The Staten Island high school sports community has its share of intense rivalries and that’s certainly not a bad thing.
But as the last few days have proven, in the wake of the unimaginable tragedy St. Peter’s athletic director/head varsity football coach Mark DeCristoforo and his family have experienced, that same sports community has a way of pulling together and supporting one another at times when it’s most needed.
DeCristoforo’s youngest daughter, 6-year-old Rory, died in a house fire on New Year’s Day.
Shortly after the tragedy unfolded, a GoFundMe was created in an effort to raise funds for the DeCristoforo family, which includes Mark, his wife Meg and Rory’s siblings — Kali, Bubba and Shane.
As of midnight, in just over 48 hours, the fundraising platform has raised over $635,000 thanks to nearly 7,000 donations.
It’s hardly a surprise when you consider the numerous contributions Mark and Meg DeCristoforo have made to the local community throughout their lives.
Mark recently completed his 10th season as St. Peter’s varsity football coach (during two different stints) and he’s been the New Brighton school’s athletic director since 2019. Through the 2022-23 school year, he was also St. Peter’s Dean of Discipline for a number of years and currently still teaches as well.
Prior to joining St. Peter’s as a math teacher and assistant coach in 2011, DeCristoforo was defensive coordinator during a 10-year stint at Monsignor Farrell, where he played defensive back for legendary football coach Ben Sarullo between 1992-96 (two years on varsity). While at Farrell, DeCristoforo was a captain as a senior and the Lions’ nominee for the Fugazzi Award, which goes annually to the Island’s top player.
Mark’s wife, the former Meg Mallen, enjoyed a successful high school basketball career during her playing days at Curtis High School. Meg, in fact, not only averaged just over 10 points per game during her junior and senior seasons (she graduated from…
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