By Ron Bracken
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In a recent idle moment Steve Kurzinger was leafing through the history of State College wrestling and marveling at some of the great coaches who had helped build the Little Lion tradition, men like Homer Barr, Ron Pifer and Len Rockey.
Now Kurzinger’s name will be added to the roster of men who have guided the State High program.
After serving as an interim head coach after Shad Benton had been relieved of his duties in mid-season, Kurzinger was appointed to the head coaching position at last night’s school board meeting.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet, “Kurzinger said. “But just looking at some of the names in that record book, it’s an honor to be a State High coach.
“I was fortunate to work with some of the best teams in State College history and I want us to get back to that point.”
Kurzinger served as an assistant with the Little Lions earlier this decade before getting out of the sport for a brief period of time. But when he was asked to step into the breach in January it whetted his appetite.
“I’m really excited, “he said of his appointment. “The experience I has this past season left me wanting more. Originally, I just wanted to get through March. But after the first two or three weeks I was really enjoying it. The kids worked hard and they treated me with respect.”
Kurzinger guided the Little Lions to a 3-3 record after taking over, getting them to 6-14 as the post-season arrived. He produced a pair of District 6 champions in Kyle Fluke and Steve Bosak, who ultimately placed fifth and fourth, respectively, in the PIAA tournament. Bosak will return next year.
A teacher at the State High South Building, Kurzinger was an easy choice to become a fixture as a head coach.
“He’s the complete package, “said State High director of athletics Ron Pavlechko. “He has a track record with us. He’s a proven coach and a proven educator. He’s a motivator, a leader and he’s knowledgeable. He’s been an assistant coach in football and in wrestling. He’s worked at the middle school and high school levels and in all cases he’s adjusted his teaching to fit the circumstances.
“He comes across as somoene who has standards and expectations and he helps the kids meet the expectations. But at the same time, he is able to inject some fun into it. He has a good relationship with the kids and he understands what they are looking for.”
What Kurzinger, a 1993 BEA graduate who won a District 6 championship as a senior, is looking for is to build off the momentum that was developing down the stretch of this past season.
“One of the things I have been trying to stress is that we need to get together more as a team, “he said. “We need to treat each other the way teammates should treat each other. Wrestling is an individual sport but there is so much more you can get out of it if you have a team surrounding you.
“The biggest thing I got out of this past year was seeing some of the kids whose records were not the greatest to believe in themselves, seeing them working hard and go farther than they thought they could, beating kids they didn’t think they could beat.”
Kurzinger said he plans to adjust the State High schedule next year, pulling out of the brutal Beast of the East Tournament and entering the King of the Mountain at Lock Haven in December as well as a season-opening tournament at Bloomsburg.
Pifer has agreed to continue on Kurzinger’s staff next year.
“It’s great to have his expertise, “Kurzinger said. “And it’s great to have a friend with me. Communication is a key thing for a head coach. As an assistant I never had to deal with the athletic director or the parents or boosters. Ron helped me with that.”
Kurzinger becomes the 12th head coach in the 70-year history of the sport at State College.
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