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A few familiar faces: Grassi, Klezek in charge of PC, CC football programs this fall

High school football

By Michael Boytim 6 min read

When Penn Cambria travels to Central Cambria for the annual Goalpost Trophy Game on Sept. 19 the fifth week of the high school football season, both teams will have different head coaches than last season.

But the new faces certainly aren't unfamiliar ones.

Jason Grassi is set to begin his second stint as the Panthers coach after Nick Felus left in the offseason to become the new head coach at Neshaminy High School.

Felus led Penn Cambria to a 14-1 record, a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship, the school's first District 6 title and an appearance in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals last year.

"I wasn't anticipating him leaving at all to be honest," Grassi said. "I didn't know until the decision was made that he was leaving. It was one of those things where our staff talked, and we all wanted to return and be part of Penn Cambria's future. We're all mostly from there, so we talked about keeping the group together and keeping the program moving forward, so it came down to making the decision I wanted to do it again. The guys got behind it, and that's how it played out."

Penn Cambria's players, especially the senior class, appreciated most of the staff returning.

"It was good he was already on the staff and knew the system," Penn Cambria senior Ayden Himmer said. "He knows what he's doing, and it's really good now."

Grassi said that the program is in a new stratosphere since he last served as the head coach and went 13-28.

"Coach Felus has done a remarkable job with our program," Grassi said. "He's started from the ground up the last six years or so and has instilled our Mountain Mentality, which we are keeping as our slogan, and that's the mindset that we live by. What he did was remarkable, and we want to continue and take that next step. We got to the semifinals last year, and in years past that might have felt like a dream, but we believe that now. We want to take that next step and get to the state championship. That has become the goal. We were right there. We know we can get there if we continue to grind like we know we can."

The playoff field in District 6 Class 3A seems pretty even between Penn Cambria, Central, Tyrone, Forest Hills, Huntingdon and Philipsburg-Osceola.

"It was hard to see (Coach Felus) go," Penn Cambria senior Matthew Eckenrode said. "But we all dealt with the change, and it's working out well so far. Some people don't think we'll be as good. We'll prove them wrong. We are losing some skill guys, and people will have to step up, but we'll see how it goes."

Central Cambria will be trying to reestablish itself as a contender in Class 2A under new coach Wade Klezek, who has been around several Red Devil sports teams for decades.

"We have had a good run in a lot of different sports," Klezek said. "But I think consistency is huge. When you have a new coach every three or four years, it is hard to establish things all the way up through junior high and have kids in the same system for seven-plus years."

Central Cambria started last season 0-8 before winning its last two games and hopes to carry that momentum over into this season.

"We have had a great summer," Klezek said. "It's been nice to be around the program for such a long time that this doesn't feel like a huge transition. We have a lot of coaches that have been on staff for 10-plus years and guys who have helped out with Central Cambria football and care about it, which has been great."

Klezek is hoping Central Cambria can create a new culture in football similar to its rival's "Mountain Mentality."

"Whenever the culture changes, for football, it's one where everyone will want to be part of it," Klezek said. "That's when you start getting more kids out and start viewing it the same way we do some other sports here. It will take changing the culture, and that all starts with us as coaches and for the players to ride that wave."

It seems to be working this offseason.

"He's been amazing putting in the work ethic and everything," Central Cambria senior Jett Williams said. "He puts so much into the program, and we want to pay him back. We have to change the culture here in football, and we started that by the work we put in during the summer, and we're hoping it pays off."

Klezek has learned from other coaches he's been around throughout his time at Central Cambria, just like Grassi has at his stops.

"I have learned a lot from Coach Felus and from other stops like at Altoona and working with Coach Vince (Nedimyer Jr.) and those guys over there," Grassi said. "You take a little bit of everything and tweak what you did the first time from what worked and what didn't work and go with that."

He said he also realizes it is not a one-man show.

"We have a great coaching staff and great kids," Grassi said. "That makes it easy. These guys come to work every day and love to be in the weight room. That's the mentality that's been there, and as an alum, this is where I want to be and help these guys take that next step."

Klezek has seen something similar a few miles away.

"They have been working hard in the weight room, conditioning and getting to the field for some workouts and a lot of 7-on-7s," Klezek said. "They have been putting the time in, and I can't wait to see it pay off for them. I want us to be a physical football team that is physical and disciplined so that when you watch us, you can tell the kids love football."

And hopefully that pays off with more wins and better play down the stretch of games.

"I think with our offseason training, we'll be able to last all four quarters this season," Central Cambria senior Andrews Chappell said. "We have been working a lot harder."

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