Port Wentworth Recreation Director Cliff Ducey is optimistic for the boys who sign up for his football program this year. And why shouldn't he be? A month or so ago, he hired Sonny DeFilippis, former college football All-American and longtime volunteer football coach for Pooler's strong football program.

Mr. DeFilippis is now the department's Maintenance/Program director, and both men are delighted with the arrangement.

Mr. DeFilippis replaces Pat Foran, who left the Recreation Department a few months ago. Several applicants interviewed for the job, which is the only other fulltime position in the department besides the Director's.

"With his background and sports experience," Mr. Ducey said, "he seemed like he'd fit in here. I've been lucky since I've been here--everybody's worked out well."

Fielding top-notch football players in the 6-12 range is a major goal for both men. "We're trying to do a football camp in a few weeks," Mr. Ducey said. The camp will give the players a head start on practice and give the coaches time to work on any problem areas as well as reinforce each player's strengths.

A Pooler native, Mr. DeFilippis went to Austin Peay State University near Nashville, Tenn., on a full football scholarship. He was named an All-American in 1981, and subsequently tried out for the Dallas Cowboys that same year. He didn't make the team, so he came home, got married, and went into the landscaping business and then into equipment sales and rentals.

The Dallas Cowboys' loss was Pooler's gain, because Mr. DeFilippis wasn't about to give up sports. "I got involved down there at the Pooler Recreation Department right away," he said. He spent the next 17 years as a volunteer coach for mini peewees and peewee football. "I coached everything there--football, basketball, baseball."

He was on the recreation committee during his four-year tenure as a Pooler Councilman, too.

The season before last, one of the teams he coached in Pooler had an impressive 14-0 season. "That was playing against teams from all over the state. I mean, we didn't dodge anybody," he said proudly.

Along with volunteer coaching, Mr. DeFilippis has been a high school football official for the past 22 years. "I've called high school games all over the state of Georgia. I've had two or three state championships. It's been a great time."

Mr. DeFilippis had been thinking about returning to school when he found out Cliff Ducey was looking for an assistant. "I've always wanted to get into recreation. I saw this job here come up and thought it was my opportunity to get into it and get paid for what I've been volunteering to do for years," he said.

His duties in Port Wentworth will vary, but his coaching abilities are definitely an asset to the Recreation Department, and not just in football, where he shines. "I'm definitely going to coach football, and wherever we need a coach. If we have trouble with basketball, baseball, or girls' softball, I'll coach one of those, too."

He'll also offer individual instruction in football and girls' softball. "A lot of times, with one-on-one instruction, I can get across to them better than their parents can. They tend to listen to someone other than their parent a little better in sports. Individual instruction is a good thing for parents to do for their children. I can help them excel, and when they excel in sports, they're going to have fun."

Mr. DeFilippis, 43, has a 12-year-old son, AJ, who plays for Savannah Christian, and a daughter, Adrienne, who plays softball and basketball. Both children are superior athletes, he said, and he spends time working with them regularly to help them hone their skills. "Both of them are real good players."

Even his wife, Susan, is the athletic type. "She played college basketball on a full scholarship," he said. "That's where I met her. She's an emergency room nurse at Springfield Hospital, now."

The family belongs to Holy Angels Episcopal Church in Pooler, and Mr. DeFilippis is also a member of the Coastal Athletic Association.

"Port Wentworth is a nice, quiet little town. Cliff's a great guy to work for. With his baseball experience and my football experience, we can really help these kids out around here, if they'll just come to us and give us a chance."

The football program at Port Wentworth is open to boys 6-12, and registration is in progress. The cost per child is $20, or $30 for two children in the same family. But, Mr. DeFilippis said, families who need financial assistance can still get their boys on a team. "We want them to come out. We don't want money to be an issue for them, because we have sources, I have people I can go to that will cover the cost."

The Recreation Department plans to hold the football camp the last week of July (football practice begins in August), and bring Groves High School's football coach in to work with the kids, too. With responsibility for the upkeep of the city's playing fields and one of the parks, plus planning for the football camp, Mr. DeFilippis has his work cut out for him.

No fee will be charged for the football camp, and boys who sign up for the football program will be provided with uniforms, helmets--everything but the cleats.

He's looking forward to a good football season. "I think we'll be competitive this year. I know we'll definitely be better than we've been in the past."