Johnny Chillemi found sanctuary at South Plainfield

Unlike the crisp passing routes he runs with calculated precision, Johnny Chillemi's life — because of a family hardship — spiraled completely off course at the start of last season.

South Plainfield High School football coach Gary Cassio said Chillemi, through no fault of his own, was unable to live with either of his parents in or out of the borough for the entire academic year because of extenuating circumstances, details of which the 17-year-old asked to remain private.

"Last summer, he was a mental wreck," said Cassio, a borough police detective who has coached Chillemi since middle school. "He was a shell of himself. He was a mess."

Chillemi, one of the state's top wide receivers, confided in Cassio and a school guidance counselor about his situation. The coach promised to help.

"He said, 'I don't know where I'm going to live. I have nowhere to go,' " Cassio recalled. "He said, 'I have absolutely nothing.' I said, 'Relax. You have nothing to be worried about.' "

Some in the South Plainfield community, according to Cassio, offered to house Chillemi, a lifelong borough resident, but "when crunch time came, no one took Johnny in. I kept my word. I said, 'You're with me.'

"I talked to his mom, who is a great person. She signed over the (legal) guardianship."

Chillemi, who reunited with his mother in July, resided in South Plainfield with Cassio, his temporary legal guardian, for a life-altering 10 months.

Even though it met State Department of Education and NJSIAA eligibility guidelines, the living arrangement was scrutinized.

"Once the word got out," Cassio said, "people made complaints. There was a big investigation. I cut the investigation off. Nobody can say this was a shady thing. Nothing was hidden. If they would have (denied guardianship), I would have resigned in a second. He had nowhere to go. What am I going to do? I've got capable coaches who could take over.

"It was more important that he had a place to live."

A new older brother

Cassio provided much-needed structure, instituting a 9 p.m. curfew on school nights, making sure he knew of Chillemi's whereabouts on weekends, requiring homework to be completed before socializing and demanding his player find part-time employment.

Chillemi raised his grade-point average from 2.6 to 3.3 and got a job at Chipotle. After Cassio encouraged Chillemi to open a bank account, the senior started saving some money for college, although he hopes a football scholarship will cover tuition.

"Mentally, I am so much stronger now going through what I had to go through with not having a home, and coach stepping up and taking care of me," Chillemi said. "He helped me become a better person all-around."

Cassio's wife, Darlene, initially did not embrace the idea of adding a teenage boy to the family, of which her four-year-old daughter Cecelia was already the center.

"Darlene was completely against it at first," Cassio said. "I can understand. I definitely see her side. She knows John, but she doesn't know John. It's one thing to say 'Hi' to somebody, but to be living under your roof and sleeping in your house?

"Once she accepted it and once he moved in, I was third fiddle. It was my daughter, Johnny and me. I was probably behind the dog."

Upset that Chillemi was sleeping on a pullout couch in a spare room the Cassios used as an office, Darlene purchased a bed with fresh linens, pillows and a comforter.

She proceeded to buy Chillemi clothes, toiletries and other necessities. Darelene chauffeured Chillemi to local businesses to fill out job applications. When Christmas Eve arrived, Chillemi received countless presents from Cassio's relatives, more than 60 of whom attended a holiday party at the house.

As welcomed as Chillemi was made to feel, he initially spent almost all of his time in his room, even eating meals alone there, until Cassio had a heart-to-heart with him about being part of the family.

"At first it was uncomfortable being with another family," Chillemi said. "I didn't want to feel like I was invading their space, even though everything was open to me. I could go anywhere in the house. I was trying to be respectful."

Much to Cassio's surprise, the family member who helped Chillemi break out of his shell wound up being Cecelia, who usually needs time to warm up to others.

"She wanted me to come out," Chillemi said, noting Cecelia would barge into his room and hit him over the head with pillows. "When she got used to me, I'd be downstairs playing with her and hanging out with her. That progressed to me watching football with Coach Cassio and watching a movie with Coach and his wife. I felt like I got more comfortable as the days went on."

Cassio remembers coming home from work one morning, surprised to find Chillemi and Cecelia sitting together on the couch, eating cereal and watching cartoons. The moment resonates with him as a turning point in Chillemi's comfort level.

"Cecelia warmed up to him," Cassio said, noting she wanted little to do with Chillemi until Darlene helped her understand why she suddenly had a new older brother. "Then forget it. Everything was, 'Where's Johnny?' I give my wife a lot of credit. She handled it great."

'Interesting prospect'

Despite feeling at home, Chillemi's sanctuary remained the football field, where understanding teammates and coaches helped him cope with a difficult time.

"My football family kept my mind on the straight path," Chillemi said. "I took that as a gift almost. They kept me up and alive to keep going and moving forward."

Chillemi, who was the Greater Middlesex Conference's fifth-leading receiver last year, catching 28 passes for 426 yards and five touchdowns, has yet to receive a scholarship offer, making 2014 a pivotal campaign.

The Home News Tribune and Courier News named Chillemi preseason first-team All-Area, while NJ.com selected him one of the Top 20 receivers in the state. He doubles as a middle linebacker, but has played five different positions on defense, often shadowing the opposition's best player. He recorded a team-leading 102 tackles last season.

"Chillemi is an interesting prospect," Scout.com national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn said. "He has a good frame and runs good routes on offense, and shows a good burst from his middle linebacker position. As an offensive player, he knows how to use his body, but he needs to do a little better job of using his hands to catch, and working on getting into and out of his breaks. His frame (6-foot-3) is intriguing, and if he can add weight (190 pounds) and strength, he would be an interesting college prospect.

"If he can have a big senior season and show he can be a factor as a possession receiver, he could get some late FCS and FBS looks."

Chillemi made a name for himself with what many regard as one of the most spectacular receptions in the conference last season.

With his body completely extended and parallel to the ground, Chillemi made a remarkable 40-yard diving touchdown grab of a slightly overthrown pass off a double-reverse flea-flicker against St. Joseph, the reigning GMC White Division champion.

"We are a balanced team," Cassio said. "We are a family. There is no one guy who is bigger than the team, but John's our go-to guy. We've got players, but he stands out. When its crunch time or we are down, we've got to get the ball to John."

Chillemi said the irony is not lost on him that Cassio is the one who came through in the clutch during his time of need.

"The toughest part was not knowing," he said. "When will I move in with my mom? Is my dad OK? But I knew my future was in good hands because of Coach.

"Coach Cassio gave me the structure, and I built off that. When I was with Coach Cassio, I was happy. But I'm much happier to live with my mom, of course. Every son wants to be with his mom. Me being a momma's boy, I could not have her not in my life."

With Cassio's help, Chillemi's life is now back on course, just like those crisp passing routes he runs with calculated precision.

Staff writer Greg Tufaro: gtufaro@mycentraljersey.com