Harper Confident in Catanese

Photo by Alex Kolstee

The relationship between a head coach and quarterback is paramount when it comes to football. The player has to trust his coach, have a good understanding of the playbook, show confidence in himself, lead his teammates and above all else believe in himself.

The coach on the other hand has to make sure the player is capable of running the style of offense he implements, has a high football IQ and mentor the young man as if he was his own son.

The head coach/quarterback relationship is like no other in sports.

CSP head coach Ty Harper had a very special relationship with Gerrit Hinsdale years ago and won two NYSPHSAA Class D titles together. The mutual respect between the two was evident during their time together, so much so that they still have a solid bond.

Tate Catanese is developing the same bond with Harper. The closeness between the two is as noticeable as it was years ago when Hinsdale was in a similar position. Only this goes a step further, Catanese dates Harper’s stepdaughter, Tanleigh.

“They've been dating for 2 1/2 years, Harper said. “He's a great young man, comes from a great family. I think I'm as excited as anyone else in the house when he comes over.”

Catanese is a junior with plenty of high school football left to play. The 6’, 200-pound athlete has been working with John Kinder, a local coach who works with quarterbacks during the off-season. The progressions and the improvements Catanese has made under Kinder’s watch are quite noticeable.

The footwork, timing of his release, the way he sees the field, have all contributed to a quick 4-0 start for the Wolfpack. Catanese has thrown 10 touchdowns thus far. His mobility is setting him apart from other QBs in the area, giving CSP another weapon on offense. Catanese leads the Wolfpack in rushing with 297 yards and four scores.

Heading into the season, Bryce Hinsdale received a lot of worthwhile attention. Hinsdale had a great 2022 season, so much so he was being considered for a final 10 spot at the Connolly Cup banquet.

Opposing defenses knew they would have their hands full with Bryce, now with Catanese firing on all cylinders and Alex Barmore stepping up along side Carter Brink and many others this has become one of the best offenses in the section.

“(Tate’s) an absolute joy to coach,” Harper said. “We knew when he was in 7th grade that he was going to be a special player, and since that time he's worked hard every offseason to improve. It's been a lot of fun to watch him grow as a player over the course of the past year. He's so much more comfortable in the offense this year after starting as a sophomore. He was 2nd Team All-State last year and he was really figuring things out on the fly. Now, he knows how we want the offense to run, why we're calling certain plays to set up other plays, etc. You can just see it clicking for him, and as a coach, that's really satisfying.”

Catanese is also getting it done in the classroom.

“I definitely want to play quarterback at the next level. Ever since I was young it has been my dream to be a successful quarterback at the collegiate level. I have been working all off-season and season to hopefully make that a possibility,” Catanese said.

“My grades are pretty good, and they mean a lot to me. For me, it is very important to keep my grades up and maintain a high GPA. I enjoy studying history the most, it has always been very interesting to me.”

It’s good that Catanese likes history because at CSP, it looks like history is about to repeat itself.