"One of my mentors in coaching, Andrew Cerco [former boss at Queen of Peace in North Arlington, N.J.], always told me, 'Coach, the kids who are there. Don't worry about the kids who aren't there.' The kids who left did what they thought was best for them. I respect their decisions," Infante said.
Infante took over in early May. With the Prep players behind in off-season strength and conditioning workouts, he hurriedly worked toward putting them back on track. The summer included several 7-on-7 passing tournaments.
The most-talked-about transfer loss is Desmon Peoples, a speedy tailback and kick returner now at Archbishop Wood.
"This program is built on many, many people," Infante said. "There is no one player who defines us. There is no one player who makes or breaks our season."
Said the Prep's Luke Hutkin, a 6-foot-1, 265-pound junior and two-way lineman: "A couple of kids transferred. A couple of kids quit. Yeah, it was a rough period. But we stayed together through the adversity. I think that's made us stronger."
Infante was the head coach at Paramus Catholic the last two years. Before that, he spent a combined 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator at three other North Jersey high schools.
Two ex-Paramus coaches came along for the ride. Stefano Calderera is handling a spread-set offense, and Michael Kehoe is overseeing a multiple 4-3 defense.
For now, Infante and his family - wife, Karina, and children, 9-year-old Karysa and 6-year-old Gabriella - are renting a place in Cherry Hill. His full-time job, as part of the Prep's athletic department, has him working as a strength and conditioning coach, assisting with media communications, and aiding student-athletes with recruiting.
"They created a position for me that took into account things I've done at other schools," he said.
