Despite rumors flying, Kevin Ross not interested in open M-W football job

There was a blazing hot rumor making the rounds in Section 9 football circles this week.Word was that Burke Catholic football coach Kevin Rosswas, at the very least, interested in the open Monroe-Woodbury football job – if he hadn’t already applied for it.Well, it’s time to put the rumor to bed. Ross is staying put at Burke Catholic, where he went 8-2 in his first year, leading the Eagles to the Section 9 Class B championship last fall.

“There is no truth to that,” said Ross, Army’s offensive coordinator from 2004-06. “If I end up at Monroe-Woodbury, you can call me a bold face liar. I really like it at Burke Catholic and that’s where I’m staying. Burke Catholic is a great school.”

Ross did inquire about coaching positions at, among other places in Section 9, Monroe-Woodbury and Warwick – before he took the Burke Catholic job.

“Maybe that’s why the rumor started,” said Ross, a teacher at Burke Catholic. “I would never leave (Burke Catholic principal) John Dolan. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity he has provided me.”

Meanwhile, all seems quiet on the Monroe-Woodbury High hiring front. Head football coach Bernie Connolly stepped down in December after 27 years in the program. After Connolly’s departure, Monroe-Woodbury athletic director Ron Montalto said that Monroe-Woodbury superintendent Elsie Rodriguez and the school board want to hire a candidate from within the district, where the pickings are thin. One possibly Connolly successor could be trusted and longtime assistant Jim Hintze.

Connolly, 58, served as Monroe-Woodbury’s head man for the last three years, replacing good friend Pat D’Aliso. D’Aliso retired after the 2011 season as Section 9’s all-time winningest coach and remained as the Crusaders’ offensive coordinator. He has not made his decision, at least publicly, whether he will return as an assistant in 2015.

Stayed tuned for more on Monroe-Woodbury’s football search as it develops.