Windber's Katula is Thee ~ MAN ...
Posted: December 24th, 2005, 11:32 pm
Windber's Kotula is Thee~ MAN !!!
Windber’s Kotula: A halting presence
By MATT JORDAN
The Tribune-Democrat
Josh Kotula plays the most important position for one of the area’s best defenses.
And he plays it very, very well.
The junior from Windber led the area in tackles during the past season, racking up 156, including 111 solo stops, and earned his spot as The Tribune-Democrat’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“It means a lot,” said Kotula. “But I can still improve and get better for next year. The seniors this year were great and I learned a lot from them helping me out. The seniors, they made me better. The defensive linemen, both seniors and juniors, and players like Brenan Franchic really helped me out.”
Other finalists for the award included Ligonier Valley sophomore defensive back Brandon Boyd and Greater Johnstown junior defensive lineman Aaron Brezovic. It was a season with many different players excelling in several different defensive roles.
For the 5-foot-8, 152-pound Kotula, his success continued even after Windber was forced to switch schemes during the season.
“We’ve been running a 5-2 for quite a few years, and we’ve been very successful with it because we had a good middle guard and that’s where it starts,” said Ramblers coach Phil DeMarco. “But we had some injuries, specifically with Jason Mash, and we had to go to a 6-1 front. Our defensive line and defensive ends did a good job of keeping people off of (Kotula) and he just flourished in that 6-1 defense.”
Kotula was challenged by the change in roles, but grew to enjoy the added responsibility.
“It was a lot of pressure, but I was used to it from starting during my sophomore year. I knew that my defensive line would take care of me and it was fun to be able to go sideline to sideline. My coach, (Jeff) Slatcoff, helped me through it and we worked well together this year.”
For Kotula, it’s been quite a week. On Tuesday he was named to The Associated Press Pennsylvania Class A second team.
“It’s a credit to him and a credit to our defense,” said DeMarco. “It started last year as a sophomore, where he led the team in tackles. He has that knack. He’s aggressive and he’s quick and he likes to get to the football and hit people. When you have a kid like that, you can’t go wrong.”
Kotula isn’t the biggest player on the field but he provided nearly 19 percent of the tackles for a group that allowed only 88 points during a 10-2 season that concluded with a loss to PIAA runner-up Duquesne in the state quarterfinals.
He averaged nearly 13 tackles a game for the Ramblers, and in several instances, watched the latter stages of a game from the sideline as DeMarco substituted in his younger players during lopsided victories.
Against Duquesne, Kotula totaled 17 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and helped hold the high-powered Dukes offense to only two touchdowns.
Kotula also spent time on the other side of the ball, as the team’s second-leading rusher with 543 yards on 79 carries.
But it’s defense that he prefers.
“It’s all emotion and how bad you want to get to the ball carrier and make the play,” he said. “With defense it’s just raw: Go out there and hit someone.”
While Kotula looks forward to building on this success next year, he is also quick to look back at some of his football roots.
“I went to St. Benedict’s and my coach, Bill Newcomer, gave me the love for the game and started everything with me. And my grandpa, Nick Beckey, played offensive line for Windber. He was only 135 pounds and he is my inspiration, being a small guy and making things happen.”
"THE CHOPS".
Windber’s Kotula: A halting presence
By MATT JORDAN
The Tribune-Democrat
Josh Kotula plays the most important position for one of the area’s best defenses.
And he plays it very, very well.
The junior from Windber led the area in tackles during the past season, racking up 156, including 111 solo stops, and earned his spot as The Tribune-Democrat’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“It means a lot,” said Kotula. “But I can still improve and get better for next year. The seniors this year were great and I learned a lot from them helping me out. The seniors, they made me better. The defensive linemen, both seniors and juniors, and players like Brenan Franchic really helped me out.”
Other finalists for the award included Ligonier Valley sophomore defensive back Brandon Boyd and Greater Johnstown junior defensive lineman Aaron Brezovic. It was a season with many different players excelling in several different defensive roles.
For the 5-foot-8, 152-pound Kotula, his success continued even after Windber was forced to switch schemes during the season.
“We’ve been running a 5-2 for quite a few years, and we’ve been very successful with it because we had a good middle guard and that’s where it starts,” said Ramblers coach Phil DeMarco. “But we had some injuries, specifically with Jason Mash, and we had to go to a 6-1 front. Our defensive line and defensive ends did a good job of keeping people off of (Kotula) and he just flourished in that 6-1 defense.”
Kotula was challenged by the change in roles, but grew to enjoy the added responsibility.
“It was a lot of pressure, but I was used to it from starting during my sophomore year. I knew that my defensive line would take care of me and it was fun to be able to go sideline to sideline. My coach, (Jeff) Slatcoff, helped me through it and we worked well together this year.”
For Kotula, it’s been quite a week. On Tuesday he was named to The Associated Press Pennsylvania Class A second team.
“It’s a credit to him and a credit to our defense,” said DeMarco. “It started last year as a sophomore, where he led the team in tackles. He has that knack. He’s aggressive and he’s quick and he likes to get to the football and hit people. When you have a kid like that, you can’t go wrong.”
Kotula isn’t the biggest player on the field but he provided nearly 19 percent of the tackles for a group that allowed only 88 points during a 10-2 season that concluded with a loss to PIAA runner-up Duquesne in the state quarterfinals.
He averaged nearly 13 tackles a game for the Ramblers, and in several instances, watched the latter stages of a game from the sideline as DeMarco substituted in his younger players during lopsided victories.
Against Duquesne, Kotula totaled 17 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and helped hold the high-powered Dukes offense to only two touchdowns.
Kotula also spent time on the other side of the ball, as the team’s second-leading rusher with 543 yards on 79 carries.
But it’s defense that he prefers.
“It’s all emotion and how bad you want to get to the ball carrier and make the play,” he said. “With defense it’s just raw: Go out there and hit someone.”
While Kotula looks forward to building on this success next year, he is also quick to look back at some of his football roots.
“I went to St. Benedict’s and my coach, Bill Newcomer, gave me the love for the game and started everything with me. And my grandpa, Nick Beckey, played offensive line for Windber. He was only 135 pounds and he is my inspiration, being a small guy and making things happen.”
"THE CHOPS".