To the Editor:

Coach Joseph Sapienza, more commonly known as “Coach Sap,” has been the Voorheesville Varsity Football head coach for 32 years. While this might seem like an amazing feat, it doesn’t begin to cover the impact he has had on Voorheesville football, the school, and the community. 

Sapienza serves as the school’s athletic director, dean of students, and head football coach. For many years, Voorheesville has had a steady rotation of new administrators, and Sapienza has been at the core of his school and his community, always putting his players and students first. 

Sapienza has been a part of the community for his entire life. He graduated from Voorheesville in 1982 and came back five years later. When asked about returning to his alma mater, he said, “I wanted to coach in my hometown because the coaches that I played for believed in me as a person and athlete, and that inspired me to be the best person and player that I could be.”

He started as a junior-varsity assistant but slowly rose through the ranks. In 1993, days before the season was set to start, the head coach at the time, Chuck Farley, passed away unexpectedly, and Sapienza stepped up. In this sad time, Sapienza continued Coach Farley’s tradition while adding his own coaching style.

He went on to have many successful seasons as the head coach. One was in 1998, when Sapienza and the Blackbirds had a very successful season, ending in a sectional championship and a trip to the state tournament. Another standout season was 2014, when Voorheesville had its first undefeated regular season since 1966.

Coaching philosophy plays a huge role in a team’s success. When asked about his philosophy, Sapienza stated, “My coaching style is player-driven. If you support and encourage your student athletes in a positive way, they will respond and strive to reach their best potential.” This mindset has led Sapienza and his teams to success.

Sapienza has accumulated an impressive list of accolades and awards over the years. These include being named Teacher of the Week, Coach of the Year, Athletic Director of the Year, and the YMCA Outstanding Educator.

These accomplishments are outstanding, but these are not what Sapienza will treasure the most.  Sapienza will treasure every minute with each of his teams over the years. He has left a legacy engraved into each of his player’s minds, and for him, he hopes his legacy will be “that generations of Blackbirds care about Blackbird football and respect the tradition.”

One thing that Blackbird football players will always remember is the pregame speech. Sapienza was notorious for giving motivating pregame speeches, and they always ended with the same thing: “Nobody on either side of the ball gets hurt. We play the best four quarters of Blackbird football we can. I’m very proud of each and every one of you. And I love you all.”

Sapienza has announced that he will retire after this season and school year. He plans to spend his time with his family. Sapienza will miss the little things like watching film and game prep, but most of all, the adrenaline of game days. This will be the end of an era, a great era in which everyone who was a part of it will cherish it for the rest of their lives.

On Oct. 25, Voorheesville football is having a celebration of Sapienza’s career. An hour before the game, at noon, alumni are going to be invited to walk onto the field with the current team to celebrate and acknowledge what Coach Sapienza has done for the Voorheesville football community.

Joe Kelly

Voorheesville

Editor’s note: Joe Kelly, a 2025 Voorheesville graduate, played football under coach Sapienza and served as team captain