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Sports

Introducing Kevin Shippos: Massapequa's New Varsity Football Head Coach

Shippos is a Long Island native who has been involved with the team since 2005.

Massapequa High School is popularly known throughout the Long Island area for its storied athletic programs, which they display year after year. As fall season is just around the corner, Football is the notable sport that comes hand in hand with the times.

The Chiefs varsity football team had their struggles in 2010 despite showing much upside, finishing with a 4-5 record. The JV squad finished with a 7-1 record, with their lone defeat coming at the hands of rival Farmingdale in the season finale.

In 2011, Massapequa welcomes a new head coach to the forefront: Kevin Shippos. Although the upcoming season will be his first as head varsity coach, Shippos is a familiar face around Massapequa High School athletics, being involved with the football program since 2005.

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“I always wanted to be a head coach, whether it be in football or wrestling, but I didn’t expect it to come this soon,” said Shippos. “I knew going in, it was going to be huge taking over a prestigious program like Massapequa, but I have never shied away from any kind of challenge.” 

Shippos began as a volunteer coach for Chiefs Varsity in 2005 along with teaching Physical Education at the high school. In 2008, he signed on to be the defensive coordinator for the JV team along with continuing to help with the varsity teams’ defensive unit. When the head coaching position opened up after the conclusion of the 2010 season, Shippos was confidently chosen as the newest selection.

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Nearby Baldwin High School was the home school to Shippos, where he graduated from in 1997. He played four years of Varsity football for the Bruins, receiving All-County accolades in his junior and senior seasons. He also received the “Golden 11 Scholar Athlete Award” as a senior, an honor given out by the National Football Foundation.

Shippos was also an avid wrestler at Baldwin, a sport that he continued with at the collegiate level at Penn State University. He graduated from the Penn State in 2002 and soon became a member of the Massapequa High School community.

“Even though I only wrestled in college, I always loved football, and coaching was a challenge that I wanted to take, so I seized the opportunity,” Shippos said.

Shippos will have an experienced coaching staff alongside for the upcoming season. Tim Radomski has been involved with the program for the last 15 years and was incremental in helping the young coach initially get involved as a teacher at MHS. Lou Andre will aid on the sidelines as the offensive coordinator, a coach whom Shippos describes as “a strong, trustworthy and experienced voice that the kids can hear and that will help back up important philosophies”. Brian Rath is another assistant coach as well as longtime volunteer John Grant, who has been involved with several Massapequa teams for the last three decades.

“I am just excited for what this season and seasons to come have to offer with the kids we have here. It really is also about the kids on this team,” Shippos added. “The athletics here are outstanding in all sports and the expectations are high, but so are mine. I set the high standards with the kids and they have bought into it.”

The Chiefs have been practicing hard on the gridiron since the end of last season. Now under the newly appointed Shippos, the team will open up practice again on August 17 in preparation for their season opener on September 10 at East Meadow High School.

“It is a great tradition here at Massapequa and I am happy to be part of it, so it’ll be a great season coming up,” concluded Shippos. 

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