The Park Hills Central Rebels had another outstanding season in 2020, going 8-2 overall. This is nothing new though as the program went 93-32 in the previous decade. Led by long-time Head Coach Kory Schweiss, the Rebels have a long history of excellence and should be a formidable opponent once again this season. Ameritime Sports caught up with Coach Schweiss and asked him five burning questions about his success, the team’s future and the Park Hills community.
1. Your Rebels were outstanding last season, losing only two games, and are consistently one of the more dominant programs in your class on this side of the state. Is there a secret to your success or is it simply hard work, talent and motivation?
The big secret is to build relationships with your staff and players. When we started prioritizing things correctly, we started winning. We have a motto at Central to ‘put it in HIS hands’. We have to work hard and prepare, but ultimately God is in control. We have to understand this and build relationships, and the winning just seems to follow (even though we’d like to win a little more).
2. Being a Head Coach has to be an emotional rollercoaster rife with peaks and valleys, but certainly generates incredible memories year after year. Was there a specific highlight from 2020 that stood out to you?
Yes, there are definitely peaks and valleys. As I grow older as a coach, the peaks get higher and I don’t notice the valleys as much. Again, that’s because success for me now is different than it was a decade ago. We used to measure success as wins, and now we view success as a lasting relationship with each group of men that comes through. With all of that being said, a lot of people would look at the Farmington win as the biggest highlight of 2020, but I thought every day that we got to learn something new about our players was a highlight. Way too many to mention just one, but I will say that going to weddings of former players is always a huge highlight for me.
3. Each season every schedule is difficult in its own way, and every team is a threat, but are there any standout games in 2021 that will pose a significant challenge?
I’d say that most people will look at our schedule and pick out 3 games. In Week 2, we play one of the best teams in the state in any class in MICDS. This will be a tremendous challenge for us. In week 6, we play Ste. Gen. This game usually is for a conference championship and SG will be really good this year. Our guys will look forward to this one. In week 9, we end with Farmington, a top team in class 5 and county rival. This one should be really fun!
4. What are your expectations for this 2021 season, and do you envision success in a tough and competitive division?
Our expectations are to grow our relationships, and while doing this we plan on winning a lot of games. This is our expectation because the groups that came before have laid the groundwork. We just try to follow the template and try to build on it. We want to win as many championships as we can while growing as better young men in the process.
5. How instrumental is the Park Hills community in what Rebels Football accomplishes as a program?
Our community is definitely not as large as most, so many of our community members and businesses are connected to someone on the team. We have a really tight community and I feel fortunate to have been coaching here for over 20 years. I hear horror stories from other coaches across the area, and my staff and I feel fortunate to have a great administration and community to support us.
The strategy of building relationships coupled with good old fashioned hard work has proved to be a winning formula for Coach Schweiss and his band of Rebels. As the program continues to excel year after year don’t expect a deviation from that plan in 2021. The future continues to look bright for this talented group led by their calculated, caring and determined Head Coach.
Good luck, Coach. And good luck to your Rebels.
