Brick Memorial’s head wrestling coach, Mike Kiley, has decided to step down after nine seasons. He announced on Wednesday, July 16, via social media that it was time to hang up the whistle and move on.
He shared on Facebook, “It’s time… THANK YOU for the memories Brick Memorial Wrestling!!!… TEAM FIRST. TEAM LAST. TEAM ALWAYS.”
Coach Kiley is a Brick Memorial alumnus and coach. He has had a fantastic career in wrestling for the team and has been coaching for the last several years.
He attended Brick Memorial and was a part of the team during the 2008-09 season. He recorded standout performances in regional tournaments. Kiley placed fourth at Region 6, ending that season strong in Shore Conference Duals.
Since then, he has returned to the High School as a coach and has led the Brick Memorial wrestling team since 2017. Under his reign, the Mustangs became one of the top wrestling teams in New Jersey. In the 2017-18 school year, the wrestling team went 19-3 and reached another sectional final. In the 2019-20 school year, he won the Central Jersey Group 4 championship and took home the District 27 team title.
Kiley posted a stellar record of 131-41 for meet records over the last nine seasons he has been coaching. He led the team to four NJSIAA sectional titles and five district team championships.
There has been some individual success at Brick Wrestling, with nine state champions, including standout seasons in 2020-21, when four wrestlers —Vincent Santaniello, David Szuba, Evan Tallmadge, and Anthony Santaniello —won state titles.
Kiley’s resignation marks the end of a powerhouse era. The Brick Memorial Mustangs are now entering a pivotal transition period where they must replace their head coach. They want to maintain their wrestling dominance, as they have in past years. Kiley now joins the Memorial Wall of Fame of head coaches, following in the footsteps of Tony Carvalla (1981-2003), Dean Albanese (2004-2006), Dan O’Cone (2007-2013), and Mike Denver (2014-2016), who was previously in the position.
The hunt is now on to replace the district’s top head coach.
