A NEW BEGINNING
Schuylkill Valley players are excited to get started under new coach Bruce Harbach, who won two state titles at Lancaster Catholic
Avery Adoleka never heard of Bruce Harbach when Schuylkill Valley hired him as its new football coach in January.
Adoleka did some research on the web and quickly learned about Harbach’s impressive background.
“I found out he was the real deal,” said Adoleka, a senior running back. “I was so excited watching video because his teams (at Lancaster Catholic) ran over other teams. I was excited for him to come to this program.”
That excitement hasn’t waned for the Panthers or for the 65-year-old Harbach, who’s in his fifth decade as a football coach. He’s enjoying being a head coach again after spending the last three seasons as strength and conditioning coach and assistant coach at Conrad Weiser.
“This is what I love to do,” Harbach said. “To have a chance to develop a program or bring back a program, it can’t be more exciting than that.”
He replaced Jeff Chillot, who resigned after 12 seasons as the coach at Schuylkill Valley and wound up being hired at Hamburg.
The Panthers haven’t had a winning season since 2013, when the current seniors were in fourth grade. They went 1-6 during the pandemic-shortened season last year and were outscored 259-77.
“They want to win,” Harbach said. “I don’t know if they were ready for a change or not, but as soon as I walked into the weight room I could tell that these kids are workers. They’re going to give you what they have.”
A former player, teacher and assistant coach at Wilson, Harbach guided Lancaster Catholic to a 139-55 record in 16 seasons (2002-17), PIAA titles in 2009 and 2011, four District 3 championships and eight section crowns in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
The Panthers quickly noticed a difference after Harbach arrived on the scene.
“It’s just the overall intensity,” said senior Drew Campbell, who plays quarterback and linebacker. “It’s running. It’s getting on us. We haven’t been successful the last two or three years, so it’s time to get it in gear and go. We’re ready. We’ve had a strong summer.
“He’s really excited. He’s an old man, but I’ve never seen an old man with the intensity that he has. It’s awesome. I’m really enjoying it.”
Schuylkill Valley’s roster has increased in size, Harbach expecting somewhere between 45 and 48 players in grades 9-12. The players said it’s not a coincidence.
“Intensity is a big thing with him,” said senior Kyle Spotts, a wide receiver
and safety. “I feel like we have a sense of urgency every time we step on the field. There’s no walking anymore. People are excited to be here.
“We have more people coming out, a lot of new faces. We have kids who may not have played football before. They know they might not get playing time, but they’re excited to be a part of it.”
Harbach said he plans to use a similar offense and defense to what he had at Lancaster Catholic, albeit with different formations. He’s a believer in running the football, which is not surprising considering he played for coach John Gurski at Wilson.
He’s been impressed with Campbell, who was a running back until being moved to quarterback last season when he completed 43.3% of his passes for 535 yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions.
“He’s a coach on the field,” Harbach said. “He’s football savvy. He’s intelligent. He
has a rocket for an arm. He’s really developed over the summer by going to camps and through personal instruction.”
He’s also been impressed with the backs and receivers, led by Adeloka and Spotts.
“This group of receivers and skill kids is probably the best I’ve had since we won the state championship in 2011,” Harbach said. “They run good routes. They catch the ball.”
Harbach has several holdovers from Chillot’s staff, including defensive coordinator Jeremy Crills. He’s added former Wyomissing and Pitt standout Matt Lytle as the quarterbacks coach.
“He’s smart,” Campbell said. “He’s mentally quick. He’s taught me about the mental side of the game. For me to have a whole offseason with him to learn and understand defenses is huge.”
Campbell, Spotts and Adoleka want to be part of the senior class that sparks a program turnaround.
“I hope we continue to take steps forward towards a winning season,” Spotts said. “I don’t know if it’ll happen this year, but I want to do better than we did last year. After I leave, I want to see this program keep getting better and better and better.”