Gerlach’s teams play a certain brand of soccer, one that often overwhelms opponents. They were always playing pick-up games with each other and had played on big stages before winning at states.” “One thing that I do remember from that 2011 team was how close the players were. A lot of times, it comes down to whether or not you get a bounce here or there to go your way. “There’s a lot of parity once you get deep into the state playoffs. “We’ve had several teams here that I believe were capable of competing for a state championship,” Gerlach said. That season, Mars went 25-0-1 and defeated Villa Joseph Marie, 1-0, in the state final in Hershey. Under his tutelage, the Planets won WPIAL crowns in 2010- and claimed the program’s first and to date, only state title in 2011. I knew many of the girls who were coming up to the varsity level at Mars.” “I had become very familiar with a lot of the girls players for Northern Steel, especially through the U13 to U17 teams. He took over as head coach in 2007, which coincided with him becoming the Girls Director of Coaching for Northern Steel. It has been with Mars’ girls program, however, that Gerlach has enjoyed his most successful seasons as a high school mentor. The team made the state playoffs for the first time in its history in 2003. Gerlach helped Mars’ boys reach the WPIAL playoffs all five of his seasons as head coach.
I spent that first season as an assistant, then became head coach in 2002.” “The head coach at the time, Al Maiure, made me promise to stick around because he was going to retire. I became more involved with it and within a year and a half, I was running camps.”Ī few years later, some Northern Steel boys players from Mars mentioned to Gerlach that their high school team needed an assistant coach.
“I hopped in the car one day with them to check it out and I liked it. “A few of my (SRU) teammates were coaching on the side with Northern Steel and they said I had the right personality and should give it a try,” said Gerlach. It was near the end to his collegiate career that he was introduced to coaching. He originally went to the University of Maryland to continue his athletic career, but following a back injury, transferred to Slippery Rock University, where he was named a regional All-American. Gerlach starred as a scholastic player at Hampton High School, helping the Talbots to a share of the state championship in 1990. Gerlach will be inducted into the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame next month. He’s never left, creating quite a legacy in the process.Īfter spending five seasons as the head coach of the Planets’ boys team, Gerlach took over the girls team and has since led the Planets to an overall record of 187-34-13, four WPIAL championships and one state title.
Slippery rock university head soccer coach series#
This is the second in a series of six articles profiling the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.ĪDAMS TWP - At the urging of several club soccer players, Blair Gerlach came to Mars High School 17 years ago. Girls mentor has 187-34 record with Planets
0 kommentar(er)
