DeSimone wants Falcons to win and have fun
CONNELLSVILLE – Connellsville football coach Lou DeSimone thinks this will be the year the Falcons will start to show the improvement on the field that he is looking for. “I was hired late last year, which really put us behind everyone,” he said. “I have a much better feeling going into this year because we had a chance to lift weights all winter and during the summer. I think the kids responded to the program well, and through the first couple of practices they looked 1,000 percent better.”
DeSimone says what really pleased him is the number of kids returning this year. “Sometimes when you lose, the kids don’t come out,” he said. “I’m real pleased with the number of kids that showed up this year. We have about 65 to 70 kids dressed, which should help us to keep a lot of players fresh during the season.”
DeSimone says he not only wants the kids to be intense on the field but he wants them to have fun playing the game. “I think I’ve got a good coaching staff that relates well to the kids,” he said. “We joke around with them to keep them loose. I tell my coaches to keep everything positive. I think this will be an enjoyable season because I think the kids will have fun playing.”
DeSimone says winning will make the season even more fun. He pointed out that the Falcons have a chance to knock some people off this year if they do things right.
He is looking to make improvements to the overall program. One will be the construction of a new building at the stadium that will give the kids more room to lift weights.
“From what I understand, the original plans for the building were changed, and the school board voted it down and returned money to Heisman trophy winner John Lujack who made a substantial donation to the project” he said. “I went in and gave them the exact specifications for the building. John Lujack was contacted once again and called the school. Athletic Director Jim Lembo, told him exactly what was going on with the building, and he once again made a nice donation to help get the project off the ground.”
DeSimone said the improvement of the facility would not only help the football team but the entire athletic program. He sees no reason why programs like soccer, wrestling, track and others should not take advantage of the building. He would also eventually like to see the facility open to the general public.
“We’ve been able to raise a little more money than the cost of the building,” he said. “We would like to add a little to it each year to make it as nice as possible.”
Getting back to football, DeSimone thinks he has began to imprint his personality into the program.
“When I came in I wanted to give the seniors every opportunity to play because I didn’t want to take that away from them,” he said. “When I saw we were not going to win many games, I started putting the younger kids in. When the last game ended, that’s when I said I’m going to chance some things and do it my way.”
DeSimone said he felt good about not moving the seniors to the side and has nothing but good things to say about that group. He said that they gave everything they had, despite the late start. Now he feels is the time for the Falcons to make a push forward towards respectability.