By Mike Carey
DOWN TO FOUR!!! It’s crunch time folks!!! The dream of playing for and winning the District One AAAA title is almost a reality. With sixteen teams entered from the start (way too many!), we now have the top four playing for the right to be District champs. The PIAA point system doesn’t lie, and we have the top “4” seeded teams left. Downingtown West travels to North Penn, and Neshaminy heads to Garnet Valley. Both games should be entertaining although North Penn is a clear favorite to win it all. NP must still prove it on the field, and my breakdown of the games below will assess what each team is doing well and what they have to shore up to get to the promise land!!!!
NORTH PENN (1) OVER DOWNINGTOWN WEST (4). I see a blowout win for North Penn. Just like Abington, Downingtown West has a lot of offensive weapons, but the weakness is their defense. North Penn will shred Downingtown West’s defense with slashing runs (okay, coach Beck I won’t tell ‘em where you’re going to run!!) and then hit Ronnie Aikens or Tyler Smith with the pass, and it’s off to the races. Justin Davey needs to play at a high level this week. As I reflect on North Penn, I believe Davey will be the key to winning District, Semi and STATE TITLES. He must continue to be accurate and elusive because there comes a time for all contenders when they face a strong physical defense and they will need to be balanced on offense. When will that time come???? Not this week!!!
Downingtown West’s defense is weak with major holes, and North Penn will score early and often. On offense, Downingtown West presents a lot of problems with their wing T spread offense. Mike Milano (head coach) ran the wing T in his Penncrest coaching days and has mixed this with the spread offense. He also shifts his skill guys all over before the snap, and this will be North Penn biggest issue during this week’s practice. Downingtown West does have some fine athletes, especially on offense. The quarterback - Bret Gillespie, who is a junior with great size (6’2” – 195) - has thrown for 1,200 yards and directed an explosive offense. His go-to guys are running back Jarred Heller and tight end Ryan Kendra. Both are seniors with Heller closing in on 1,000 yd rushing and over 20 TDs. Kendra is a D1 tight end recruit at 6’4” and 225 lbs. The big problem for Downingtown West is North Penn will “man up” in passing situations and bring “six rushers” which will bring constant pressure on Gillespie. Nothing special…you just have to “block it”...and I believe the Downingtown quarterback will be running for his life. Join me and the WNPV crew as we broadcast this game (1440 AM), and we’ll see if my predictions come true.
NESHAMINY (3) OVER GARNET VALLEY (2). This one has me scratching my head for a winner! Very close, and I’ll admit that Garnet Valley is better than I thought. Playing at home makes them very tough and with QB McHugh, RB’s Keyser and Bonacquist and receivers Dunn and Irving, the Garnet Valley Panthers are ONE TOUGH OUT! The real question is the Garnet Valley defense. I see weaknesses that can be exploited when I watch them on film, and Neshaminy has the horses to do it. Neshaminy is just hitting on all cylinders. I believe they are the most improved team in District One from the start of the season till now. The question I keep asking myself is which team will bring their “A” game defensively. Garnet Valley played “bend but don’t break” defense vs. Pennsbury, and Neshaminy totally shut Ridley’s offense down. Garnet Valley will bring a balanced offense that Neshaminy hasn’t seen this year, and Neshaminy will bring a running game that will create problems for Garnet Valley. THIS IS GOING TO BE A WHALE OF A GAME. Key turnovers by either team will end their dreams of a District championship. I think if Neshaminy plays error-free football (in the turnover department), they will wear Garnet Valley down in the second half and come away with a victory.
RANT OF THE WEEK: Where has the high school defense gone????
Week after week, except for a few teams that are still playing, I’m astonished by the lack of defense played by almost all high school teams. Staying in one defense (no multiple defenses), non adjustments to sets, terrible alignments by the defense, playing zone all the time even in the red zone (“we don’t have guys that can cover”), poor – horrible tackling, teams not running to the ball, poor stances and players just winging it. I’ve heard from many defensive coaches that they have to keep it simple for their kids, that they don’t get as much time to practice as the offense does during the week, and the offense gets all the athletes. I’m shocked!
The defense is the HEART AND SOUL of a high school team! It will be there every week if coached up. It will stop or slow these high powered offenses that are flying around. At CB West, we always put our best and fastest players on defense first and then built the offense. I believe you need to run multiple defenses (another whole story), adjust to all sets, and have great scouting reports for each team and play to the tendency. I firmly believe that you should practice defense at LEAST the same amount as the offense. Coaches are so creative with their offenses, and I believe you can counter that with a multiple adjusting defenses…but you must have a plan and start in summer camp and build from there. Teams that just try to outscore everyone are doomed to failure. Just look at North Penn’s defense and their performance weekly. Physically not very big, but everyone can run to the ball by design! They have the offense scouted well and make the right adjustments. They play multiple defenses predicated on the offense’s strengths. Playing St. Joes Prep early in the season they played a lot of 53 fronts with man and zone coverage that brought a heavy front. Against a lot of teams they will sit in the 44 – 3 deep zone or man with blitzes firing from each side. You start to run on them as Souderton did, and they jump from their 40 front to a 50 front. They probably go into each game with five or six “D” fronts and just as many coverages and blitz packages. Like great teams do…they practice them during the week and are prepared if needed. It’s no wonder North Penn always has one of the area’s best rated defenses. Why??....because it’s a priority for coach Beck and his staff.
MIKE PETTINE INTERVIEW: I’m thankful to have known Mike Pettine for the last 40 years. I played for Mike at CB West in the early 70’s and then coached with him for 25 years ending in 1999. Parts of my life, my personality, my coaching skills, and my love for the high school football game were formed by Coach Pettine. He touched so many of us who played or coached with him. As much as I know Mike, he’s very personal and rarely talked about his life as a youth, high school or college player. He also never talked about his coaching accolades. He was always focused on the future, not what was done in the past. Mike agreed to do this interview with me, and after about 10 hours of work on both our parts, here it is. Enjoy and learn how Mike experienced many lessons in his life that affected his coaching style!
Coach Carey: Mike, when and where did you start playing football? Were you a natural, or did it take years to start catching on to the game? What positions did you start playing? Were you fast at an early age, were you a good athlete?
Coach Pettine: I started playing football in seventh grade on the Conshohocken Junior High 100-lb. team as a running back and defensive back. I’d say I had a natural aptitude for multiple sports that was developed early in the blue collar backyards of my neighborhood where I had to compete with older kids playing tackle football and basketball where the boundaries were often fences, pavements or walls. When I got injured or beat up, I got little sympathy at home.
Coach Carey: Were your parents supportive? Was your dad tough on you concerning your play?
Coach Pettine: My dad called the shots as to my playing ball. He was extremely supportive. I could always get away with being late for dinner by saying the game wasn’t over in time. If I had a job around the house and my buddies came to get me to play ball, my dad would always let me go. Many a job I got out of by playing sports! My dad was tough on me if I complained. One time in junior high I had a bad basketball performance, and I blamed my teammates. He told me that was a copout and threw me over the front porch railing into the hedges. That was the last time I blamed anyone else for any of my sub-par performances.
Coach Carey: Mike, what other sports did you play? What sport was your favorite at an early age?
Coach Pettine: In high school, I played football, basketball and baseball. Football was definitely my favorite from an early age.
Coach Carey: Where did you go to high school? What were your positions on both sides of the ball? Did you have a good career? What were your strengths as a player? Did you have a great senior year? Awards? Any memorable moments? Team records? Did your high school coach influence you? How many schools recruited you? How did you end up at Villanova?
Coach Pettine: I went to Conshohocken High which was absorbed by Plymouth Whitemarsh a few years after I graduated in 1958. Football was by far my best sport, and I was the scoring leader in the Ches-Mont League my senior year which led to many awards and honors. In my senior year, our team’s record was 6-4, but we only had 20 guys on the team and had to play big school powerhouses like Pottstown, West Chester and Coatesville.
My most memorable moments came with the Turkey Day Rivalry with Saint Matthews. It was like a Holy War - Catholic School vs. Public School. The game drew more than the population of the town - 13 to 15,000. It was neighbor against neighbor. If you lost, you heard about it every day for a year. There was a victory dance after the game, and both teams had to attend, win or lose. You could always throw out the records. In my senior year, we were three or four touchdown favorites, and I could sense in the pre-game locker room that most guys’ minds were on post-game parties rather than the opponent. We got completely outplayed. I scored from 40 yards out in the third quarter, and we hung on to a 6-0 lead until the waning minutes when St. Matt’s started a drive on their own five-yard line and drove the length of the field to our two-yard line when on fourth-and-two my buddy made an open field ankle tackle to keep their back out of the end-zone as time ran out. Their entire team immediately broke into tears, and we walked off the field relieved but ashamed. Our coach at the victory dance announced to everyone that “the wrong team won today.” That is my most vivid memory of my high school career, and it taught me never to take any team lightly - especially not a rival! It also taught me that the final score is not always the measure of how you play and how much you can enjoy the result.
I had about 10 (scholarship) offers, one of which was Penn State which was a dream come true for me. However, when I went for the official visit, I suspect the coaches decided not to go through with the offer after getting a good look at how skinny I was. I was 150 pounds soaking wet! However, the Penn State coaches told me when I left that my “scholarship papers would be in the mail.” I’m still waiting! I told the other schools who had offered me (one of which was Villanova) thanks for their interest but that I was going to Penn State. When it got into April and still no scholarship papers had arrived, one of my high school coaches got on the phone with Penn State and confirmed they had reneged. This was the classic ‘left holding the bag.’
My coach and AD, Harry Fox, then called Villanova and made up the story that I had changed my mind as my parents insisted I get a Catholic education. The Villanova coach at this time said all his scholarships were given out, but he would see what he could do. He came up with tuition and books, and it was no big deal for me to commute from Conshohocken where I had mom’s home cooking. For the next three years, he put me on full scholarship. The lesson I learned here affected me as a coach later to go the extra mile in trying to get your players in college. Who knows where I would have ended up if my coach didn’t make that call to Villanova, as my parents didn’t have the money to pay for college. Also, it always reminded me as a coach to counsel parents and players that recruiting is a nasty business, and don’t trust anyone’s word until you sign the scholarship papers.
Coach Carey: Mike, tell us about your college career. What were you recruited as? How was your freshman year (Did they play a jayvee schedule with freshmen not eligible)? When did you start playing on varsity? What positions? How did your career end up? Memorable moments? Team records? Any bowl games? Did you aspire to play in the pros? Any coaches influence you?
Coach Pettine: My college career as a freshman had an interesting first day. We got fitted for equipment in the morning and in the afternoon they lined us up in a basic 5-2 defense, and we had a live scrimmage against the varsity offense. That first year we were basically cannon fodder for the varsity since freshmen were ineligible to play at that time although we did get to play a few freshmen games - one of which was against West Point where we got to eat in the mess hall with the cadets and witness the “square meal.”
My sophomore year began with great expectations and the head coach, Frank Reagan, said in a pre-season press conference: “With the talent we have this year, it will be the coach’s fault if we lose.” We lost our first three games, and Coach Reagan resigned and an assistant took over for the remainder of the season. The missing ingredient was the line coach, John Sandusky, who had left for the pros. The lesson I learned here is never EVER make any predictions about how your team will do. Also, the importance of line play and your line coach!
I lettered three years and had my best season as a junior. Highlights that year were upsetting an undefeated Rutgers team. We also played at Navy that year where they flew in President Eisenhower to see the game. We got hammered 40-7. but my claim to fame that day was that I scored Villanova’s only touchdown and outgained the 1960 Heisman Trophy winner - Navy’s Joe Bellino. Being named the team‘s “ Most Consistent Player” for that 1960 season topped off a good year.
Unfortunately, my senior season year was not as productive due to injury - and some say the fact that I got married between my junior and senior year! I did cap off my Villanova career with a victory in the SUN BOWL at El Paso Texas. I had aspired to play pro ball and had letters of interest from several pro teams at the end of my junior year, but the result of my senior year ended that dream and had me looking to get a teaching and coaching job to support my family. I had three head coaches during my career at Villanova - four if you count the head freshman coach. Being exposed to many coaches was a wealth of information, style, and philosophy that helped me shape my ideas as a coach. As much as I learned what to emulate, there was even more I learned what not to do!
Coach Carey: Mike, what was your first job out of college? When did you start coaching and at what school? What were your coaching responsibilities? Did you learn from the head coach??
Coach Pettine: My first job out of college was at St. Pius X High School in Pottstown, Pa. I was a social studies teacher and assistant football and assistant basketball coach. I started at Pius in 1962 and was there for three years. The head coach was Jim Mich. He had got the job two years before I arrived, and when Jim interviewed, he thought it was for an assistant position. When he asked the principal how he could contact the head coach, Jim was informed that HE was the head coach! It was great background for me. Jim was an intense competitor, well organized and a tireless worker. The first year I assisted with the varsity and ran the JV team which forced me to handle every aspect of the game. His line coach left my second year there, and he asked me if I wanted to take over that job. I knew very little about line play, but it forced me to learn that aspect of the game. By the time I left Pius, I had coached all phases of the game and felt I was ready to be a head coach even though I had a lot more to learn. Time proved that I started coaching under a good influence. Jim Mich became a Hall of Fame Coach, and when he retired from coaching at Pius, they named the stadium after him.
Coach Carey: When and at what school did you become a head coach? Tell a little about your first season - I know you went undefeated....then my three years came during which time we lost a fair amount of games. Those were 3 tough years!!! What was the coaching mindset when you lost so much those years? You were very tough on us - almost unbearable!
Coach Pettine: After going to Central Bucks in 1965 and assisting for two years, I was named the head coach in 1967. The day I was named to the job the returning quarterback for my first year, Doug Shobert (who went full ride to Temple and set records) came up to me in study hall and offered me congratulations and said, “Don’t worry coach we’re going to win them all!” He was one of several great athletes I was blessed with that first year and Doug’s prediction was a little off as we went undefeated with one tie and won the league championship.
My second year we started off the season with five straight wins, and I thought this head coaching business was fairly easy. After winning the first 15 games in which I was head coach, I was given a dose of reality when we lost four out the last five that second year. This made me realize I had to become a lot better as a coach, and I wouldn’t be lucky enough to have the talent I had in my first year.
My third year was the year of the split of Central Bucks into Central Bucks West and Central Bucks East. With East opening, they took half of the enrollment for all sports. The turnout for football was diluted in numbers and talent. CB East won one game in three years. CB West went 5-5 the first year of the split which was our only non-winning season during my tenure.
Coach Carey: Mike, when did you think you were a good coach and had the right formula? What separated you from other coaches? When did the program start to churn victories?
Coach Pettine: During those “lean years,” it forced me to become a better coach by working harder and coming up with better schemes. The real challenge was to field a winner even when you’re not loaded with talent. That second year after the split we were 6-4, and after having tasted that first undefeated season, I got little personal satisfaction with average results. The struggles in the two years after the split made me become much more proficient as a coach.
I would say the season of 1971 was when we started to establish a tradition of excellence and churn out championships. We started a cycle where we would go undefeated for two years and then lose a few in the third year. This was the trend during the decades of the 70’s and early 80’s. Then in 1984, we started those long winning streaks (and had a winning streak of 53 games from 84-89).
As far as having the right formula for winning, it was never a set thing and always evolving. Going to clinics to get new ideas, emulating what other successful teams were doing, being a stickler for details, and never over relying on schemes to take the place of fundamentals, promoting a great work ethic and a team-first attitude, running a multiple offense and defense, making key players learn multiple positions to create depth, putting players in positions where they could maximize their talents, and tweaking your philosophy and plays to the particular talent we had that year were some of the factors that when you put them all together gave us an edge on our opponents.
Coach Carey: Looking back on your career, do you see stages of the program? How did the years change? Did coaching change? How about the kids How about athletically? How about training methods? Was the athlete better in the late 90's than the 70's?
Coach Pettine: During the decades of the 60‘s, 70‘s, 80’s, and 90’s, I observed an ever-changing game. The schemes became more complex on both offense and defense. With each succeeding decade, there were more demands on the players and coaches in regards to the mental part of the game. Playbooks became thicker, scouting reports longer, film study more critical. The need was not only for tough players but smarter ones!
In the late 70’s, year round strength training began to arrive on the scene, and we were the trailblazer in this area under the direction of Mike Carey which gave us another winning edge. By the 90’s, just about every decent program had a strength coach.
In the 80’s, you also began to see speed camps along with other specialized camps for QB’s, receivers, linemen, kickers, etc. which produced bigger, faster and more skilled athletes.
Also in the 80’s, sports nutrition became popular and made for a better athlete, and the strength programs added stretching and conditioning to develop speed and quickness.
The 80’s also saw the rise of specialized sports medicine doctors and trainers available to high school programs that has been an overall benefit to both the players and coaches
Also, at this time, the summer seven-on-seven passing leagues were introduced which was great for individual skill development along with teams becoming more proficient with their offensive and defensive schemes.
All of this put together gives the more recent teams and athletes a tremendous advantage if you want to start making generational performance level comparisons.
The kids overall during this more recent time period became harder to coach in the respect that there has evolved less respect for authority. It became more difficult to sell the “team first” approach; enforcing “old school” training rules is now tougher. In more recent times, you have to deal with losing good athletes who chose to specialize due to the demands of coaches in all major sports instituting year-round programs. The growth of soccer affected your numbers as mothers encouraged their sons to stay with a non-contact sport. You also lost some turnout with the trend that many kids gave up sports for the popularity of after-school jobs. The “modern “ parent complains more about their kid’s playing time and how they should be handled, and there is much more unrealistic expectations by parents about college recruiting and the coach’s role in that process.
One can see that the demands and pressures on today’s high school head football coaches are enormous. It is essentially a full-time job that they have to balance with their other “bread and butter” full-time job and also have meaningful time left over to devote to their families!
Coach Carey: Mike, you won so many state titles---compare the mythical titles vs. winning on the field in the playoffs. Any special teams that stand out? How about players that you coached - do some player stand out to you?
Coach Pettine: Before state playoffs, which began in 1989, fans relied on state rankings to determine who eventually was named as the “Mythical State High School Football Champion.” We were the recipients of three or four of these crowns which of course was controversial especially among the fans from Western PA. Our coaches and players never were quite sure how we would match up with the great teams from other parts of the state on the actual playing field. In 1991, we got our chance against Erie Cathedral Prep and prevailed. This had to be the most significant victory in the history of our program since it validated those “mythical championships” along with our other undefeated teams who felt they were every bit as good as that 1991 State Championship squad and could have played with anybody.
As far as comparing teams and players, there are too many of them and too many variables to do it justice. Plus, with one’s memory, mine in particular, the tendency is to unfairly favor your more recent teams and players.
Coach Carey: The actual coaching – was it fun? Was it more fun early in your career, more work later in your career? What parts of coaching did you really enjoy? The x's and o's? Talk about the pressure - did pressure come into play? How about in the midst of all those winning streaks?
Mike, to me we were under amazing pressure from the mid 80’s to the end - did you feel the pressure to keep winning each year? Where did the pressure come from – the community or was it self-imposed?
Coach Pettine: As to the fun and gratification of coaching - it had to do with the close relationships and bonds you formed with your players and staff; the evolving chess match with your game planning; the satisfaction of developing team play and chemistry; the thrill of game night and hopefully victory after a tough week’s practice; the feedback from parents and teachers about the positive influence the program was having on players with their personal development; seeing individuals and teams respond favorably to adversity; watching a young player who everyone thought would not make it develop into a starter and prove everybody wrong; seeing the program be a catalyst for players earning college scholarship opportunities; sitting back after a championship season and finally being able to relax, reflect and fully enjoy the accomplishment.
The down side of coaching was the way I approached it - in that often it became all consuming. As my mom would often remind me, “There’s more to life than football.” As the championships and undefeated seasons became routine, the pressure of the bar being set so high made anything less than a perfect season somewhat disappointing. As they say, “We created a monster!” It was a nice problem to have, but it was also very draining. The yardstick became not whether or not we won or lost but did we play up to our satisfaction in victory. The coaches tried not to put this pressure on the players by making them feel bad if they didn’t measure up with a great season. But it got to the point with those winning streaks that nothing had to be said. If a team managed to keep the streak alive, there was among the players as much relief as enjoyment with each victory.
This pressure was both self imposed and passed on from the fans. I had one fan remark to me after an undefeated year but with a last game ending tie vs. CB East “That’s too bad about your season!” The high expectations created pressure from all parties involved with our program. Having to beat East was year in and year out the most pressure. That game often had a championship and undefeated season on the line, not to mention district bragging rights. We were always huge favorites, they had nothing to lose, and a loss to East meant a disaster regardless of what else we had accomplished or did to that point! (Pettine record vs. East --29 wins, 2 loses, 1 tie)
Coach Carey: Mike, your competitiveness is legendary. (I‘ve met a lot of highly competitive people from sports, but NO ONE LIKE MIKE!) Did you ever develop a dislike for another team - East, HH? How about another coach? Come on, Mike - give it to me straight. I know you wanted to beat some of these coaches bad!
Coach Pettine: My competitiveness probably developed back in my childhood days when my neighborhood’s street and backyard games were so intense. It was usually winning team stays in - loser sits out. I hated to sit out! I was always up against older kids, so you had to try that much harder to compete. My hating to lose didn’t extend to hating other teams and coaches. I draw the line between being super competitive vs. someone and hating them. When it was all said and done, your opponent was in the business of trying to do the same thing as you - coach kids to the best of his ability and win! That’s not to say I didn’t get more pumped up facing a cross-town rival like CB East or a tough opponent like Pennsbury or Neshaminy or a program with a cocky coach and players who gave us “bulletin board material.” Was it more satisfying to dominate a team in those situations - absolutely!
Coach Carey: Mike, your coaching style (and mine) was a tough in-your-face demanding style. There are so many styles today. Why was ours successful? You used to say to our team that CB West football wasn’t for everyone (one of your quotes). Coaching methods - talk about game day coaching. How important is that? Does that separate the average, good and great coach in high school? What were your expectations of your assistant coaches? Did you put pressure on them to perform?
Coach Pettine: Some of my coaching methods, as I look back, I would like to change. My intensity, temper and demand for perfectionism got results but didn’t always make me feel good about how I went about it. As I matured as a coach, I relied less on that approach and more on psychology and tamer ways of motivation to get the same results - not that I was completely able to let go of my “old ways!” Despite the reputation, I did mix in praise as a motivator along with being critical. I always tried to live by the coaching adage “be FIRM, FAIR, and COMPASSIONATE.” If you can do this, you’re on the right track as a coach. If you’re fair to the players and respected by them, that is paramount to being liked by them - not that it isn’t nice to have it both ways.
Your coaching style has to come from the context of your personality. You can try to copy someone else but only to a point. I believe if your foundation is to adopt that ‘Fair, Firm, Compassionate’ approach, then many divergent personalities can be successful.
Our coaching style was not for everyone. Kids 20 and 30 years ago and even more so today cannot accept the “firm” part of the formula. They have trouble dealing with any yelling or criticism. More parents today will tell you they don’t respond to criticism. In the age where self-esteem is the rage, many don’t respond to discipline. You just wonder how these individuals will cope when they graduate and have to deal with the “real” world. It’s amazing how many players who felt we were too tough on them while in the program come back many years later and remarked how the demanding principles and approach they endured while in the CB West program has helped them be successful in life.
Favorite quotes: “Hard work wins!” (Vince Lombardi) “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!” (Harry Truman)
Game day coaching, I believe, gave us one of those “winning edges” you look for. It was very structured for the players. They reported early (usually 3:45 for a 7:30 game) and watched more game tape on the opponent as the coaches pointed out keys and tendencies to look for along with defensive calls and play familiarity.
Next, there was a defensive walk-through in the gym to review adjustments to the opponent’s offensive sets.
Players then moved to both offensive and defensive meetings with their position coaches to review their particular responsibilities. Then the player again went into the gym for an offensive walk through.
After on field warm-ups, I would review with the entire team any new plays or wrinkles put in and again briefly go over offensive, defensive and specialty team reminders. Lastly, I would convey some motivational comments and then leave the locker room to allow the captains and team leaders to do the same. There is nothing like fellow peer motivation!
During the game, each assistant coach had a specific area to watch, so corrections could be made at any time. By looking for certain things, coaches called down suggestions that helped with making the right defensive or offensive play call.
During halftime, the coaches met briefly and discussed any surprises the opponent had shown us and the mid-course changes on offense, defense, and special teams we should make. Also, we made necessary personnel changes based on first half performance or injury. The position coaches then met with their specific players to convey the changes, and this was followed up with the entire team getting together for a last minute review before we had to go out for the second half.
What we did as a staff to set us apart from other coaching staffs I never actively analyzed. However, in watching opponents play, I often observed we got our kids to do the little things better - like downfield blocking and backs being good blockers when they were not carrying the ball. I heard some teams did not utilize Monday as a practice day or spend time on in-season lifting as we did or exposed their players to as much film study. I think you could generally say we outworked people and paid more attention to detail as two of the factors that gave us an edge. The one thing we were proud of was we did it without people saying, ‘You have the advantage of being a big school.’ When we dominated the “Power Ten” in the 90’s, CB West had the smallest enrollment in the conference.
My expectations for assistant coaches were to carry out the job description they were given in the coaching manual. This outlined how to carry out an efficient drill period when they coached their specific group and what to zero in on when we were doing team work. There was also a detailed list of coaching do’s and don’ts guidelines. Spelling out exactly what I expected alleviated most problems. All our coaches knew they had to go the extra mile, dedication-wise to maintain the level of excellence that we wanted and were accustomed to. Rarely did I have to get after a coach for slacking off. I was blessed with quality coaches and only had to fire one assistant in my 33-year career.
Coach Carey: Mike, when did retirement creep into your mind? Do you remember the year? How many years did you consider it and then come back to coach the next year? When did you decide that ‘99 was your last year?
Coach Pettine: Retirement started to creep into my mind in the early part of the 90’s. With the long season demands of often playing into December and the pressure of trying to live up to expectations, the body was physically and mentally drained after each season, and I started to wonder how long I could keep doing this. Usually, by February the batteries were recharged enough that you could start the “grind” over. It got to the point that before the ‘99 season I felt regardless of the outcome that would be it. Family factors also entered into the decision. I reflected on the quality time I lost with my kids when they were growing up due to coaching, and now I was beginning to see the same pattern develop with my grandkids. Fortunately, the ‘99 season had a Hollywood ending, and it was a great way to go out. (From 97-99, Mike coached 45 games in 3 seasons.)
Coach Carey: Mike, why did you come right back and coach with Junior (Mike Pettine Jr.) at NP in 2001? Looking back - was that a good decision?
Coach Pettine: Coming back as an assistant to my son at North Penn was a mixed bag of rewards and feelings. It was nice to work with him and try and help him succeed - not that he and Dick Beck needed much help. The beauty of that experience is that it was pure coaching with no pressure. The downside was having to coach against CB West and have some fans look at me as a Benedict Arnold! Another drawback was that no two coaches see eye to eye, and I was used to calling all the shots for 33 years. At one point during a game, Junior pulled the plug on my headset, and that was when I thought my time might be better served playing golf.
Coach Carey: Then you went to CB West as a defensive coordinator - what was your thinking there? Did you want to just coach without the pressures of being the head man? Was that a good decision?
Coach Pettine: When I went to West as a defensive coordinator to help Randy Cuthbert, I felt I could enjoy coaching without all the headaches that you have to deal with as a head coach and have significant input as defensive coordinator. However, after a while, my dad’s favorite saying came into play: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too!” I didn’t want to be head coach, but at the same time, I was frustrated not to have total control and wanting to see things done differently that were out of my area. I also found myself spending almost as much time as a coordinator as I did as a head coach. The only solution was to FULLY retire.
Since then, I have got my coaching “fix” by consulting with some local schools, and currently, I am looking at Baltimore Ravens’ film for Junior - not that he listens to me! Junior’s favorite line when I offer a suggestion he doesn’t like is “Dad, this is the NFL - not high school!”
Coach Carey: Looking back, you've impacted so many of your players’ lives. When you’re sitting alone, has the thought occurred to you that you made such a positive impact on kids and their families? How does that make you feel? Is that what coaching is about at the high school level?
Coach Pettine: Now that I’m almost a decade removed from my last game as a head coach, the good feelings I get when I reflect back are certainly from all the championships, undefeated seasons and state titles. However, more meaningful is when I get feedback from our now adult players about how positively the program impacted their lives. As I said earlier, I felt this way about a few of my high school coaches and teachers, and you give back in the cycle of life by doing the same for those under your direction. It’s satisfaction that few other professions can provide. The most gratifying thing for me is the list of players who used our program as a stepping stone to get into the college of their choice or, better yet, receive partial to full scholarships. It validates a principle of life we stressed as coaches - hard work is rewarded!
Even though a coach can have this kind of character-developing impact on any level, you are in the best position to do it as a high school coach. I never regretted not taking a step up to the college level. As a college coach, I would have really been one dimensional. At least having to teach in the classroom provided a little “balance” in my life.
Coach Carey: Sportswriters, hall of fame committees and the general public put you in the top coaches ever in Pa. and the COUNTRY. How does that make you feel? Are you satisfied and fulfilled? Is the cup full?
When you watch the game today - how has the high school game changed? Could you still be a dominating coach?
UNDER any circumstances would you consider returning to coach in some capacity someday?
Coach Pettine: As far as being considered one of the top high school coaches in Pennsylvania and the country, it is nice to know you are held in that regard, but it doesn’t get me any points with my wife Joyce or any respect with my golfing buddies. There was a price paid to have that consistent success over the years, and the cost was often missed family time. I’m enjoying doing things now that were not possible during my 38 years in coaching, and at this point in my life, I do not have the mental and physical energy to tackle a return to head coaching and give what it takes to get the job done.
Under no circumstances would I return to head coaching even though I’ll never get over the “withdrawal symptoms.”
As for watching the game today - I see more of a reliance on the spread offense which requires a multitalented quarterback and a bevy of good receivers to consistently win. It’s fun to watch if a team has the tools to run it. This type of non-smash mouth football, I believe, translates into spending less time on defense and less emphasis on all-round physical toughness.
I believe our formula gave us an all-weather, week in and week out, year in and year out consistency that would still dominate in today’s arena. One main strength was that we were not quarterback dependent. The power running game with strong linemen via the weight room was our staple and works in any era, and when we had the good passer at quarterback, we achieved a balanced attack. However, we could survive with a young quarterback or move an athletic running back into the quarterback position and still generate offense. Our multiple offensive and defensive schemes, which we adjusted each week, would still be a challenge for an opponent in today’s game.
Coach Carey: What do you do for enjoyment these days?
Coach Pettine: My enjoyment currently is playing golf, coaching the grandkids, and watching football.
Coach Carey: What's retirement like? Do you have enough to do?
Coach Pettine: Retirement is great. There is nothing like being in bed and hearing those school buses go by in the morning. Between the “honey-do” project list that I never got to during my coaching career, I have more than enough work to keep me busy.
Coach Carey: What music do you listen to?
Coach Pettine: Music wise - I don’t listen to much, but I will put on the country station when I’m driving which drives my wife nuts!
Coach Carey: What do you watch on TV? Do you read? What authors do you prefer?
Coach Pettine: I don’t have time to do read any lengthy books. Newspaper, magazine, and internet articles, don’t take as much time.
As for TV, I religiously watch Bill O’Reilly and other conservative talk show hosts. I also enjoy the History Channel and Wildlife Shows and American Movie Classics. Of course, during football season it’s non-stop football!
Coach Carey: Are there any high school programs or coaches that you admire today?
Coach Pettine: I especially respect any program and coach who fields a very competitive team year in and year out over a long period of time since from experience I realize you are going to have cycles where you don’t get the great athletes every year, but if you still manage to be near or at the top every season, that requires superior coaching. Current coaches who come to mind are George Curry (Wyoming Valley West), Jim Morgans (Parkland), Kevin Clancy (Strath Haven), and locally Dick Beck (North Penn), Mark Schmidt (Neshaminy), and Jim Algeo (Lansdale Catholic). I’m not including some of the fine coaches who are not restrained by geographic boundaries since they should not be affected by cycles!
That’s it! Hope you enjoyed the Pettine interview. Until next week….keep the hits coming! There’s no game in America like high school football.
--COACH CAREY
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