After six years at the helm of Milford High School athletics, Rich Piergustavo is stepping down. Piergustavo accepted the position of assistant principal at Milford High School.
“Assistant principal was a job I always aspired to have at some point,” Piergustavo said. “I didn’t know it was going to be this soon. When Brian Macchi went back into the classroom, there was an opportunity right there at my school so I went for it.”
Hockomock fans know Macchi from the 2013 Milford softball team, when he guided the Scarlet Hawks to their second consecutive Division 1 State Championship in the school’s first year in the Hockomock League. Macchi took over as assistant principal for the 2013-2014 school year but has since decided to return to teaching.
“You just never know when those opportunities are going to come around,” Piergustavo added. “I thought it would be in a few more years but who’s to say it would have been in Milford. I love Milford High School. I know the kids and I think it’s a good fit for me and any job it’s really about the fit. So I took a chance and luckily I got the job.
“I’m a Milford guy. I care about the town and I care about the kids and that includes all the kids, not just the athletes. This gives me a chance to use some other skills at times and also have an impact on the school community in a different way then as athletic director.”
Milford joined the Hockomock League under Piergustavo’s tutelage for the fall of 2012, which was the school’s first official year in the league. Piergustavo said that the switch is one of the biggest happenings in the history of the school.
“I think the move to the Hock was a very, very important event in the history of Milford High School athletics,” Piergustavo added. “To have the opportunity to compete in probably the best league in the state and it pulls us more toward Eastern Mass. is a benefit for our kids.”
To highlight his point, Piergustavo recalled a moment from the late 1980’s when Dennis Breen and the Milford High School football team scrimmaged and beat Brockton – the top ranked team in the entire country by USA Today – but the team didn’t garner any attention from it.
“Milford has a long tradition of very strong athletic programs for many, many years,” Piergustavo said. “If you’re not a Central Mass guy, you probably don’t know that.”
He also credited the talent there is in Central Mass. but noted how much more recognition the school has received since the move to the Hockomock and Eastern Mass.
“There’s a big, big, big difference between Eastern and Central Mass.,” he said.
Piergustavo’s predecessor Nick Zacchilli – who Piergustavo noted as the “godfather of athletic directors in Massachusetts” – will take over as interim athletic director until they are able to fill the job permanently.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.