There you go again...posting during the school day instead of teaching.
You are part of the problem with public schools.
Get back to teaching, tutoring, planning, assessing - you know....being a teacher. Help your students instead of all the crying.
PIne-Richland 2022
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You are part of the problem with public schools.
Get back to teaching, tutoring, planning, assessing - you know....being a teacher. Help your students instead of all the crying.
Stop worrying about Mars beating up on North Catholic in the near future.
No one's crying but you. I see you're still upset that you got called out on your racist rhetoric.
Blue- jeez, how in the world do u know who steelcurtain, is, let alone, how do you know this person is s teacher? This board is more fun and interesting when we discuss and debate, not attack each other...
Steel- sorry, no, no steriods, no cheating happened at PR and will not happen at Mars- over that 8 year time, the PR coaches and kids just worked harder than most teams, Mars will now have the same- better off-season work, better film study, better personal training, better game prep, better technique, better position choice and use of talent, better in-game adjustments, better communication, better leadership
brad- there have been other minor bullying situations- including this year when Kasper was not even here at PR... minor, not really even bullying. As far as i understand the guy from the news, Marsh stopped playing in 9th grade. again, it is and was, complicated, but i am pretty sure he was a harraser, not a target, over the last 5 years.
Jacky and New- sorry I have to respecfully disagree- Mars and PR have very simillar talent- Kasper started in 2013- one year later in 2014, they almost BEAT SJP for a state title. No one would have ever expected that, along wins over PA (PCC, ECP, SJP, NA) and regional powers over the next 8 years. The "program" they will build at Mars, will be due, not just to Kasper, but it will be due to a great staff, which will be similar to what PR had. Good for Mars, sad for PR
Steel- sorry, no, no steriods, no cheating happened at PR and will not happen at Mars- over that 8 year time, the PR coaches and kids just worked harder than most teams, Mars will now have the same- better off-season work, better film study, better personal training, better game prep, better technique, better position choice and use of talent, better in-game adjustments, better communication, better leadership
brad- there have been other minor bullying situations- including this year when Kasper was not even here at PR... minor, not really even bullying. As far as i understand the guy from the news, Marsh stopped playing in 9th grade. again, it is and was, complicated, but i am pretty sure he was a harraser, not a target, over the last 5 years.
Jacky and New- sorry I have to respecfully disagree- Mars and PR have very simillar talent- Kasper started in 2013- one year later in 2014, they almost BEAT SJP for a state title. No one would have ever expected that, along wins over PA (PCC, ECP, SJP, NA) and regional powers over the next 8 years. The "program" they will build at Mars, will be due, not just to Kasper, but it will be due to a great staff, which will be similar to what PR had. Good for Mars, sad for PR
I was being sarcastic. Eric is a good dude and one of the best coaches I've been around. His teams will be among the best in just a matter of time. He's too good and he'll have a great staff to build those guys up.
Gotta disagree hard with you there. First off most of the main staff (Sasson, jochem, kasper) started out as assistants on altemus’s staff in 2010. So they had been involved with those kids that won in 2014 for quite some time. They almost beat SJP that year because they had a future NFL QB, and multiple kids with D1 offers (didn’t work out for some at that time). They beat them in 2017 because they also had anouther future NFL QB and multiple D1 prospects. Keep in mind most of these players lived in PR their whole lives, before PR football or coach K was really a thing. The staff had a great deal in the development and how the players were used clearly and deserve their share of the credit, but bottom line is PR does have athletes and special talent. I believe the only P5 kid mars has had in recent years is carmody. Obviously that can and will change with coach K there running things, but it just goes to show you that you need both high end talent as well as coaching to win the big games in the higher classes around here. I don’t disagree that they will put mars on the map, but it truly is a “hard rebuild”if you can say that at the high school level.
I honestly don't think PR was one of the top 10 6A teams in the state in terms of high end talent. The majority of those kids were D2/FCS type guys. I think Kasper and company took them to a completely different level.
They had alot of D2 and FCS guys, as well as some others that couldn’t play or get offers due to other issues. You add that onto the actual P5 guys they had and the way things were ran and it’s easy to see the success. In my opinion I think the wpial 6/5/4A in general doesn’t compare to the talent that other parts of the state have.
Good debate!! All good points... however...
I could make a case that zero of the kids at PR have been "obvious P5 kids." Not even Phil- he had great coaching and mentorship at PR, starting in 8th grade- and if PR had been terrible, he would have transferred, maybe to PCC, just like the MARS kids did this year. At Mars, there are probably 7th or 8th grade kids there, nobody knows about, but the new coaches are already looking at, and will develop them into P5 kids.
The most interesting of the PR kids may have been Kristofic, who is at Notre Dame, and may be playing on Sundays in '23 or '24. He was great, but not an "obvious P5 kid" when he was younger. In ninth grade, he was a 6'3, 180 pound RECEIVER. Again, the PR coaches saw him, moved him to OL, in 10th grade he was like 220 and 6'4. Again, another question of talent? The year Phil graduated, '18 only one kid went on the play D1 football- yea one, Phil.
Just like Kasper said in the local paper, Mars kids are very similar to PR kids- they are. I'm a PR guy- love the kids- but, no, the talent is no greater than most other "good schools"
We will see- my prediction, Mars will win WPIAL soon, maybe 23 or 24, maybe close to state title 1 or 2 years later. Also will be really interesting to see how many PR kids leave- my guess is 1-5, not sure
Jacky- back your point, about the "staff." Yes, agreed- when I talk about great coaching, I'm not just talking about Kasper, I'm talking about the program, the whole staff, not just Kasper- but they will be able to build that at Mars. For example, the "brains" behind the off-season was/is Mal and Jochem.
"I coach and teach at a school where about 45% of the students receive free and/or reduced lunches. We have about an 85% graduation rate. The last test scores showed we were 54% proficient in math and 60% in reading. 22% of our population receives special education services. I can tell you we have no one with an IEP that details extracurricular involvement. I've been here for four years."
I'm just saying if you are going to whine about IEP's and how bad your schools academics are. ........maybe teachers should be teaching during the school day and not posting on message boards. She is failing her student population.
I mean, just look at all the punctuation and spelling errors. This is todays public school teacher lol.
Definitely great discussion, hope my schedule allows me to contribute more this season. Anyways though going to disagree again. I’ll give you a little history lesson, I know a couple assistants that were around back then,around 09, they said that they pretty much all knew that at the time the 2014 class was there best chance to win the wpial by the time they were seniors, and the 2018 class was the best to win the whole thing when they were seniors. They definitely knew who was going to be studs or not, and I’d say most people around knew how special phil and that class were back then. I for one can say I knew he’d be P5. For the most part though, besides the freaks, majority of actual D1 prospects don’t look like that until they actually get up to high school. Bodies just aren’t fully grown yet. I will say kristofic is probably the most interesting “tweener” they developed. When he was 8th grade he certainly looked to have a future in basketball, and was a integral part of PR’s back to back wpial basketball championship as a freshman and sophomore. That’s one thing we probably unfortunately won’t get with the new staff; being able to pick out the raw athlete and turning them into something special (hope I get proven wrong).
There was actual multiple kids that played football or had the opportunity from the 2018 class. Raymond falcone was the other biggest name, he put together a very nice freshman campaign at Lehigh starting but last heard he no longer plays due to personal reasons. Kenny white would’ve been a major P5 prospect had he kept his head on straighter, he was a transfer obviously but there is no denying his athleticism. Jason de Francis had a pwo from Pitt and D2 interest but ultimately didn’t play the the next level. I know the kicker played somewhere too and Thomas burns was a d1 track recruit but arguably one of the fastest players in the state in recent memory.
Certainly not putting down mars, but they don’t have any type of player like a falcone, Katic, jurkovec, kristofic, king, gastion, merhaut, etc. they can certainly develop those types of players in time, but it will take just that. Rome wasn’t built in a day and none of these other powerhouse programs in that class are going anywhere any time soon. It’s gonna be a program wide rebuild for them.
Finally the whole situation just sucks in general for the pr community. They can’t coach our kids but they can coach the ones a mile up the road. What a joke, this situation from the beginning will be such a stain here for the longest time.
2020: I’ve sorta heard the same thing over the years. Mal “ran” player development. Jochem “ran” the offense and Kasper “ran” the defense and was the face of the program.
jacky: Sorta agree too. P-R had some dudes and a ton of just really good HS players. It’ll be interesting to see what Mars has - because socio-economically it’s identical to P-R, with lower taxes.
jacky: Sorta agree too. P-R had some dudes and a ton of just really good HS players. It’ll be interesting to see what Mars has - because socio-economically it’s identical to P-R, with lower taxes.
I think the difference is PR was already pretty good throughout the years and Dicucci was a D1 prospect at QB going into 2014
they were a powerhouse in AAA and then they moved up to AAAA in 2008, you can say it took them time to adjust but they were still regularly making the playoffs, they were never a bad team
Mars on the other hand had a horrible season last year, and last played for a wpial title game 20 years ago in AA, they have never been a legit threat to win a WPIAl championship since then
if Kasper shows up and suddenly they are a powerhouse withing a few years, yeah i think that is something that would cause me to think there is something shady going on
coaching is very important, but talent is more important
most schools have zero D2/FCS guys, having just a handful is a major advantage over most schools
Dinucci is one of the better high school quarterbacks in PA the last 20 years
Jurkovec was a known future star when he was in middle school
BradleyPitt: I did a little research about Mars and P-R before Coach K.
P-R: 5 years before Coach K: 18-30
2008: 4-6
2009: 3-6
2010: 3-7
2011: 4-6
2012: 4-5
Mars: 5 Years before Coach K: 29-22
2017: 6-5
2018: 9-2
2019: 6-5
2020: 6-2
2021: 2-8
I would say that Mars is in a much better spot. P-R was in 4A (largest) when Coach K came. Mars is going to be 4A for at least the next two years. (3rd largest).
Also, Lebo had not won a WPIAL in 21 years. None of this years kids were even alive. They got a good coach and in 3 years they win a WPIAL and first state championship! And believe me, there were no P5 kids on that team - barely a couple G5.
So yes, it takes talent, but I think history suggest that it can be done, Coach K can do it, and it can be done at Mars quickly. I would say that within 3 years Mars will be competing for a WPIAL without anything "shady" going one. LoL
P-R: 5 years before Coach K: 18-30
2008: 4-6
2009: 3-6
2010: 3-7
2011: 4-6
2012: 4-5
Mars: 5 Years before Coach K: 29-22
2017: 6-5
2018: 9-2
2019: 6-5
2020: 6-2
2021: 2-8
I would say that Mars is in a much better spot. P-R was in 4A (largest) when Coach K came. Mars is going to be 4A for at least the next two years. (3rd largest).
Also, Lebo had not won a WPIAL in 21 years. None of this years kids were even alive. They got a good coach and in 3 years they win a WPIAL and first state championship! And believe me, there were no P5 kids on that team - barely a couple G5.
So yes, it takes talent, but I think history suggest that it can be done, Coach K can do it, and it can be done at Mars quickly. I would say that within 3 years Mars will be competing for a WPIAL without anything "shady" going one. LoL
DiNucci was an UNKNOWN until the PCC game of his senior year. He had ZERO 1A offer and had committed to Penn. Pitt changed coaches and he got the offer. I think you have to give at least a little credit to the staff for developing him from an unknown, unranked kid to a draftable QB.
And go watch Jurkovec play as a Sophomore. Same with Katic and Kristofic. They weren't great. They worked hard, had great talent, and got great coaching.
New- good stuff, i totally agree, but i will "up the ante"
I'd predict Mars wins WPIAL in 2023, and State in 2024....but, only if EK has some of his great staff- he is great but IMO his staff kinda made him great- will be tough w/o Sasson and Leihmeir- but if he can get some of his old crew back, yea, Mars will be playing for championships in the next 2-4 years. The families, kids and community at PR and Mars are very very similar- actually the main difference is there is less "political crap" at Mars, which will allow their football program to grow and prosper- and oh, yea, nothing shady, except "working too hard at coaching"
Also, agree on comments on players- Jurkovec was known, yes, but he worked extremely hard and had great coaching and mentorship- actually those guys started coaching him in youth football in like 5th grade- also agree on the other boys
well like i said PR was adjusting to moving up to AAAA, they were in the AAA semifinals in 2007 where they lost to eventual state champion Thomas Jefferson so this was not a team with a big history of losing
i remember in 2008 they beat North Allegheny during the season and NA won the state 2 years later, so again i think PR showed potential they weren't just some doormat getting mercy ruled they were competitive against some of the best biggest schools around
Mars has had some decent seasons, but I can't think of a true signature win, i think they benefited from playing in some weak conferences even when they played in 5A a few years ago
Mt. Lebanon was always good since their last title in 2000, maybe not a true contender outside of 2010 when they had Luke Hagy and Paul Lang but it wasn't out of the norm for them to be ranked among the top 5 teams in their classification by the local newspapers, it's a very large school that regularly produces athletes in all sports
also last years Mt. Lebanon team was known to be very good when they were freshman, Bob Palko would not have "retired" and looked at college jobs only to "unretire" and take a job with a team that didn't have big potential, it's not a coincidence he took the job at Mt. Lebanon and not at other big schools that would love to have him like Hempfield or Norwin
these coaches know what they are getting into before they take a job, and they know when the cupboard is bare so they "retire" or quit for "family reasons"
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I remember the PG did a blue chip chat with him in the preseason he was being looked at by small schools, he was not an unknown coming into that season but you can say he exceeded expectations, i never would've expected PR to win the WPIAL that year until they beat Central Catholic
i do give credit to the staff i'm not arguing that Kasper can't coach, but you can't teach talent and if you don't have talent the ceiling is very low
Jurkovec wasn't great as a sophomore??? Uh he was amazing as a sophomore, I saw him play on tv against Central, NA, and Penn Trafford he was just as good as any high school quarterback i ever saw when he was only 15 - 16 years old
two of those games were losses, but he was clearly the best player on the field in all 3 games
Looked like the workouts are being run pretty efficiently from afar (today). Good tempo and excitement. Coaches definitely more engaged that 2021. (program lost a year). The numbers seemed pretty good as well.
Any feedback out there yet?
Any feedback out there yet?
his numbers were great and he also unstoppable running the ball, one of the few sophomores to make the PG Fab 22
i'll take sophomore Phil Jurkovec over 99% of high school quarterbacks in Pa over the last 20 years
With all due respect I gotta disagree new. He was still top 5 in passing yards in the wpial that year, and psu, pitt, and temple all offered 3 or 4 games in. He definitely made up for his TD numbers with rushing TD’s. There was some raw sophomore moments, but for this most part I thought he looked the part. Obviously can’t discredit the coaches either.
Well- back to 2022... reports from the team, as of now- like i noted in a previous post, QB1 right now is Huffman, QB2, Ryan Beam, is a current 9th grader, was actually a 2nd string QB on the ninth grade team. And, again, it is early, but, IMO, seems like this year might be a "rebuild" for PR- lots of new coaches, lots of new philosophies
OL is not set yet- the off is gonna have a different philosophy- seems like maybe- my best guess, left to right- Graham, Smith, Kerns, Cory, Beam
OL is not set yet- the off is gonna have a different philosophy- seems like maybe- my best guess, left to right- Graham, Smith, Kerns, Cory, Beam
They’re gonna lose Beam, Kerns, Graham up front next year along with Mellis and Gelly and Palmieri and Rottinghaus. That’s 7 starters on O from a rebuild team.
I hope they can figure it out. If they can find a RB, Palmeiri can go back to QB and just run ball allot behind that line. I guess Palmeiri can do that as a RB anyway.
I hope they can figure it out. If they can find a RB, Palmeiri can go back to QB and just run ball allot behind that line. I guess Palmeiri can do that as a RB anyway.
Well- with the third different OC in three years- gonna be new stuff- I am hearing it is gonna be heavy run, not really spread- still early, who knows- late may and early june, they will have more outdoor practices, so that will shed light on the system, seems like June 11 is the first 7on7, so the likely QB1 and system will be "revealed."
Football website has pretty detailed info about all the coaches, sure looks good on paper- lots of knowledge, just gotta develop some consistency
Asking around this weekend… Hearing Mars staff will include former P-R coaches:
Coach K
Mal
Jochem
Miller
Baranowski
With that group, they are set to replicate what they had at P-R on O, D, ST and the off-season program. The big gap they need to fill is an OL coach.
Coach K
Mal
Jochem
Miller
Baranowski
With that group, they are set to replicate what they had at P-R on O, D, ST and the off-season program. The big gap they need to fill is an OL coach.
hsfb- at Mars, my guess is Yes, on DC for EK, not sure on OC. Seems Jochem likes to be the "wizzard behind the curtain" so my guess is maybe they get s/o else to do OC. Maybe someone in the Mars program. I'm sure they are trying to get Neff also- that we be a great add- he's another great, unsung assistant coach, that made PR great in the last 8 years.
New- agreed on the staff, yes they need a good o-line coach.
New- spencer- yep- you are on target- he is one of the kids in the "great ninth grade group" currently, that i mentioned in a previous post, '25 class, woulda been juniors in 23, seniors in 24. Sadly some of those kids are gonna quit, transfer, or who knows. Spencer is a great wrestler (maybe better than Cole), had some injuries this year- might possibly give up football to focus on wresting next year.
New- agreed on the staff, yes they need a good o-line coach.
New- spencer- yep- you are on target- he is one of the kids in the "great ninth grade group" currently, that i mentioned in a previous post, '25 class, woulda been juniors in 23, seniors in 24. Sadly some of those kids are gonna quit, transfer, or who knows. Spencer is a great wrestler (maybe better than Cole), had some injuries this year- might possibly give up football to focus on wresting next year.
2020/HAFB: That sounds about right. Coach K for DC and Jochem for OC. 2020 I agree with you though on OC - Jochem staying behind the scenes but having an impact on all parts of the team is what he did at P-R. If they can get Neff on defense Coach K will have reassembled his entire core defensive staff. But like we’ve been talking about - offense will come down to finding a great OL coach. I’ve not heard anything about that.
hell of a staff ledonne is putting together. You’ve got experienced guys who have played at every level of football all over, as well as plenty of guys with ties to the former staff.
Honestly if you look back at last year and every game PR lost, they were all close. The issue wasn’t the talent on the field. It was the execution, the play calling, the fundamentals, and conditioning. with a full experienced staff at hand, an actual off-season, the resources for the PR athletic department has, and add on what they return with some kids being recruited now, I’d wager they’re looking pretty good for this upcoming season. The results will surely speak themselves though.
With all the coaches to be on the staff, the players should be getting "coached up" the whole practice, even the scouters and JV players should be getting quality input. There shouldn't be a whole lot of standing around without guidance.
Hopefully the coaching numbers translates to on-field learning.
Hopefully the coaching numbers translates to on-field learning.
