East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants have selected Mr. Mike Maratto of Half Hollow Hills High School East (Dix Hills, NY) as "The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week" presented by Chase for the week of November 3, 2014. Coach Maratto and the Thunderbirds advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years this past weekend when they defeated the West Babylon Eagles 40-0.
In recognition of Coach Maratto's success and commitment, he will receive a certificate of recognition signed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin and a $1,000 check, to be matched by Chase, will be granted to the Thunderbirds football program. Coach Maratto will be acknowledged by a stadium announcement when the Giants host the San Francisco 49ers on November 16th and an announcement will also be posted on the Giants website, www.giants.com.
The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants' continuing effort to promote youth football. 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 2014 high school football season, the Giants will select 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. At the conclusion of the 2014 season, the Giants will choose a Coach of the Year. That coach will receive $2,000, to be matched by Chase, for their school's football program. They will also be invited to attend a dinner hosted by the Giants and Chase.
In 2014 alone, Chase committed over $17 million in charitable donations in the tri-state area. Investing in the communities it serves is central to how Chase does business, and the firm is committed to supporting programs like youth football that provide young people with access to a positive extracurricular activity.
Coach Maratto began his coaching career in 1999 at Huntington PAL before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2002 and then the JV head coach in 2004 at John Glenn HS. In 2006, he moved on to St. Anthony's HS where he was the JV offensive coordinator until becoming the offensive coordinator at Sachem North HS in 2006. Coach Maratto took the head coach position at Half Hollow Hills HS East in 2013.
Coach Maratto attended St. Anthony's High School from 1994-1998 before attending Stony Brook University in 1999.
