Discipline was always a part of the Infante family. Gabe Infante remembers the family drives they would take when he was a child for fun on the West Point campus, his father was that enthralled by the military life. Feelings of gratitude also permeate Gabe’s DNA. His grandfather Leopold was a Cuban general under Fulgencio Batista when the Infantes were forced to flee their native Cuba for the United States just days before Fidel Castro took over.
So here is Gabe Infante today. Ready to instill discipline and filled with gratitude that he’s getting this chance, a rare and special chance of being the new head football coach at Philadelphia powerhouse St. Joseph's Prep.
Infante was named last week to replace the highly successful Gil Brooks, who was fired in early March after compiling a 162-57-2 record and winning five Philadelphia Catholic League championships in 18 seasons. Infante enters the position after coaching in North Jersey the last two years at Paramus Catholic, which finished 5-5 in consecutive seasons.
There’s going to be some pressure attached in taking over the Hawks, who play a very competitive schedule that next season will feature Philadelphia Public League champion George Washington, St. Peter's Prep and Pennsylvania power North Penn. It also will require some mending in taking over for the very popular Brooks.
But Infante is ready for the challenge. He’s ready because he’s been challenged most of his life — and in almost every scenario he’s won. Part of that comes from how driven Infante has been. Football has been part of this 37-year-old’s life since he was 10. Coaching has been in his blood since his mid-20s.
Sacrifice to get to reach his objective, that’s always been there. It should come as no surprise that Infante, who possesses a law degree, has in the past turned down several more lucrative jobs to remain in coaching. Sometimes it meant working full time as a law clerk, while going to law school and coaching on the side during afternoons. It meant sleeping on the sofa on the bottom floor of his brother’s townhouse while keeping his passion for coaching still burning, and working toward a law degree.
Pressure? Infante welcomes it with open arms. He’s ready for it.
"The most competitive games draw the most competitive men," said Infante, who was the defensive coordinator at Bergen Catholic (2006-07), after stints at Queen of Peace (2003-05), and Memorial High (1997-2002). "I’m as competitive as it gets. Being a part of Bergen Catholic-Don Bosco rivalry was tremendous. I haven’t experienced a La Salle-Prep game yet, but it has to be a lot like Bergen and Don Bosco — two great programs with winning traditions.
"I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to coach in a game like that. No one has higher expectations of me than me. It’s the way that I’m built. Pressure is a funny thing. For me at the end of the day, pressure has a different meaning than it has for other people. For me, it’s about focusing on a process; discipline and intense focus on following a process. That process you follow every day of the year. I’m drawn to things like that. To me, that’s not pressure."
Infante inherits a nice situation at St. Joe’s, which finished last year 9-3 and lost in the Philadelphia Catholic League Class AAAA (large-school) championship game to eventual PIAA Class AAAA state champion La Salle. The Hawks also return quite arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the state in 6-foot-4 sophomore Skyler Mornhinweg, and will also have back tailback Desmon Peoples and linebacker Jared Alwan.
Infante said the Hawks will run a spread offense, counting on making full use of Mornhinweg’s poise and arm and getting Peoples out in open space. Some of Brooks’ staff will remain on with Infante, while some decided to look for other coaching opportunities. But it’s a big priority to Infante to maintain the consistency the program had under Brooks.
"It would be foolish for someone to come in here and re-invent the wheel; the school has a great tradition and it was important for me to try and keep as much of that same staff who were involved with the program still here," Infante said. "With me, it’s more than about winning games, and anyone who knows me knows that. I have this speech where I hold up a football and I tell my team that this is what brings us together. It’s what I love about football and the lessons to be learned that will help these young men for the rest of their lives."
Infante said he felt that impact the day he told his Paramus players he was leaving to take the Prep job. It was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do in his life, he admitted. Paramus didn’t win any titles under Infante, but seeing the raw emotion and bond they had with Infante that hard day spelled it all out. It’s the same feeling he hopes to build at Prep.
Infante will finish up in June at Paramus, where he taught criminal justice and law and ethics. Aside from coaching football, Infante will play a role in Prep’s athletic department, work as the school’s strength coach, and help all student-athletes with college recruiting.
"The objective of our program is to win championships, but it has to be more than that," Infante stressed. "You have to care about your kids. I was never one of those guys who puts winning before other things. I want my football players to win at life. I know there are a lot of wounds that have to heal with coach Brooks leaving. But I’m not afraid to pick up the phone and do hard things to help our program. It’s all about shaping and molding young men. This is an incredible opportunity. I can’t wait to start."
Joseph Santoliquito covers high schools for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a contributor to MaxPreps.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.
