fun and winning games: sort of the football equivalent to that time tested the-chicken-or-the-egg question.