1984 wildcats football team

The 1984 Warwick Football team is widely remembered as one of the most accomplished teams in school history. Under the leadership of Head Coach John Garcia, Defensive Coordinator George St. Lawrence and Assistant Coaches Tom Folino, Joe Zuk and Bob DeFrancesco, the Wildcats went on a seven-game winning streak to claim the program’s first Orange County League (OCL) Championship in 17 years. At the time, all schools competed in the same league regardless of size, making the championship win especially notable.

The defining moment of the season came from one of the program’s most memorable upsets – a victory against the heavily favored Port Jervis team. A blocked punt from Bruce Miller, recovered and returned by John Hegarty, followed by a Greg Sirico-to-Greg Large touchdown pass, gave Warwick the first half lead that propelled them to a dominant season finish. On a blustery day in Middletown, the Wildcats secured the OCL Championship with a 6 - 0 win over Pine Bush

The team’s defense was its hallmark, led by Times Herald-Record Player of the Year, Bruce Miller and standout defensive end John Hegarty. Key contributors included defensive tackle Bryan Ripley; linebackers Pat Rice, Doug Rupertus and Dorian Brandt; and defensive backs Jeff Cox, Jon Mattheson and Kevin Williams. On offense, the Wildcats were powered by 1,000-yard rusher Rich Beattie, with strong support from Mike LeDuc and Frank Corkum. The passing game was fueled by athletes like Bruce Miller, Greg Large, JT Sly, Greg Sirico and Joe Green, while the offensive line was anchored by standouts Alan and Steve Mannes. The team finished with high rankings in New York State Sportswriters polls and proudly embraced the motto, “Collective Success Over Individual Ambitions.”

Roster: Dorian Brandt, Rich Beattie, Matt Cabrera, Frank Corkum, Jeff Cox, Mike Forman, Joe Galiano, Jim Gannon, Joe Green, Tom Harrison, Tom Hand, John Hegarty, Rich Kennedy, Greg Large, Mike LeDuc, Bill Lemin, Alan Mannes, Steven Mannes, Jon Mattheson, Scott Mazzella, Tom McManus, Bruce Miller, Gene Miller, Scott Miller, Mike Palone, Fernando Quiroz, Pat Rice, Brian Ripley, George Rohrberg, Doug Rupertus, Greg Sirico, John Sly, Steve Smith, Bryan Thibert, Bryan Turner, Gino Velez, Kevin Williams, Brian Wright