Sobolewski to lead the Crusaders
Football coach joins Lowell Catholic after guiding handful of programs
Lowell Catholic athletic director Jack Fletcher was looking for a strong football coach who could deal with the challenge of competing in a new league.
Fletcher feels he found that candidate in Paul Sobolewski.
The school announced Sobolewski as its new head football coach Wednesday afternoon. Sobolewski has served as head coach at Pope John (twice), Winchester, Georgetown and Cathedral. He guided Pope John to a Division 8 Super Bowl berth in 2018, six months before the school closed its doors.
“We are absolutely thrilled to get someone of Paul’s experience to come to our school,” Fletcher said. “We are heading into a new league (Commonwealth Athletic Conference) and we’re playing in the upper division which has some good football programs, so we needed someone who could handle that and we think Paul is that person.”
Having competed against Lowell Catholic in the past, Sobolewski had a good feel for the Crusaders program. There were many things about it that appealed to the highly-successful Sobolewski.
“I’ve always though the program is one on the rise and I like the fact they are going to K through eighth grade,” Sobolewski said. “I think the program fits my style of coaching, I’ve been able to flourish at schools similar to Lowell Catholic in the past.
“It’s going to be a challenge going to the CAC. We know it’s a tough league and you have to be ready all the time.”
When asked why Sobolewski has been able to thrive at schools like Pope John and Cathedral where he was fielding rosters of roughly 20-25 players, something he might be faced with at Lowell Catholic, he essentially said quality can overcome quantity.
“I remember coaching in the Shriners Game with the old Gloucester coach Paul Ingram and never forget what he told me,” Sobolewski said. “He always said if you can find 30-35 kids who will give you 110% all the time, you don’t need 100 kids on the rosters. You just need to find those kids who will give you blood, sweats and tears and you can win with them.”
As for his coaching staff, Sobolewski confirmed that his brother Bob will come aboard as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Carlos Alonso, who played for Sobolewski in his first tour at Pope John (200305) will serve as wide receivers and defensive backfield coach.
He is hoping to persuade his former assistant Mike Cella to return to the sidelines.
Cella was a special teams coordinator for Pope John during its run to the 2018 Super Bowl.
“Mike says he’s enjoying retirement, so I gotta work to convince him to come back,” Sobolewski said with a laugh.