Meet Our Coaches

Wayne Demikoff | Head Coach

Coach Demikoff goes into his 7th year as the Head Coach of the Patriot Football Program . In just his 4th year as head coach, he led the Patriots to a State Championship in 2016 . The highly regarded coach has been with the program since 1999 when he came to Wayne after serving as an assistant coach at Belleville High School for many years.
Coach Dem was hired as the running backs and defensive ends coach at Hills in 1999, and the Patriots haven’t looked back since. Under his tutelage, former and current NFL stars Ryan Neill and Greg Olsen emerged as standout pass rushers along with former All-Staters David Ogden, Joe Giampapa, John Ihne, and Peter Daibes. His running backs have turned the record books at Wayne Hills upside down and include former stars A.J. Spicer, Bryan Williams, Chazz Lynn, Ray Van Peenen, Danny DeCicco, Carlton Marcin, and Brian Dowling. Demikoff was a key cog in the “Golden Age” of Wayne Hills Football which saw the Patriots rattle off 55 straight wins between 2004-09. Their decade of dominance (2000-09) included a 108-11 record and an astonishing 6 State Championships. They would go on to add two more State Titles in the next three years.

During his tenure as Defensive Coordinator, his defenses re-wrote the Wayne Hills record books. The ’06, ’07 and ’10 units each posted 6 shut-outs in their respective seasons. The ’06 defense was stingy all year holding their opponents to 49 total points for the entire season (4.1ppg). They also set the mark for fewest offensive yards allowed in a season with 1,397 (116 per game). The ’07 squad set the mark for interceptions in a season with 24, while returning 6 of them for touchdowns – another record. They were just as miserly when it came to the run game as they set the mark for fewest rushing yards in a game when they held Northern Highlands to minus 52. Highlands would finish with minus 28 total yards for the game establishing yet another record. 

Wayne’s playing career dates back to his time at Clifton High School where he played under head coaches Dennis Hecht, Alex Kaplanovich, and John Iannucci. As a quarterback, he showed his future coaching skills by easily grasping three different offensive systems in four years. After prepping for the Mustangs, where he sustained a career ending shoulder injury his senior year, he moved on to Rutgers University. He would receive his B.A. from Rutgers where he majored in history, and would go on to complete his Masters Degree from Mary Grove College. He is certified to teach Social Studies. He began his teaching career at Belleville High School where he was an extremely valued member of the faculty. He coached football, basketball, and baseball at some point in his 17 years at Belleville. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2011by his peers. Belleville’s loss is Wayne Hills’ gain as he will continue teaching at Hills this year.

Coach Demikoff has two sons, Tyler and Troy, who are avid Wayne Hills fans. In his spare time, Wayne loves spending time with his children, and enjoys following his favorite team the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pat Cosgrove | Assistant Coach

The longest tenured member of the staff, Pat entering his 32nd year at Wayne Hills. Coach Pat spent 35 years with Coach Olsen by his side, as they were together at Wayne Hills, St. Cecelia, Bergenfield, and Eastside as well. In 2006, Pat received the “Honor Award” from the Passaic County Coaches Association for his dedication to Wayne Hills Athletics. He can often be seen at Basketball, Baseball, and other WH games throughout the school year. He is a graduate of St. Peter’s College with a B.S. Degree in Marketing. Pat currently resides in Demarest.

Mike Kelly | Assistant Coach

Coach Kelly returned for his 10th season with the Patriots, responsible for both the Varsity Tight Ends and Outside Linebackers. A dedicated and proud Wayne Hills Football alum, he has supported the program since graduation in 1997. A captain of the 1996 Patriots team, Coach Kelly continued his athletic career as a strong safety at Fordham University from 1997-2001. He continues to share his passion for sports and education in his career both on and off the field. Coach Kelly currently resides in Bergen County with his wife and 1997 Wayne Hills alum, Melissa. His daughters Gracelyn and Mia enjoy being around the team and cheering the Patriots on each week!

Claudio Canonaco | Assistant Coach

Coach Claudio Canonaco has returned to the Wayne Hills Staff for his 8th season and coaches the offensive and defensive lines, where he has tutored multiple All-State Linemen each year he has been here. Claudio graduated from Montclair State University and has previously coached at Middletown South, St. Joseph’s (Montvale) & Morristown racking up a state title at each stop along the way. He has been an integral part of several state championships at Wayne Hills. He is also the owner of Right Way Driving school.

Michael Peischl | Assistant Coach

Coach Peischl returns to Wayne Hills as a coach for his fifth year where he will assist with coaching Special Teams Michael was an all-state quarterback, helping lead the 2005 Patriots to their second straight state championship. After Wayne Hills, he went on to play 4 years of football at Muhlenberg College, where he received degrees in Accounting and Business Administration. Coach Peischl currently resides in Wayne.

Joe Lane | Assistant Coach

Coach Lane is a graduate of Wayne Hills High School and an alumni of WHFB. Joe returns for his 4th season. Joes positions included TE-D-LINE-FULLBACK-LONG SNAPPER. While playing for the Patriots for four years he earned many awards. 2010-First team all county and First team all league. 2011-First team all-state, First team all North Jersey, First team all county, First team all area 105.5 WGHT Def. player of the year, MSG Varsity player of the week and Team Captain. Joe was also rated as one of the top Def. Players in North Jersey. Joe attended Wesley College in Delaware a D-3 school,that was ranked #3 in the country. Joe played Freshmen and Sophomore years for the Wolverines positions played DE and Long snapper. Joe decided to transfer back home so he could work for the family business while attending college. Joe attends William Paterson University where he is studying Physical Education. Joe hopes to someday be a Physical Education teacher as well as to work with kids that have Autism. Joe resides in Wayne.

Anthony Giampapa | Special Advisor

Coach Giampapa returns for his 11th year on the Patriots staff. He is a former Wayne Hills player having graduated
in 2000. Anthony attended the University of Maryland and then began his coaching career at the Wayne PAL, where he led the Wolfpack to their first ever NJJFL Championship in the senior division. He was the first of the Giampapa boys to come through the program, and counts coaching his brother, Michael, in the State Championship as one of his crowning moments. Anthony currently resides in Wayne.

Gary Maiella | Athletic Trainer

Gary is entering his 6th football season as Athletic Trainer after 9 years as the Athletic Trainer at Paramus Catholic High School. He is a graduate of William Paterson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Exercise Science Department with concentration in both Athletic Training and Exercise Physiology. As a senior at WPU, he received the award for top student in the Exercise Science Dept. Gary is looking forward to an exciting year at Wayne Hills and is eager to start meeting the student body. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing and spending time with his family which consists of his wife, Lisa, a son, Joseph, and a daughter, Emily.

Chris Dowling | Special Advisor

Chris Dowling, now an advisor of the Wayne Hills Football program, spent 10 years coaching football at the Wayne PAL. As the Head Coach of the Wolfpack, he led the Wolfpack to their first ever NJJFL Championship on the Senior Level. He then became the Head Coach of the Wayne Hills Freshman program and led the program to three straight winning seasons, including an undefeated campaign.. After a sterling prep career at PCTI, Chris went on to earn a B.S. Degree in Marketing from Glassboro State College (now Rowan), and is a business owner in Wayne. Chris resides in Wayne with his wife, Lori, and their two children, Caitlin, a former Patriot Cheerleader, and Brian, who played football at UMass and Towson University.
Share by: