Montclair's Freshmen Coach
Among Trailblazers In Sport

MONTCLAIR- The one aspect of coaching football that never changes for Melissa Gromek is the simple enjoyment of it all as the first-year Montclair head freshmen football coach continues to etch her own path as one of the trailblazers in the fall season’s tackle sport which has an increasing number of women now involved.

There are 15 women employed by NFL teams, including several working with players in strength and conditioning. As far as New Jersey high schools, the first female coach in the Shore Conference in April Florie working with linebackers and wide receivers at Toms River East in 2023, Karen Rau, a freshmen team line coach at Delran. Jae Gladden was a line coach at Woodrow Wilson, which is now known as Camden Eastside.

For Gromek, a former 3-sport (tennis-basketball-softball) star at South Plainfield High School, and also a 2-sport JUCO All-American in women’s hoops and softball at Middlesex Community College, it’s a lifelong love of sports and still-increasing enjoyment of coaching football that keeps energizing her each day.

“It continues to be so much fun,” said the enthusiastic coach, whose Montclair freshmen have had recent wins vs. Livingston and Clifton after an 0-2 start. “I love going over to Woodman Field every day where there is so much history and where so many great athletes once played.

“I’ve learned so much this fall with the help of (Montclair head coach) Manj (Singh) and his entire staff, and I think our players are continuing to learn more and more each day.

“It’s a big transition for our freshmen, moving from the eighth grade into a bigger school with all the changes in the transition both academically and socially as they begin to settle into high school.

“The main goal for freshmen is retention in that they come back out the next year because they are not only learning about football, but enjoying the process as well.

“We have a great group of kids at Montclair, and the experience continues to be a great one for me and I hope also for our players.”

Coaching fall tackle football is not a new experience for Gromek who served as Livingston’s freshmen coach for two seasons in addition to being a coach with the Lancers’ girls flag football squad with coach Bob Breschard, who has nothing but praise for the dedicated coach helping to serve as one of the trailblazers for women in Essex County.

“Back in early 2000s when I coached the New York Sharks on Staten Island in a women’s tackle football league I worked with some female coaches who really knew their stuff, and there is no barrier there – male or female.

“There is some carryover from flag to tackle in terms of angles and routes on pass plays, but they are still very different sports. But, if you put in the time to learn about the sport, do your research, and continue to gain knowledge, I’m a believer that you can teach it.

“Melissa is a great teacher. She does it in her teaching (7th and 8th grade at Heritage Middle School in Livingston) and she continues to show what she has learned about tackle football with what she did for our staff at Livingston, and now I’m sure she is doing the same thing at Montclair where they are very fortunate to have her on their coaching staff.”

Still, coaching girls and boys has its differences, and Gromek has grown to appreciate some of those variations in the way each gender learns aspects of their different sports.

“Coaching girls vs. boys is still about getting them all to listen and that they learn the ‘why’ behind what we’re trying to teach because if they know the ‘why’ it can then all begin to click,” said Gromek. “Boys are fast and do everything at a different level, while girls also have great skills and they run very precise routes, while the boys might take a little more time to do that. 

“Flag is not supposed to be a contact sport, but there is still a lot of contact in tackling with a flag belt.

“Coaching flag and tackle bring their own different excitement and both sports are incredibly enjoying to be a part of in trying to help kids simply enjoy the entire process including being part of a close-knit team.”

Gromek, who met Singh a couple of years back while helping to prepare flag players for the New Jersey North-South All-Star Game at the Centercourt indoor facility in Montclair, was brought on by the now first-year Montclair tackle football coach to join him in coaching the girls flag team at Mount St. Dominic.

Now, the two work together with the Mounties’ fall boys gridiron squad.
“Melissa is a former standout athlete who is an awesome coach who loves football and understands and can teach the different concepts in both flag and tackle,” said Singh. “She is a familiar face at our games and has a big role in helping to develop the future of our football program at Montclair High School.”

NOTES- In addition to her vast experience in tennis, basketball, softball and football, Gromek has also been a hockey mom as both her son Ethan and daughter Logan who both played ice hockey at Morris Knolls High School in Rockaway…Following her All-American junior college career at Middlesex CC Gromek went on to focus solely on academics in earning her teaching degree at The College of New Jersey…She was the shortstop on a Group 2 state championship team at South Plainfield High School in 1989…Gromek’s first victory as a head freshman coach at Montclair came with a 28-6 win vs. Livingston and against some of the kids she has taught at Heritage Middle School…She first came in contact with flag football when Livingston Athletic Director Dave Cohen brought her aboard for a first-year flag club team for the Lancers…When Breschard had to take some time off due to a health issue, Gromek served as Livingston’s head girls flag coach for a season.