New Film About Legendary Toms River High School South Football Coach Ron Signorino 

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New Film About Legendary Toms River High School South Football Coach Ron Signorino 

Ron Signorino

New Film About Legendary South Coach to Feature Rare Game Footage

Legendary Toms River High School South football coach Ron Signorino is the subject of local filmmaker Sandra Levine's latest project, which will premiere Jan. 22 at Ocean County College's Grunin Center for the Arts.

Rare film footage of “The Greatest Game Ever Played at the Jersey Shore” more than 50 years ago will be shown publicly for the first time when South Football’s Impossible Dream premieres 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Grunin Center at Ocean County College in Toms River.

Presented by Sandra Levine Productions, the one-hour film explores techniques used by legendary Toms River High School South football coach Ron Signorino, Sr., who turned a losing program in the mid-1960s into the no. 1-ranked state powerhouse.

Tickets to the premiere are available at grunincenter.org. A short meet and greet with Ron Signorino, Sr. will immediately follow the screening.

According to Toms River Schools: In 1968, Signorino challenged his players to believe in “the impossible dream,” and they responded by delivering an undefeated season, 9-0. High School South had racked up a 19-game winning streak by the time the Hitting Indians faced the Middletown Lions, ranked no. 2, in a 1969 mythical state championship.

A crowd estimated at 10,000 gathered in South’s stadium on a bitterly cold November day to watch the two teams battle. Footage unearthed from the vaults of “The Greatest Game” and other matchups in the 1960s will be shown for the first time in more than five decades, with Coach Signorino and former players anticipated members of the audience.

Sandra Levine, a veteran television producer and graduate of High School South, was inspired to create the documentary after hearing stories about the impact Coach Signorino had on players’ lives–on and off the field–during his career of more than 50 years.

“I was fascinated by the fact that so many of the players I interviewed kept their helmets, scrapbooks, and other memorabilia from their days playing football in high school because the experience meant that much to them,” Levine said. “The lessons Coach Signorino taught them about mental toughness, hard work, and responsibility stayed with them–helping them succeed when they played football in college and in the pros, and even in their work and personal lives.”

In the film, Signorino’s son, Ron Signorino, Jr., who also was head coach at Toms River South for more than a decade, talks about his father’s strengths as a coach, including his knack for analyzing game films. Matt Martin, Coach Signorino, Sr.’s, grandson, took the helm in 2022, the third-generation of the family to lead the team at South.

South Football’s Impossible Dream is a sponsored project of the New Jersey Media Arts Center, Inc., with funding provided by The Applegate Family Foundation.

About Sandra Levine Productions, LLC

Sandra Levine Productions, an independent video production and filmmaking company, was founded by Sandra Levine in 1996. Levine has been a television producer and filmmaker for more than 35 years. She was a producer for 23 years at New Jersey’s PBS station, where her work was nominated 10 times for regional Emmy Awards.

Heartbreak & Healing After Sandy, a poignant documentary about Ocean County’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy, and South Baseball – The Spirit of Winning, about New Jersey’s winningest baseball coach, are among her company’s films.

Levine was the host of The Best Years on Ocean County College station Ocean TV-20. She was a news reporter for NJN Public Television, and the longtime host and producer of Homeless Tails, that educated viewers about important animal welfare issues. Her NJN News feature, “The Smart Goose,” has had more than a half million views online. The story highlights efforts by her veterinarian father, the late Dr. Bernard Levine, to help a severely injured bird that wisely made its way to the doctor’s yard. Learn more about Sandra Levine Productions at sandralevine.com.

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