The Hopatcong football program has always been a tight knit community that resembles a small family.

That's become more than a metaphor for second-year coach Mark Certo, whose sons Michael and Lukas play key roles for the Chiefs, who won a game for the first time since 2023.

Mark coached his sons in the Hopatcong youth program until the boys reached fifth and sixth grade, respectively. When the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, he stepped away from coaching for two seasons.

He got back into it after being approached by Gary Andolena, Hopatcong's coach at the time. He worked as an assistant under Andolena, then spent two seasons as an assistant under Andolena's successor, Sean Norton. When Norton left for Boonton in 2024, Certo moved into the head coaching role.

"When he left, I literally ask

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