Greenport/Southold/Mattituck has hired a new football coach to lead the North Fork team back under the Friday night lights against Hampton Bays on Sept. 4 after the school was not able to field a varsity team last year.

Brian Olshefsky has taken over the coaching reins, replacing Tim McArdle, who stepped down.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to become a head coach,” Olshefsky said. “I’ve been with the program now. This is my third year. Just seeing how the community is, the type of athletes we have here, our administration and the rest of our coaches, it seemed like a home run position to take.

“Once it seemed like there was an opening, it’s something that I thought I could handle and take on. I am excited to jump in.”

McArdle, who has guided the Porters since 2019 and has been part of the program since 2013, was the head coach last year, when there were not enough athletes to play in games. In 2024, he led Greenport to its most successful season in more than a decade and first playoff berth since 2013.

“I wish the new coach, all of my former players, and the program all of the best of luck in their upcoming season,” said McArdle, who is the Southold/Greenport girls track coach.

He directed the junior varsity squad to a 4-3 mark last year.

“Tim did a tremendous job,” Greenport athletic director Brian Toussaint said. “He gave everything he had in Greenport football. Leading us to a playoff berth a couple years ago was a phenomenal achievement. We’re thankful for all he’s done for the program over the greater part of a decade.”

Toussaint felt that Olshefsky was the right man to succeed McArdle. Olshefsky, 27, known as Bo to friends and colleagues, teaches the third grade at Greenport Elementary School.

“We’re definitely very excited to welcome Bo Olshefsky,” he said. “He’s been a valued member of our football staff for the past three years. He’s a member of our school community. He’s got a passion for developing our student-athletes and growing the game. It just makes him the right person to help lead the football program into the next chapter here. And we’re confident that he’s got the leadership, energy, and commitment to continue to move the program in a positive direction.”

For the past two seasons, Olshefsky was the Porters’ offensive coordinator, coaching the quarterbacks and defensive backs.

Now, the entire team is his responsibility. His goals are reasonable for the Porters, who will host John Glenn in their Sept. 10 home opener.

“We definitely want to find our identity and our identity early,” Olshefsky said. “Our goals this year are to make an impact on the varsity level. Playoffs are always something that is going to be a goal. If we’re not trying to be able to play with the best and get to that next level of postseason play, why are we doing this? We want to be able to develop our younger class.”

Olshefsky said that his football philosophy was simple.

“Play fast and physical,” he said. “There’s a lot of things we can’t control on the football field. There are two things we can, and that’s our attitude and effort. As long as we’re showing up with a good attitude and we’re working our behinds off every day at practice. That becomes my job and my staff’s job. If you’re showing up with a good attitude and working hard, you’re in good graces on the offensive side of the ball.”

Olshefsky said that the team has heavy sophomore and junior classes and a few seniors “that will be very high-impact guys for us that we know can lead the way.”

When preseason practice begins on Monday, Aug. 17, Olshefsky anticipated a decent number of players to attend.

“That’s been our goal from day one,” he said. “We had a good group of kids last year that really improved so much. Kids seem to be excited to come to practice every day to compete. We’re going to have a lot of those kids back again with a lot of new faces as well.”

Olshefsky wasn’t only concerned about this season; he also has plans for the program’s future.

“We’ve had a big push over the last school year,” he said. “We started a youth flag football, free clinics at the school in Greenport. Just seeing the big turnout of those elementary and middle school kids, we definitely saw that there’s an interest in football. So, we plan to continue working, making sure we keep the youth involved as much as possible.

“That starts with our middle school. Being able to get those youth players involved is a huge push for us. Keep trying to build this thing from the bottom.”

The post New coach hopes to lead Porters to successful year between the hashes appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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