14 replies to this topic

[Joshua_Morgret]

I heard about this rumbling last week but I'm finally seeing it on Twitter.

[justin44]

I'm guessing Viking fans won't like to see this !!

[several]

There are so many accomplishments that Coach I has attained in his 23 years.

His final record was 200-64 (.758), 176-51 (.775) in the regular season, 140-44 (.791) in NWOAL play, 24-13 (.649) in the playoffs, with 10 NWOAL championships (record 8 straight, next longest is either 4 or 5), 4 Final Fours and 1 State Championship (1995). Each of the last 18 years he had a winning record.

In reviewing his career, I would put them in three sections.

The first would be the first 5 years. The two coaches between himself and Coach Bauerle went a combined 44-76 over those 12 years with two winning season (7-3 1985, my senior year, 6-4 1989) and two 5-5 seasons (1982, 1987). The year directly before in 1990 PH went 0-10. Coach proceeded to lose his first 7 games and then finished with a 3 game winning streak. He went 3-7, 5-5, 7-3, 5-5 and 4-6 in the first 5 years for a combined 24-26. His NWOAL record was 17-23, with 9 of these wins against Evergreen and Delta. He went 1-4 against LC, Montpelier, Bryan, Archbold and Wauseon.

1996 is the start of a 7 year period (1996-2002) where PH would be competitive. This year was PH’s first NWOAL league title, first ever 10-0 season and second playoff berth. 1997 would be a repeat of 1996 but PH would get its first playoff victory (remember only 4 teams qualified at this point). This was also the first of 18 consecutive winning seasons. During this 7 year period PH went 56-17, 55-13 regular season, 43-13 in NWOAL play and 1-4 in the playoffs. During this time Coach passed his mentor, Bob Bauerle on PH’s all time win list as he went 53-28-7 over 9 years. Over his first 12 years Coach I went 80-43, 79-39 regular season and 60-36 in NWOAL play.

Then we have the last 11 years (2003-2013). Over the last 11 years, PH went 120-21 (.851), 97-12 (.890) in regular season, 80-8 (.909) in NWOAL play and 23-9 (.718) in the playoffs. During this stretch PH set the NWOAL consecutive wins streak at 30. Evergreen broke the streak (17-7) in week 5 of 2006, then PH rattled off 11 straight until losing to Wauseon 35-28 in the last game of 2007. PH then ran off another 22 straight until week 8 in 2010 against Archbold. If you take the first win of the streak (week 7 2002) to the last win of the last streak (week 7 2010), PH went 63-2 (.969) over these 8 years plus one game.

This is when PH excelled in the playoffs. PH was 23-9 over these 11 years and made the playoffs 11 straight years from 2002-2012. In first round games during this time PH was 9-1 with their only loss a 52-49 loss @ Fairview where PH scored with under 2:00 to play to take the lead and Ryan Radcliff led Fairview to the winning score with under 30 seconds to play. PH was 8-1 in the second round with their only loss to Hillsdale in 2010 by a score of 48-41 with Hillsdale scoring with under a minute to play to win. In the regional finals PH went 4-4. In the final four PH went 1-3 with their only losses to MAC schools (St Henry 13-0 in 2004 in the monsoon, Marion Local 42-20 in 2007 when starting QB Tom Busch was injured with PH leading 20-14, and to Coldwater 35-24 in 2009.) St Henry and M.L. went on to win state titles and Coldwater was beaten by Urseline. During this time PH made the regional finals 8 of the 10 years.

From 2001-2013, PH had exactly one losing streak. That was in 2012 where PH lost to Bryan and Archbold in back to back weeks. The last time before that PH lost two regular season games in a row was in 2000 when it was a 3 game losing streak to LC, Evergreen and Delta. The only other losing streak since 1995 was in 1999 when PH lost to LC and Evergreen in back to back weeks.

Also, teams didn’t beat PH in back to back years very often. Since 1995, only four teams did it. LC (98,99,00,01), Delta (00,01,02), DSJ (02,03) and Bryan (12,13).

All of this was done while being one of the smallest teams in the NWOAL. All but a year or two PH was either the smallest or 2^nd smallest school in the league.

From 1996-2013 (18 years) only one team beat PH more than 4 times. That was LC with 7 (2 in the playoffs). 6 of those wins came from 1997-2001 as PH has won 14 of the last 15.

PH was dominant in their regular season non-league games going a 36-7 (.837) in these games.

The combined records of the first 3 coaches over the first 21 years of the program was 97-104-7 (.483), with 8 winning records (10 losing), I believe 2 NBL titles, and one playoff berth. Compared to Coach I in 23 years, 200-64 (.758), 19 winning seasons (only 2 losing seasons), 18 consecutive winning seasons, 10 NWOAL titles (record 8 straight) and 14 playoff berths (all in the last 18 years).

It has been a pleasure to work with him all 23 of these years. He will be missed.

[several]

Sorry about the font. Pasted from another document and didn't know it would be so small.

[Corleone]

Truly the end of an era. Sorry to see him go, but at some point all coaches have to make the decision of "when". He's young enough that he could come back a few years down the road (someone would be glad to hire him) if he misses it too much.

[Bluetiger76]

Josh, Several.......interesting info. Figured you guys would get the early scoop.

It will be interesting to see what direction PH goes. A very successful program.

[jack crabbe]

I firmly believe he "coached up" the players in his program as well as any coach in the area over his time as head coach of the Patriots. He had a way of getting his players to buy into his program. Many a game over the years that Patrick Henry beat opponents with more individual talent but maybe not the same team chemistry...And loved how his offense could be "dialed in" to take advantage of his players talents and strengths year-to-year. May be no better example of that than two of his qb's, Zack and Luke George. Two brothers who brought distinctly different skill sets to the position. The brothers each started two years at the position with a 4 season overall record of 53-3...Coach I will be sorely missed. He along with his brother Greg, Dave Krauss and the late Rick Schwiebert are the authors of the golden era of sports at Patrick Henry.

[daaa browns]

I wonder if PH can continue it's dominance with him gone...

[oberhaus]

It'll be tough with the low numbers. But the right man hopefully could.

[jeffcat-bucki]

Well, DJ certainly chose 2 great years to play PH in 2004 and 2005. Talk about total domination. Inselman always seemed like a class act though and so did the PH fans and players.

[RWB 71]

Coach Inselmann were be greatly missed and set a high bar for all future PHHS coaches. He is a class act that taught his player much more than just the game of football and his famous interpretation of the West Coast Offense.

[several]

Coach I was a better man than he was a coach. He helped mold and mentor many kids. The thing I like the most about him is his humility and class. Whenever he won, it was always about the kids. Even when he got to 200 wins, he credits the kids, the coaches and the community more than himself. I think his record speaks for itself and there is a reason he received the moniker "Top Dog". And when he lost, he always gave the other team credit. Even when his team might not have performed its best, or a break didn't go his way, he always gave credit to the other team. That is what made him so great.

[RWB 71]

Patrick Henry hired Leipsic’s head coach Joe Kirkendall as P.H.’s new head football coach. Coach K. was an assistant coach at P.H. for 4 years prior to being head coach at two BVC schools with an overall record at Leipsic of 52-16 including making the playoffs in each of the 5 last seasons.
Great choice by PH for a number of reasons, some of which are:

1. Coach K. is returning to "where it all began for him" as a player in a program on it's way upward.
2. Coach K. also coached there and is familiar with the program.
3 Coach K. knows many of the families and active athletic boosters.
4. Coach K. brings a legacy of competitiveness and winning ways of his own to the program, supplementing that of Coach I.'s tradition.

[dw629]

RWB 71, on 15 January 2014 - 09:26 AM, said:

Patrick Henry hired Leipsic’s head coach Joe Kirkendall as P.H.’s new head football coach. Coach K. was an assistant coach at P.H. for 4 years prior to being head coach at two BVC schools with an overall record at Leipsic of 52-16 including making the playoffs in each of the 5 last seasons.
Great choice by PH for a number of reasons, some of which are:

1. Coach K. is returning to "where it all began for him" as a player in a program on it's way upward.
2. Coach K. also coached there and is familiar with the program.
3 Coach K. knows many of the families and active athletic boosters.
4. Coach K. brings a legacy of competitiveness and winning ways of his own to the program, supplementing that of Coach I.'s tradition.

Question what happens if Coach K Misses the playoffs the first 3 or 4 seasons? Will the PH faithful get impatient? Since 2002 PH has made the playoffs each year but last season and still went 6-3 and barely missed.

[RWB 71]

Since the numbers and overall talent may be down for a while, I'm hoping fans give J.K. some latitude in that regard.