For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, Hawthorne High School has a new head football coach.
And for the second straight time, the Passaic County school has turned to one of its own to lead the program into a new era.
Longtime assistant coach Angelo Guarnieri, a 2008 graduate of the Passaic County school, was approved as the Bears new head coach at a Board of Education meeting on March 19.
Guarnieri, 33, is the 11th coach in program history. He takes over for alumnus John Passero, who stepped down in February after spending 23 years as head coach.
“It’s surreal and a dream come true for me,” Guarnieri said. “I grew up in town, played high school football for Hawthorne and I’ve been part of the coaching staff for a while now. John [Passero] gave me an opportunity to be a part of this program and I’ve learned a lot from him. I’m excited for our future and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”
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Guarnieri, a lifetime resident of Hawthorne, resides in town with his wife, Caitlin, and four-month old son. He played for Passero from 2003-2007 as a linebacker and running back. Guarnieri has spent the last 13 seasons at his alma mater as an assistant coach, and a physical education and health teacher.
He joined the Hawthorne staff in 2011 while a student at William Paterson University and has been the Bears defensive coordinator the last three years. During Guarnieri’s tenure as an assistant, Hawthorne qualified for the NJSIAA playoffs seven times.
“The roots run deep for me in Hawthorne. My wife and I both grew up here and we’ve started a family,” Guarnieri said. “The community has given me endless opportunities. It’s my time to pay it forward and to give back.”
In addition to football, Guarnieri has been the head boys spring track and field coach the last two seasons.
“I work in the building and I’m around the kids all the time. That’s important to me,” Guarnieri said. “I know the kids and I get the opportunity to work with them outside of football and athletics. It allows me to build relationships and relate to them on and off the field.”
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Guarnieri met with the team last month, shortly after he was named head coach. He discussed his expectations and laid out his offseason plans. The team is currently in the weight room ahead of organized workouts scheduled for June.
Guarnieri said the coaching staff will remain intact and he’ll be looking to add two assistants in the coming months.
“A few years back, John [Passero] spoke to me about my intentions of being the head coach here one day,” Guarnieri recalled. “We talked about my goals and the future of the program. John has always been about the team and little about himself. He kept his retirement plans quiet and in typical fashion, he quietly announced in the offseason that he’d be stepping down.”
Passero, the longest tenured football coach in Hawthorne history, quietly stepped down in February, three months after closing out a historic season. He is the winningest coach in program history with a 128-97 career record.
A lifetime Bear, Passero was named Passaic County Coach of the Year this past fall after guiding Hawthorne to an 8-3, record, the NJIC Meadowlands title, and the North 1, Group 1 final against eventual Group 1 state champion Mountain Lakes. His teams qualified for the NJSIAA playoffs 10 times and won three division titles.
A 1992 graduate of Hawthorne, Passero played for the Bears from 1988-91 and earned All-Passaic and All-Conference honors as a defensive end and punter his senior season.
“I wanted to be a coach so that I could give the kids the same experience I had growing up in Hawthorne,” Passero said. “I always wanted to surround myself with Hawthorne guys and people who wanted to continue the history of the program.”
Passero, a middle school math teacher in town, joined the Hawthorne coaching staff in 1996 as an assistant before being named head coach at 26-years old in 2001, replacing Stan Myles. Prior to Passero’s hiring, the program was struggling, going 2-20 over a two-year period from 1999-2000 with two coaches in as many years.
Heading into the 2023 season, Passero felt it would be his final year on the sidelines. With his son Domenic a senior and his daughter Olivia a sophomore, Passero thought it was a good time to step down.
“I wanted to make this season about Dominic and his friends, knowing that it was their final year of high school. I’ve been coaching all of them since they were young kids. The timing was right for me,” Passero said. “I also wanted to see Olivia play soccer, which I haven’t been able to do much over the years. This is going to be my first summer I’ll have off in like 37 years.”
Passero will remain the Bears’ baseball coach, a program he’s been the face of since 2001, the same year he took over as head football coach.
