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for larger version       Confident Dolphins Want To Win In 2004
The Dolphins also know that they will have stability with Nazario and his coaching staff returning. It was about this time last year that Nazario stepped in to take over a football program that was almost canceled. “I always wanted to come back. It was nothing I had control over. Once I was reassured that I was still needed as a football coach, I came back in full swing,” Nazario said.
With tough losses to Bayside and August Martin, the Dolphins were 3-4 and in danger of being eliminated from playoff contention. At that point, the coaching staff and the team pulled together to earn a PSAL playoff spot. They turned around their season with wins against Adams and Far Rockaway in the final game of the season to make the playoffs.
“We fought tooth and nail with Lincoln. We won the second half of both of those games against them. Other than Midwood (48-12 loss), we were in every game going into the fourth quarter,” Nazario said .
The coaching staff had to get to work to recruit new players in the offseason. “I’m in the building”, Nazario, who is a teacher of health and physical education, said. “I knew our situation. I knew we were losing kids. If I stop a kid who looks like physical specimen, I tell them to come to practice.” In one instance, Nazario was overjoyed when he received interest from several senior classmen who wanted to tryout for the club but never played on the team. Hopefully this season, they may eventually contribute in flexibility or add depth to certain positions. “We got backups this year. That’s a good thing,” says assistant coach Carlos Flores. “We never had this when I was playing here for four years and when I started coaching. We barely had 25 guys and playing on both sides of the ball.” Nazario will utilize the speed that he likes in certain position such as the backfield and at the wide receiver position. When Beach Channel was playing at their best least season, it was execution that won them ballgames. But it was a lack of focus that Nazario stresses time and again that hurt the team. “We were never able to put together four solid quarters of football and I’m trying to keep the team focused on that this year. I don’t want us shooting ourselves in the foot and we lose because we did stupid things,” Nazario said. Flores agrees with Nazario’s assessment. “We got to have respect. We have to care about each other as a family and execute on the field and be disciplined on and off the field.” It doesn’t matter to Beach Channel that the schedule is a bit tougher this year. There is a growing confidence building each day in training camp. On September 11 at 11 a.m. against Midwood, a home crowd will see a team that Nazario hopes will transform into a consistent winner for a long time to come. “They know the style of football that I want them to play. If this team executes, we could be in every football game.”
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