The official announcement comes from lehighsports.com on coach Coen's first two assistant coaches. One is a name I dropped yesterday from the rumor mill, and the other is from coach Coen's days at Penn. Both have ties to the local area, and are, like coach Coen, being "brought home".Coach Coen nabbed TE coach Brett Sawyer (pictured here), who comes to the offensive staff from Penn where last year he coached Quaker TE Chris Mizell to become an honorable mention all-Ivy selection. A former offensive lineman at Muhlenberg ('98), Brett has spent the last three years coaching at Princeton and Penn, where he has gotten a reputation of being an excellent recruiter. Interestingly, Brett's recruiting area at Penn includes some areas that haven't been largely represented in years past at Lehigh: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
Another name who is coming "home" is Allentown Central Catholic head coach Donnie Roberts. Donnie was a Lehigh defensive line coach at Lehigh at the same time coach Coen was offensive coordinator under Kevin Higgins - another link to the Higgins era. Roberts coached some really good defensive linemen at Lehigh, including NFL DE Rich Owens. Last year, Roberts coached CCHS to a 9-3 record and an Eastern Conference 3A title.
"We are very excited to have both of these men on our staff," Coen said. They are both quality individuals who view themselves as both teachers and motivators. Having worked with both of them before, I know we share the same values and passion for the game that we need in order to keep this program moving forward."
Anything to read between line lines on the hirings? Just this: Coach Coen is getting back to basics. He knows that the key to winning football games is the offensive and defensive lines. Prepare to see a Lehigh team that wins a lot more trench battles - and maybe even smash some opponents in the mouth. Here's one fan who is excited at the prospect of extra physical play on the lines.
Comments
Go Lehigh!
The question has to be asked, "How the heck did Sterrett let this get so bad and go on so long?" I think Sterrett made a great choice in Coen. I'm not sure that this lets him off the hook for letting Lembo and his assistants screw things up so badly.
- Hawkineer