New Britain

His wife, Rachel, stood forlornly, waiting for him to finish interviews Saturday afternoon. There were no words. There won't be words today, either. She knew. Better than anyone else.

Rachel Buonocore knows her husband's passion for his work. She is the happy football widow, knowing that Jim Buonocore awakens every day living his dream: to coach his kids. The highs have been many. But then there's Saturday. Another culmination game. More hopes and dreams swirling the bowl. Detractors - and there are many - snickering at his expense.

The football season for Ledyard High School ended Saturday with the season's only loss. A thorough loss, too, 37-7 to nemesis St. Joseph, a truly deserving Class M-Small champion.

And the elusive state title still eludes the region's best coach.

"It hurts," Buonocore said, following a 12-1 season. "There's a pit in my stomach and I'm sure it will be there for a while. But if it didn't hurt, you ask yourself why you're doing it. I do it for these 50 guys. They give me just as much as I give them. They appreciate it.

"I'm a proud coach today. I was proud each and every week we went out of the field. They did it all season. In the classroom, in the hallways, in the cafeteria. But this going to hurt for a while. The seniors, unfortunately, have to live with this the rest of their lives. The younger kids get an opportunity to get a chance to make things different.

"It probably won't stop bothering me for the rest of my life," he said. "I still recall the field goal going slightly over the cross bar (for Brookfield) in (the) 2008 (championship game). You don't forget those things. But they drive you. They get you up each morning. It's not easy to get here. There's no guarantee we'll ever be back. But if we do, we'll use this as a teaching tool."

How badly Buonocore wanted this. Almost as badly as his players and his friends wanted it for him. Take, for example, Don MacKenzie, friend of the program and the public address announcer at the home games. MacKenzie asked Buonocore to address the team recently. This is what he said:

"I asked Jimmy to give me 15 minutes with the team. Minus him," MacKenzie said. "It was my time to ask for a favor. Each day I carry five pennies in one pocket. When I do or say something nice to someone, I shift a penny to the other pocket with the mission of having all five pennies moved by day's end. The guy that taught me this carried 10 pennies, but I like to set obtainable goals. I shared with the kids that if Ledyard wins the championship, we will all have one penny to move to the other pocket. We are saving that for Jimmy and his first championship.

"If you want to do something truly special, let's win this for him. You will get your ring as all champions do, but you would have done something for someone that no one else has done. Let's make it extra special. My favorite quote is 'If you want to pick yourself up, then pick up someone else,' by Booker T. Washington. I told them that when we do move that penny, look at Jimmy's face ... you will never forget that moment."

The penny never moved.

"We wanted it terribly bad for him," quarterback Ty Ebdon said. "It's the first time (after the game) I've seen him get that emotional. The whole season has been for him. We really tried."

They sure did.

The long, cold offseason waits now. Soon, Buonocore will be back scouring film and running weightlifting sessions. And the climb begins anew. This is who he is. And what he does.

Maybe, too, Saturday provided a little foreshowing for him. The championship game that preceded his, Valley/Old Lyme against Ansonia, produced only the greatest result.

Tim King, the Valley/Old Lyme coach, whose heart and soul is equally affixed to his kids and program, finally won it.

No more questions. No more doubts. A first for King and the program.

And, hey, it took Jack Cochran and Mike Emery, two of the state's greats, a while to win their first one, too. Jim Buonocore is going to win a state title. More than one. And based on his returning quarterback's parting shot, maybe it's next year.

"Next year starts tonight," Ebdon said. "I'm going to the gym tonight. To get a lift in."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius