Holy Spirit names Iannucci coach

John Iannucci, former football coach at Cherry Hill East, has been named coach at Holy Spirit.

Iannucci replaces Chalie Roman, who resigned after the season and will be the offensive coordinator at St. Augustine under new coach Mark Reardon, his longtime friend and former Holy Spirit classmate. Roman went 35-9 and guided the Spartans to consecutive state titles the past two seasons.

From 2004-06, Iannucci was the coach at Cherry Hill East, and during his final season, he guided the Cougars to a 6-4 record. It was the school's first winning season since 1995.

Iannucci also served for one season as the coach at Pennsylvania's Harry S Truman.

He said he also will teach health at Holy Spirit.

"It's a great opportunity to take over a program with such great tradition," said Iannucci, who accepted the position Tuesday.

Holy Spirit went 8-3 this past season and won the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 2 state title after a 12-0 season in 2010 in which the Spartans captured the Non-Public Group 3 state championship.

Iannucci said he would meet with players Thursday and then with parents and alumni that evening.

"What I like is that the people there are really close," Iannucci said. "It's a great atmosphere, and I am excited to get started."

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at mnarducci@phillynews.com, 856-779-3225 or @sjnard on Twitter. Find his Rally columns at www.philly.com/narducci