St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, has appointed Mark Ciccotelli as new head football coach. Ciccotelli, most recently from Neptune High School, has coached in the central N.J. area for more than a quarter century.

Ciccotelli expressed pleasure at joining the staff at SJVHS and outlined his plans for the team’s upcoming season. “The obvious goal is to lead the team to win a conference title and a state championship,” he stated, “but my main focus is to have our players reach their full potential as a student athlete, and play to the best of their ability. I have always liked Saint John’s and I’m happy to share in their Catholic tradition.”

In his three seasons at Neptune High School, Ciccotelli’s teams notched a 25-9 record which included a 2011 Central Jersey Group III title win, the first since 1998. Neptune also won their first division title since 1998 in 2012 with their return trip to the Central Jersey Group III final.

Prior to his time at Neptune, Ciccotelli served as head coach in Rahway for two seasons, then took the job at Freehold Boro High School. In 2008 and 2010 Ciccotelli led that team to Central Jersey Group III titles, the team’s first two and only titles since the creation of the state playoff system in 1974.

Ciccotelli, whose father Salvatore and brothers, Mike and Steve, have also coached on the high school level, also served as offensive coordinator on the 2001 Middletown South team which went undefeated that season.

The SJVHS football players and staff have met their new coach and eagerly anticipate the upcoming season. SJVHS principal Steven DiMezza said, “I’m looking forward to working with Coach Ciccotelli. It’s always a pleasure to have an expert in their field become part of our community.”