Coaches with Kate: Mr. Kubit
By Kate Becker
Kate: I’m here today with Coach Kubit, the head football coach. So I have a few questions for you, Coach. First of all, how did you get into coaching? And have you coached any sports other than football?
Coach Kubit: Yeah, I got into coaching in 2000, I’m a 1998 grad of Trinity High School, and part of being a teacher was the reason why I went into coaching. I’ve coached football since 2000 and I’ve also coached basketball and baseball
Kate: Then who would you say are your biggest coaching influences? And what have you taken away from them?
Coach Kubit: My biggest coaching influence is probably my best friend, Jerry Schuplinski. He gave me my first opportunity. He’s currently coaching with the Los Angeles Rams. And then my other mentor is probably Mr. Tony Schuman, who is the director of advancement here at Padua Franciscan. And the main thing I’ve taken from them is just to be a leader of men.
Kate: That’s great. If you could change one rule in high school football, what would it be and why?
Coach Kubit: That’s a good question. If I could change one rule in high school football, it would probably be the targeting rule. I know it’s for player safety, but I think at times we’re over cautious on that role. And second of all, I would probably eventually, as much as it would pain me, institute instant replay.
Kate: Yeah, those would both be good. And then if you could coach one football player, college or pro? Who would it be and why?
Coach Kubit: Tom Brady, just because I think he’s the goat, obviously. And I just think not only on the football field, but he’s an inspiration off the field. So it’d be amazing just to coach him for one day.
Kate: That’s a great answer. And then more to how this season has been. How would you say this season’s gone so far? What are some things that have been good, and then things that have been worse?
Coach Kubit: I think the season’s been a success. Obviously, we’re, you know, heading into the second round of the playoffs this week. I think, you know, in the early part of the season, we were still trying to figure out who we were, and then as the season’s gone on, probably the last five weeks or so, we figured out who we are as a team, and you’re seeing it. You saw it last week in round one against Midview, and hopefully you’ll see it this week in Round Two against Buckeye. As far as the bad, there’s nothing really bad that has gone on probably this season. The one thing I think we’ve struggled with is consistency, and not only in our gameplay, but in the way we practice. And I think, you know, we’ve probably figured that out the last three weeks.
Kate: That’s great and then how have you been preparing for the playoffs versus the regular season?
Coach Kubit: For the preparation, we try to keep everything consistent. You know, football is a sport of habit, but the one thing we’ve probably done a little bit more of these last two weeks is we’re just loose. You know, we’ve had the same style of practices now going on 12 weeks. But you know, our coaches are loose. Our players are loose. As coaches, we’ve probably put in another 10 hours over the weekend that we normally wouldn’t have, just because we know it’s win or go home.
Kate: Oh, wow, yeah, that’s so true, though. Who have been some of the main leaders and biggest contributors on this team this year?
Coach Kubit: Probably just this entire senior class. You know, we have 16 seniors, and they’ve been 14 out of the 16 you’ll see out there every Friday night, not that the other two don’t play. They’re an integral part of our success also. But I would just say the senior class is leading our juniors and sophomores.
Kate: That’s great to hear. Would you say there are some promising underclassmen?
Coach Kubit: Yeah, you know, we’re very excited for our junior class to be seniors and then also excited for our sophomores and freshmen. This freshman class is truly the first class that we were able to bring in during my first year, which was last year, as far as the word recruiting goes. So you know, we found a collection of boys in that freshman class that we knew would be great fits, not only in the Padua football program, but in the Padua community.
Kate: Yeah, that’s really awesome. How do you see the future of the football program going?
Coach Kubit: I see the future going well, you know, next year, we’ll be playing in a new conference, so that’ll be exciting. But I see our numbers growing, and I just see our culture being instilled on an everyday basis,
Kate: That’s perfect. I can’t wait to see where the program goes. Here are some more fun questions for you- What has been the best moment of the season so far?
Coach Kubit: The best moment was probably the six wins. There’s nothing like opening week one and getting an opening night victory. Because, you know, after those Saturday nights, games are played for week one half the state of Ohio is 1-0. Half the state’s 0-1. So it’s nice to be on the upper half of that.
Kate: Oh, yeah, for sure. And then are you a big NFL fan? And if so, what does your NFL player Mount Rushmore look like?
Coach Kubit: Yeah, I’m a big NFL fan. That’s a good question. Bill Belichick would be on it. Tom Brady too and probably Rob Gronkowski. Patrick Mahomes would be on there. He’s legit, just so he doesn’t break all of Brady’s records. And probably Ray Lewis.
Kate: Cool! And then to close, do you have any shout outs you’d like to give?
Coach Kubit: Just a shout out to all my players and the coaching staff and, you know, probably the biggest shoutout goes to the Padua community for all their support, you know from 8-2:30, and then every Friday night in the stands.
Kate: Thank you so much for doing this, and good luck at the game on Friday!
GO BRUINS!!!!
