2024 With Head Coach Jake Heigel from Brockway High School, PA.

 

Jake Heigel

Brockway High 

Head Football Coach

Who was the best player you have ever coached against, and what team did he play for?

Carson Neely, Port Allegany 

Looking back from day one as a coach up to the present, what have been the low and high points of your coaching career?

2020 was a rough first year. We had maybe 15 kids on the roster in preseason sometime in late June. We ended up with probably 6 starters who had never played football in their lives, which isn’t exactly a recipe for success! I was also ejected from our game against Cowanesque Valley. We lost to DuBois 49-0 to end the difficult season... The future did not look so bright. - But fast forward to 2022, where we won our first playoff game 62-6. Followed that up with a win against the reigning western finals champion, Redbank Valley, in a 7-3 fist fight to advance to the D9 championship. In 2023, we won an overtime thriller against DuBois Area 14–13, avenging a 1-point loss at the 1-yard line the year prior. This gave us a pretty good measuring stick for how far we have come from that 49-0 throttling just three seasons prior. Truthfully, the real highs are from player development... watching Jendy Cuello have back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons after barely being a special teams contributor his first two seasons. Or Blake Pisarcik tearing his ACL against DuBois in 2022 just to bounce back and score the game-winning touchdown a year later, in 2023. Also, I played next to Reese Yahner's older brother, Joel. So getting to coach Big Reese was such a blessing. I loved having Johnny Varischetti be an absolute cerebral giant in his first year starting at MIKE. He was so impressive that he won Defensive Player of the Year in our conference. I have to say, watching Colton Ross, who is maybe 140 pounds and soaking wet, A gap with reckless abandonment because we believe in him and he believes in us is a heck of a treat too. These are the real highs—the success of the players on and off the field. 

What are your thoughts on girls playing on the boys' football team?

I believe girls have the same right to play football as boys do. I have very strong women in my life, most of whom are far tougher than most men I know. If you can play, you can play for me. The “game” doesn’t discriminate; why would I?

What did you learn about yourself during the 2023 season that you can use this season to be a better coach?

Be obsessed with the process as well as the result! I am a goal-oriented person by nature. I have tunnel vision for getting from A to Z. Success and failure are pretty black and white to me. This trait comes from my father, George Heigel-DuBois Central Catholic Head Softball Coach, former president of Swift Kennedy Insurance/Acrisure, and my grandfather, SGT. George Heigel, 2nd Infantry Division, silver star recipient on Omaha Beach D-Day. Both of these men valued results. I believe this character trait is key to highly successful individuals, but you need to supplement that trait as a coach with S.A.S.T.R., which is stop and smell the roses! You have to be in love with how you achieve the results, or you will find yourself burning out or burning out those around you. A loss cannot be a definitive failure; it has to be another step in the process. Ultimately, the result you are looking for will come in time, and you, as a coach, will have a far more enjoyable journey along the way. 

What changes, if any, would you make in the way the playoffs are set up in Pennsylvania?

The further you go in states, the bigger the venue. We have two NFL teams in PA. Something like 14 Division 1 football teams. Please do not interpret that statement as criticism of the high school venues currently used. I have never coached a state playoff game to have a valid criticism! 

Where should the state finals be held?

Ah, of course, this is the next question. I really should have seen that one coming. CUMBERLAND VALLEY, lol.

What feeling do you as a coach get when a player of yours gets an invite to one of the state-wide all-star games?

We are very lucky to have the Frank Varischetti All-Star game in Brockway. It’s a very well-run All-Star game for our district, and the scholarships awarded annually to the players are invaluable. The state-wide all-star nods definitely can be special but do not happen too often. 

As a head coach, what do you do to aid in your players getting recruited?

I am heavily involved in helping my players get recruited. On top of the usual film emails, DM's, and phone calls, Mike Kunes and I spearheaded the first ever D9 Combine last June. While Mike and I organized, it took every D9 program and coaching staff involvement to make it work. We had over 100 District 9 players attend, test, and compete in front of 8 colleges in attendance, while 6 other colleges requested the testing results after the buzz hit on what a success the day was. That’s part of your job as a head football coach. Be a proponent of your players, your district, and the game. 

Can you tell us which seniors from last season will be moving on to play college ball and list the colleges too?

Reese Yahner, Gannon
Jendy Cuello, Lock Haven 

What are your thoughts on playing out-of-state teams?

It’s a good option if you need to fill a schedule hole, competitively or geographically. 

How important is it for the younger teams in the program to run the same offense and defense as the varsity?

It’s helpful, but what’s more important than that is having trusted coaches in place, from youth programs all the way up to varsity assistants. I don’t necessarily think our offense or defense is a one-size-fits-all system. It’s adaptable, but having a trusted coach to adapt or modify is key. 

How important is it for the younger team to have a full schedule?

Extremely important. I understand the situation smaller roster teams are in (we were one of those teams the last four seasons). We have utilized the format option on our JV schedule, where in order to get a late-season JV game in, we forwent special teams and opted for a running clock to mitigate the risk of injury. Get the games in, but game them in the right way.