Now he’s getting his chance.

The owner of the Chautauqua Hurricane is now the head coach of the Dunkirk Marauders varsity program.

“Steve Mackey will be taking over the Hurricane and coaching from here on out,” Rosario said Monday evening. “My focus is on the girls program at the high school.”

Dunkirk had a historic season last year under Ken Ricker when it won the Section VI Class B1 championship and then put together a 35-2 run in the Class B crossover game to overwhelm Class B2 champion Southwestern.

Photo by Ron Szot Sixto Rosario runs the Dunkirk girls varsity basketball practice Monday at the high school. The Marauders open their season tonight in Silver Creek.

The Marauders were then scheduled to take on Section V champion Dansville in the Far West Regional game before the coronavirus pandemic ended the winter season prematurely.

“(Coaching the girls) is something I’ve always expressed interest in,” said Rosario, who was an assistant coach under Ricker last season.

Dunkirk was one win away from the state Final Four.

That won’t be the end game this year.

The Marauders lost all five of their starters to graduation in the spring. And all five of them are playing college basketball now.

Photo by Ron Szot Dunkirk returns three players from last season’s Section VI Class B1 championship squad.

All-time leading scorer Kymi Nance, third all-time leading scorer Nadara Odell, last year’s leading rebounder Amari Carter and point guard, jack-of-all-trades Jessica Beehler, who nearly averaged a triple-double, all followed Ricker to Jamestown Community College.

Three-point specialist Olivia Smith is playing at Niagara County CC.

Back for Dunkirk are senior Octavia Porter, junior Tachiana Garcia and freshman Molly Dicara.

“They played under a very good coach,” Rosario said of the trio. “I see them as a starting group of girls we can lean on.”

“This year is going to be a little different. We’ll take it in stride,” Rosario added. “We’re working with the girls and hope to get better throughout the season.”

Rosario also had three new players on the roster who didn’t play last season because there was not a jayvee program.

“I’ve worked with a lot of the kids in the community. My goal is to grow the program wherever the need help,” Rosario said. “If they need help at modified, we’ll get the girls trained through programs throughout the community and feed it into the JV and varsity.”

That will be the case again this season, but Rosario hopes to change that in the future.

“It’s about growing and bringing back Dunkirk JV to have both teams,” he said. “I’m looking long-term with it.”

Rosario was unable to be at the first two practices last week when the state allowed them to resume Monday. He joined the team Wednesday and now has four practices under his belt with the girls.

“There are a lot of challenges. We’ve had six practices so far with assistant Quinn Bankoski helping me through it,” he said. “She got it going before I was able to get back on the court. I knew immediately that we have something.”

Rosario will get a first look at his team in game action tonight when the Marauders travel to Silver Creek to take on the Black Knights in a nonleague game.

“It’s going to take some time to build,” he said. “The girls know it and we know it, but we’re willing to do it.”