Shannon Hoadley Takes Over as Mater Dei Prep Football Coach

With the start of preseason came just about two months away, Mater Dei Prep has announced that former assistant Shannon Hoadley will be its new head football coach.

Hoadley takes over for former coach Steve Sciarappa, who is leaving the program, according to a news release by the school. In five seasons under Sciarappa, the Seraphs went from a team dwelling at the bottom of the standings to tying the school record for wins with an 8-3 season and their second straight season with a state playoff win this past fall. After going 5-25 in Sciarappa's first three seasons, Mater Dei Prep is a combined 14-8 the past two seasons.

Hoadley, who is a 1989 Mater Dei graduate, has been an assistant with the Seraphs since 2008 and the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. He previously was an assistant under Hall of Famer Mike Ciccotelli at Keyport in the early 2000s.

“Coach Hoadley’s commitment to Mater Dei Prep has been second to none,'' athletic director Dennis Tobin said in a news release. "He understands our community and has a great rapport with our students. Shannon is a known entity in the world of Shore Conference football. He has built relationships that will foster the improvement of Mater Dei Prep football."

"I intend to lead Mater Dei Prep football to continued excellence by balancing core values, discipline, on and off the field, and athletic prowess,'' Hoadley said in a statement. "As an alumnus, I am fulfilling a life-long dream to be the head football coach. I am excited about the opportunity to instill the values and lessons I learned at Mater Dei Prep to current and future Seraphs."

The future of the program was in jeopardy this winter when the school initially announced it would be closing its doors after 50 years due to financial difficulties, but an incredible fund-raising effort that brought in $1 million and a key approval by the Diocese of Trenton have secured the school's future.

The Seraphs graduate first-team All-Shore quarterback Christian Palmer, who set a single-season Shore Conference record with 44 total touchdowns between rushing and passing, as well as All-Class B Central standouts like wide receiver Tysaun White, offensive linemen Liam Olausen and David Osborn, defensive lineman Quaylil Maxwell and running back/safety Tyson Stamper. Mater Dei Prep has been buoyed the last two seasons by several transfers, including White, Maxwell, and Stamper. Sciarappa denied recruiting allegations in a lawsuit filed by a Mater Dei parent that was later withdrawn, saying the program was not under investigation by the NJSIAA.