Former Holy Trinity players, coaches 'heartbroken' over school's decision to suspend football program

Holy Trinity’s decision on Wednesday to suspend football has left former players and coaches mourning the loss of a program they say shaped their lives, built lifelong friendships and opened the door to college football.

“I was heartbroken,” said Ian Williams, who was last year’s starting quarterback. “I was looking forward to coming back for homecoming and Senior Night to see all my juniors from last season. I wanted to see them all play. I wanted to see them get their flowers and watch them give their moms flowers on Senior Night. It’s heartbreaking having to see them go to other schools just to play football again.”

Williams, who graduated this spring and will play Division I football for New Haven, said he never imagined the program would disappear after Holy Trinity won seven games in 2025 and reached the AA-II semifinals.

“There’s no shot I could’ve believed this would happen right after the season we had,” Williams said. “We beat Holy Cross, then St. Peter’s, which was in a division above us. We won a playoff game, and our team was on a roll. I could never imagine there wouldn’t be a football team the next year.”

The school also won back-to-back CHSFL championships in 2021 and 2022.

Holy Trinity athletic director Matthew Sloan said in a letter to parents on Thursday that the school “simply did not have enough student-athletes committed to safely field a varsity football team.”

Rocco Rainone, a 2024 graduate and a quarterback at Rutgers, said the loss extends beyond football.

“It was just unfortunate,” he said. “I’d love to go back and see all those guys again and go to Holy Trinity and talk to the younger kids. It’s just not something we can do anymore.”

Rainone also said he feels for the next generation.

“A lot of the young kids, the players who just graduated, went there because of us and the other successful Trinity teams,” Rainone said. “Now there’s no program. That’s just unbelievable to me.”

Melan Williams, a member of Holy Trinity’s 2022 championship team, said the speed of the program’s decline is what surprised him most.

“The foundation my class built was really strong,” he said. “We were fundamentally sound, and Coach [Kahmal] Roy was a great leader for us. To say it’s all gone here in 2026 is just unbelievable and sad.”

He said the impact stretched well beyond wins and losses.

“Football helped people get opportunities,” he added. “You grow a lot as a person as well as a player. It’s just unfortunate to see it all go.”

Former linebacker/running back Jameer Reeder, now at Stony Brook, noted that some will not experience what Holy Trinity football meant to him and his teammates.

“When I think of Holy Trinity, I think about all the good times I had, from the bonds and relationships I made to the athletic success we had,” Reeder said. “Those are great memories that now aren’t able to be given to other kids.”

Reeder said football’s impact lasts long after the final game.

“Football teaches kids a lot,” he said. “It instills discipline and gives them a foundation. Even when football is over, you still have something to go off of.”

Former assistant coach Ranall White Sr. emphasized the number of players who reached the college level during his time from 2019-23.

“Our entire defense from those championship teams [2021, 2022] is still playing college football,” White said. “Most of the offense is, too. That’s what really needs to be talked about. The number of kids who went on to play college football shows how successful that program was.”

Former linebacker Nick Parisi, now at Wagner, said Holy Trinity’s success in 2022 energized the entire school.

“When we were really good, people wanted to be part of it,” he said. “Even some of my friends who had never played football wanted to be around the program. Everyone was talking about it, our peers would follow along. Every fall, it was something everyone looked forward to.”

Reeder is preparing for his redshirt sophomore season at Stony Brook. He reflected on what Holy Trinity football gave him and the memories he has.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Holy Trinity and the coaches who helped me along the way,” Reeder said. “It’ll always have a special place in my heart.”