Video: Philip Jurkovec's highlights vs. St. Joseph's Prep
See the Pine-Richland quarterback in action from 2017.
Eric Kasperowicz led the Pine-Richland High School football team a 16-0 mark and the No. 1 spot in Pennsylvania and No. 10 nationally in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 football rankings. Kasperowicz has been the Rams' head coach for five year. Here are seven questions with coach Kasperowicz.
What does your football program do differently from other programs in your league, conference, state that helped you win a state championship?I believe the culture at Pine-Richland sets us apart from other programs in our area. We have a family atmosphere in every aspect of the program. We stress relationships are as important, if not more important, than the X's and O's. The kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. We are constantly doing team building activities that stress trust and bonding among teammates.
What do you consider to be the most important aspect of your state championship? The most important aspect of our state championship team was that we had a group of players able to put aside their own personal goals or achievements for the betterment of the team.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to a coach wanting to win a state championship? Stay the course and avoid the noise. Put your program in place and stay focused on the process. To steal from a book I read before the season: Leaders create the culture, that drives the behavior, that produces results.
Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz guided the Rams to a Pennsylvania state title and No. 10 finish in the Xcellent 25 football rankings.
File photo by Phil Burdick
I have used character development ideas from all over the country. We have 12 core values here at Pine-Richland and every week during the season each of those core values are the theme for the week (discipline, integrity, etc.).
How do you build leaders?We have a leadership council made up of two players from each respective class. They act as the bridge and voice to the football team. If there are certain questions, activities or concerns, I will go to the leadership council first and they then go to the team. I meet with the leadership council weekly during the season to make sure I'm always in sync with the inner workings of the team.
What is the No. 1 obstacle you face in building a championship caliber football program in your community? The toughest obstacle we face is getting the support of the parents from a man-power stand point. They are 100 percent committed to the program. It is just extremely tough getting people to help out and volunteer their time along the way. Most parents now a day would rather just write a check than volunteer their time.
Who do you consider to be your main mentor in this profession and what about that coach do you try to emulate in your program? My main mentors have been all of my previous coaches throughout my coaching and playing career. I try to take the best attributes from each of them and mold it all into who I am today.
Chris Fore is a veteran Head Football Coach and Athletic Director from Southern California. He consults coaches and programs nationwide through his business Eight Laces Consulting.
