Homecoming For Cheney's Coaching Staff Tonight in Berlin

Berlin Athletic Director Jim Day has fond and vivid memories of Cheney Tech head football coach Roger Pulito, as well as Cheney assistants Nick Pepe and Paul Coccomo.

When the Berlin Redcoats football team hosts Cheney Tuesday night in a quarterfinal state playoff game, it will be a homecoming for the trio who has very deep roots in Berlin.

"It will be great to square off with Roger and Cheney and I'm looking forward to it," Day said. "We coached together and Paulie Coccomo was one of the toughest competitors we've ever had here at Berlin High School. He has done a great job with them. What is this the third straight year they've been to the playoffs? That's great for that program."

Day said Pulito always brought the energy.

"He was always full of energy," Day said. "When you were working with him you had no choice but to work hard and get better because he was the spark plug of the coaching staff."

"I just love Nick Pepe. What he does for kids is amazing. It will be great to go against those guys."

Cheney almost didn't have a football team, or any sports for that matter, after Gov. Dannel Malloy said he was going to cancel all sports at technical high schools in the state.

"We found out that we would have a team two days before practice in August," Pulito said. "Some of the players had made plans to transfer at the last moment, but they all decided to stay at Cheney. I have a group of nine seniors that started together as freshman, and they all wanted to leave together at Cheney Tech. When you come so close to losing something important, you tend to have a renewed appreciation for your opportunities, and you don't quite take them for granted."

Cheney used to be a co-op team with neighbor school East Catholic in Manchester but that was broken up when the numbers came up for both schools

"Cheney Tech and East Catholic severed their co-op five years ago," Pulito said. "Bill Baccaro (another former Redcoat player and coach) was teaching at Cheney Tech at the time, so Bill went with Cheney and I stayed with East. When Bill retired from teaching, he had to relinquish his position at Cheney, so we switched schools. It was a smooth transition as players and administrators as both schools knew us personally."

Pulito still calls Berlin home and has his own fond memories of his time as a Redcoat.

"I coached at BHS under Al Pelligrinelli with Bill Baccaro, Nick Pepe, Pat Phaup, Jim Day, and Leo Veleas," he said. "I don't know the exact years. I coached Paul Coccomo, who now coaches with us at Cheney, while he was at BHS.

"I played at BHS from 1964 to 1967. Our head coach was Joe Nuccio who was assisted by Roy Fabian, Pat Phaup, Lenny Mirizzi and Art Kevorkian. Our record was 5-2 my senior year.

"With Nick and Paul on staff, its sort of like a family affair. We've been together a long time. We all love Sage Park and its big crowds. Paul's kids and my grandson play football in the Berlin youth league football programs. We coach at Cheney, but there is still Redcoat pride and respect in our hearts."