By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — In two decades worth of coaching at Staples High School, Jack McFarland has won his share of games — 70% of them to be exact — and has captured four FCIAC titles along with a trio of state championships, the most recent state bragging rights coming this spring.

McFarland is being recognized for his dedication and coaching prowess. He is a member of this year’s FCIAC Hall of Fame inductees, to be honored at the Norwalk Inn on June 18.

It is all about the student-athletes for McFarland and his coaching staff, and they expect a lot of their team hitters, fielders and pitchers.

“I’d like to think I bring a lot of passion and I demand that from the kids,” McFarland said.

This certainly has added up to Staples’ share of success.

From 2005 to present, McFarland has an overall record of 342-163. He won FCIAC Championships–in 2008, ’09, ’11 and ’19–and took home regular season championships in ’09 (14-4 record), ’10 (16-2), ’14 (16-2) and ’19 (14-2). Always a competitive program, Staples earned conference runners-up recognition in 2006, ’15 and ’18, and claimed division championships in seven seasons between 2009 and 2023.

At the state level, the Wreckers have been Class LL finalists three times (2015, ’23 and ’24) in addition to winning titles in 2017, ’19 and this spring. Staples was the top-ranked team in Connecticut in 2019.

This spring, the Wreckers were the No. 11 seed in the Class LL bracket but got hot and ran the table to win it all. McFarland said at the beginning of each season the goal for the coach is for his team to be playing its best ball at the end of the season.

“That’s exactly how it played out for us,” McFarland said.

The FCIAC is regarded as the best in the state each year and often produces state champs and several other teams that go deep in the tournament.

“It’s an honor and pleasure to coach in the FCIAC,” McFarland said. “There are some great coaches, great teams and great programs all over Fairfield County.”

The championships certainly stand out, but so, too, do accolades earned by players, including Gatorade Player of the Year honorees, which McFarland considers team recognition given earning this individual honor is contingent on solid teammates.

The Staples head coach, who serves as third base coach when the Wreckers are batting, said support from his assistants, the school and community are keys to the program’s success.

Assistant Coaches Bob Buswell, Keith Avery, Kevin Morton, Anthony Monteiro and Jack Lynch have been paramount in making things run smoothly from the dugout to the field.

Avery, this spring, earned the Assistant Coach of the Year award from the Connecticut High School Coaches Association. Avery has coached with McFarland for 15 years and could easily be a head coach, McFarland noted.

Focusing on the outfield, Avery is great at positioning those fielders to help the Wrecker defense, McFarland said.

“We’re all in this together. It’s always ‘we.’ It’s never ‘them’ or ‘us,'” said McFarland, adding that it is the coaches who make sure it is about the kids.

McFarland was a star pitcher at Andrew Warde High in Fairfield before going on to compete at Southern Connecticut State University.

“He brings more experience than anybody. He’s been around the block, he’s won state championships,” said Staples player Jules Cicero, adding that the Wreckers are fortunate to have McFarland impart his knowledge to the team.

Andy Hutchison

^{_{Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories, since the 1990s. He is the sports editor at the Newtown Bee. He writes for the Monroe Sun. He was director of communications and radio color commentator for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (now Islanders) hockey team. He has won numerous writing awards, including regional and national first-place honors.}}