SECTION IV FOOTBALL: AIELLO SAYS TIOGA WAS 'PERFECT MATCH' FOR HIM (April 24, 2026)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
TIOGA CENTER —  "I'm going to miss it."

After 16 years, 12 Section IV titles, and five New York State titles, Nick Aiello is stepping away from "a perfect match" with the powerhouse Tioga football program, and the prototypical Tioga football player.

"One of the reasons I'm the luckiest coach ever is because I think Tioga was the perfect match for me," said Aiello. "The type of kid that is here, and the type of football player that is somehow developed here is perfect for me.

"I'm intense. I don't know a different way to coach.

"I try to be a players' coach as much as possible. I try to build relationships with them," noted Aiello. "I might need two hands to count the number of players I probably didn't reach, but in 20 years I've had more than 500 players play for me just in football.

"I don't think the type of player has ever changed," said Aiello. "This is a special, special place when you talk about not just physical toughness because a lot of times we're not really very big, but mental toughness.

"We have kids who are willing to grind it out and work.

"Then you talk about the community and the school that supports it," he continued. "It's not like that everywhere. We are very spoiled. I was spoiled by it.

"I've always thought Tioga was a perfect match for me because these kids play a certain way and it was the vision I had in my head of how I think a good football team plays at a championship level," Aiello added.

Aiello will definitely miss game days, but he will also miss preparing for game day.

"There is nothing like a locker room before a big game. If you haven't experienced it, no one can explain it to you," he said. "When the players are in the zone, and the coaches are in the zone. You can hear a pin drop.

"You just know your dudes are ready, and a lot of it is preparation.

"As a staff, we prepared these kids so much that when they walked on the field they knew what they were going to see, and they were going to play their ass off," he said.

"To be in a locker room before a big game like that, after a whole week of preparation. You have the nerves going ... you get in the game and you know you're prepared and you see the kids confidence growing, there's nothing like it.

"The second best feeling is in the locker room after winning a big game," added Aiello. "That's probably what I'll miss the most."

Aiello will also miss his peers.

"I'm going to miss the coaches. It's just a special group.

"I don't know why or how it happened, but I just got so lucky in two ways," said Aiello. "The first way is with my coaching staff.

"Back in the beginning when it was just me, Mac (Adam MaCauley) and Kevin Evanek ... it would take me forever to explain the time and conversations we went through, and the losses we went through.

"From there, Hath (Jordan Hatahaway) came in," noted Aiello. "He's become a good friend, and that developed because of football.

"Working with our youth program and the coaches down there has been unbelievable.

"I have Stan Siberski running the modified program now, and Jude Platukis and Dan Pierce are special guys coaching on the modified," he said.

"Going back a little bit, we had Chuck Wasilewski, Joe Robinson and Jim Houseknecht helping out — those guys were Tioga before I was here and helped lead the way.

"If you look at now, and all my former players who are with us," added Aiello. "I've been very blessed."

Aiello gets a little emotional talking about one special relationship on his coaching staff.

"What other head coach can look back and say I got to coach with my childhood friend?," said Aiello of assistant coach Adam MaCauley. "We went to high school together, played football together, and I practically lived at his house on the weekend with his family and parents.

"I played football and baseball for his brother Dave (MaCauley), who years later moved into the (Tioga) district so his son (Tate) could go here.

"That part alone, being able to coach with Mac, is its own story.

(See story on Aiello and MaCauley from Dec. 4, 2022.)

"And there are so many other guys," added Aiello. "I feel like the luckiest head coach in the world because of all those guys."

And, of course, Aiello will miss his players.

"I'll miss the relationship with the players.

"I'll miss joking around, but I'm kind of weird in that way.," said Aiello. "I can be joking around with you on one rep, then on the next absolutely chewing you out, but then on the next rep telling you 'good job.'

In the end, you don't really remember games, or teams, but you remember players," he noted. "Whether you see them at Auto Zone, or walking through Price Chopper it's always good to see and catch up with any of your former players.

"I hope they understand I'll never forget the effort that all my teams gave.

"If there's one thing I can hang my hat on is that my kids played hard," added Aiello. "They played hard, and the scoreboard took care of itself.

"In a nutshell, that's what I'll miss."

Aiello amassed an astounding 156-28 record over 16 season, including a 33-3 mark in the Section IV playoffs, and a 22-7 record in the state playoffs.

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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga's Nick Aiello. IN TOP PHOTO: Nick Aiello and assistant coach Adam MaCauley. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY

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