Fuschak, Antonian chasing district repeat
The Express-news recently sat down with Antonian’s Blake Fuschak, who is in his second year as the team’s football coach, to discuss the Apaches’ 5-1 start to the season, their rivalry game against Central Catholic on Oct. 13 and quarterback Jayce Toscano’s importance to the team’s offense.
Q: How have you enjoyed becoming the head coach of this team after serving as offensive coordinator for 11 years?
A: “So very grateful for the opportunity. I had an opportunity to join my father here 13 years ago. And then he retired and coach (Danny) Padron got the job. He was here for two years, and then last year was my first season. It’s just been an incredible opportunity. We’ve got great kids. I’ve enjoyed working with our coaching staff, and our parents and our community really backs our program.”
Q: How big was it to take over for your father?
A: “It’s a heck of an honor. It’s a little bit scary when you think about it. He was here for nine years. But he had been a head coach for (about) 30 years, and he really started building the culture here back in 2011, and then coach Danny was in between. Well, he was my high school head football coach, and being able to follow him as well, it’s just been an honor.”
Q: Would would you describe the 2023 Antonian Apaches?
A: “So when I think about the 2023 Antonian football team, I think about explosiveness on offense led by quarterback Jayce Toscano. He’s a
three-year starter, and we run an RPO (run-pass option) scheme that throws the football quite a bit if the numbers are right. And we run the football if the box is a little bit soft. And then a defense that’s relentless. That works hard. We’re a little bit undersized, but they play with great effort.”
Q: What made you implement an Rpo-heavy offense?
A: “So, going back to coach Padron, my father was the culture builder, and then coach Padron brought the scheme. He was at TLU before he got to Antonian. He and his son have got this incredible RPO scheme that coach Padron brought over in the 2020 season. And so we’ve made our adjustments with it, but it is a really good scheme.”
Q: How important is Toscano to your offense, and how have you had an impact on his journey?
A: “Jayce and I have a really good relationship, and I don’t like to hold him back. He’s got the keys to the car, and he’s very cerebral. So he makes lots of decisions in the game. We talk back and forth in the middle of a game. ‘What are you seeing? What do you like? What do you not like?’ I lean on him a lot, and he has been an incredible player for us.”
Q: You have a pretty big rivalry game coming up in two weeks against Central Catholic. How big is winning this game for this program?
A: “So, this is for the entire community. I didn’t have any clue what it was like until I got here 13 years ago, and before week one, they’re asking you, ‘Hey, we’re going to beat Central Catholic.’ And you’re going, ‘we haven’t even played week one yet,’ and that’s when we used to play them at the end of the year. It means a ton for our community. It’s a big rivalry. It’s a fun rivalry, and it’s a tough environment to play at.”
Q: What’s your team’s goal for the rest of the season?
A: “Last year, we had the good fortune of winning a district championship, and we’re looking to repeat as district champions. Nobody has repeated the last three years in our district. It’s a tough district, and so our goal is to win another district championship and then to play in the final four in the playoffs.”