PAGE TEN
Rich Gorgone
By JOHN F. KILDUFF
Staff Writer
Lake-Lehman Black Knight football
fans will see a familiar face pacing and
shouting instructions along the sidelines
this 1985-86 season as Richard Gorgone,
who led the Black Knights from 1974-1978,
is back as this year’s head coach.
Gorgone is excited about the upcoming
1985-86 slate and looks to lead the Black
Knights to a number of victories through
positive attitudes and dedication. Gor-
gone also worked during the off-season to
establish a program of the future. -
“I really think we can win a lot of
games this season,” said Gorgone, a 17-
year coaching veteran. “This year we
. have a very young team, a lot of
sophomores and juniors, but I am not in
any way giving up on this season,”
- Gorgone stressed. “We have eight seniors
who are very good football players and
we are going to take one game at a
time.”
Gorgone said the main point stressed
this year is emphasizing a positive atti-
tude and concentrating on the fundamen-
tals of blocking and tackling.
“Basically, my coaching style is one of
trying to be very positive,” said Gorgone,
a history teacher for the Lake-Lehman
- School District. “I, along with my coach-
ing staff, am looking to determine what
exactly the kids can do. I am looking for
kids who want to play. After all, this is a
contact sport,” said Gorgone. “I am also
stressing good blocking and tackling fun-
damentals,” Gorgone continued.
Gorgone said he wants his players to
use their intelligence as well as their
physical attributes when facing an oppos-
ing team.
“I like my players to know how to hit,
but hit intelligently,’’said Gorgone.
“Sometimes you have a player who can
hit really hard and that can hurt the
team if the hit is at the wrong time,”
Gorgone explained. “I want my players
to think out there. Not to hurt someone,
but to hit with intelligence.”
Gorgone began his coaching career in
1968 as a varsity defensive coordinator
for Morris Knools High, New Jersey.
Gorgone stayed with Morris Knools until
1974, when he began his first year as
head coach for Lake-Lehman. Gorgone’s
best season with the Black Knights was a
6-4-1 finish in 1976 when Gorgone’s squad
beat area power-house Wyoming Area
and tied perennial contender Pittston
Area.
In addition to coaching the benefits of
intelligent play, Gorgone is determined to
utilize many of his players in order to
FOOTBALL ’85
TY
7
build for the future.
“As I said before, I do not intend to
give up on this season by any means,”
Gorgone said. ‘But, obviously this year
our team is an uncertain quality.”
According to Gorgone, heavy off-season
recruiting and use of many sophomores
and juniors this year should insure a
bright future for Lake Lehman football.
“We recruited a lot of football players
(41) in the off-season,” said Gorgone,
“and we seem to be getting more every
day.
“Last year,” said Gorgone, ‘“‘we did not
have a lot of kids spending time on the
playing field. This year we are spending
a great deal of time with a lot of kids,”
Gorgone continued. “What we are trying
to do is to establish a foundation for the
years to come. I would like my sopho-
mores and juniors to have a lot of playing
time,” Gorgone said.
Gorgone also concentrated on his junior
varsity squad, reportedly laden with top
freshman candidates. The JV emphasis,
says Gorgone, is to insure a constant
quality flow of football players.
“We also recruited a couple of really
good looking freshmen who I think will
help us,” said Gorgone. ‘I am looking to
establish a good feeder-system for Lake
Lehman football,” Gorgone said.
Gorgone said he sometimes finds him-
self in a Catch-22 situation with the
younger football players. “If you have a
young kid who thinks he can play and you
do not use him, he will quit,” said
KE LERMAN
FOOTBALL
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell
\Gorgone. ‘I think they should all be
given a chance and some playing time.”
The Black Knights finished with a 4-3
slate in the 1984-85 Division II conference.
Gorgone says his team can improve upon
the third place finish and the key ingredi-
ent will be attitude.
“The kids have got to play our kind of
football this year,” said Gorgone. ‘‘Some-
times it is tough for a kid who has been
around for four years to accept a new
coaching philosophy. Our kids have got to
want to play our kind (the new coaching
staff’s) of football.”
Said Gorgone when asked what it would
take to have a successful season, “It all
depends on the kids. They must believe in
us (new coaching staff) if we are to have
a good season.”
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