High school football is seeing a certain epidemic in the making. Schools across the country are taking extreme measures for their programs for a number of reasons. For the safety of the students, a lot of these programs are being put on pause. And now, a New York school is the latest to join this growing problem, with its football program now having a brand-new coach. The reason behind such a drastic decision, however, makes for a great storyline.

New York’s Moore Catholic High School will not play the 2025 season, AD Mike Ponsiglione told silive.com. There are only 21 players in the program so far, and going ahead with such a low number is just not feasible. As he mentioned, “It’s disappointing because we did the best we could, but due to the fact we only have 21 kids in the program, we don’t feel it’s a safe environment for them to play an entire football season.’’  This comes as sad news for the local players, because the Mavericks have had a series of impressive seasons in the past. However, they failed in the last season terribly, going 5-6 in the season. That seemed to be the nail in the coffin that led to this unfortunate decision.

Former HC Nick Giannatasio ended Moore Catholic’s 2024 season on a poor note. The Mavericks lost to St. Peters Boys 42-28 in the postseason. But this is where the kicker comes. Giannatasio had suggested a series of measures to help improve these failures in the future. But the school did not agree, and Giannatasio did not waste any more breath. He joined St. Peter’s Boys as their HC soon after.

The Mavericks might have finished badly, but the bond between the coach and players was tight. With his departure, a good number of students also flocked to the local rival school.

The remaining production at Moore Catholic is too much of a risk, as Ponsiglione said. “We need them healthy and to be put into a position where they can succeed and you can’t expect them to play both sides of the ball and special teams for an entire season with only 21 kids… If two or three kids get hurt in a game, we’re not dressing 18 kids. It’s just not healthy,” he added. The Mavericks have a new coach in Anthony Barnes, who played at Norfolk State for his college career. He also has a successful travel football program, which he runs with his brother.

Former HC Giannatasio and Moore High split because of a lack of agreement between the two. Unfortunately, it’s now led to a blowback on the school instead of the coach.

Why Nick Giannatasio chose to depart from Moore Catholic

Moore Catholic’s president, Gina DeSantis, earlier sent out a detailed email to the Mavericks’ student body, which explained why the program will not play the 2025 season. After last season’s troubling record, it seems that a threat has been looming over the program since then. The football staff claimed that the poor finish saw “no one” picking Moore Catholic to play high school football anymore. “We found this reasoning rather curious, as over the last (nine) years, the program had enjoyed seasons of tremendous success,” DeSantis wrote.

When asked about next steps, Giannatasio had a dire request. “Listed was the recommendation that the school admit students who are academically unqualified… As the school would not consider this action for any athletic or co-curricular program, the decision was made to not accept this recommendation,” DeSantis explained. And that was the end of Giannatasio and Moore Catholic’s relationship. However, the president also claims that the reason why so many kids left with the HC’s departure was because the families had “false information.”

Moore Catholic joins Van High, Madonna High, Des Moines Hoover High, and a few others in the growing list of schools cancelling their 2025 season. Can Anthony Barnes and the Mavericks hope for a better outcome in 2026?