MONROE - Toby Golembiewski is in his first season as the Monroe High School football coach and he's excited to kick off the season Friday.
Golembiewski has 26 years of coaching experience at the high school, youth and European semi-pro levels. For 16 years he was the head coach at Orangeville High School.
The last time the Cheesemakers made the playoffs was 2012, and Golembiewski will try to change that in his first season at the helm.
Monroe Times sports reporter Mark Nesbitt talked to Golembiewski about his career in football and his philosophy.
You coached football at Orangeville from 1996 to 2011. What similarities are there between Monroe and Orangeville?
Both Monroe and Orangeville are small schools playing in larger conferences. I think we live in an area where there are some hard-working people and kids. They have been raised by their parents to understand what hard work is. That is one of the similarities. I thought it would be much different, but it isn't. It's still just football. It's the same game when you go and watch the fifth-grade Blaze football team play.
What is your most memorable coaching moment?
From a high school coaching standpoint, one of the greatest victories was a first-round playoff game when I was at Orangeville in 2008 and we beat Dakota (20-7). We lost to Dakota in Week 6 and they were 29-0 and were coming off the 2A state championship the year before and we upset them in the first-round of the playoffs. I will never forget that one. My other memorable games are coaching my son's Blaze football team.
You were a football coach for the Arland Jets of the European football league while you lived in Sweden. How did that shape your coaching style?
When we were installing the offense there were some guys who had never seen a football game on TV. There was no other experience they could relate it to. It was a lot like coaching the fourth-grade Blaze football team. You had to go back to the fundamentals and break everything down. It makes it tough and hard to start from square one. I would recommend for anyone who starts out (coaching) to go back to that level.
Monroe has finished 4-5 the last two years and gone 6-0 in nonconference games and a combined 2-10 in conference games the past two years. How will Monroe get over the hump this season?
You only have the hand you are dealt. We have to get it done this year with who we have. This year we have a group of seniors, if we stay injury free, that can make a run in the conference and get into postseason play.
What is the biggest challenge coaching at smaller schools like Monroe that play in a conference like the Badger South with larger schools?
You can talk about the big enrollment schools all you want. The one thing you can control, is how hard you work. We will try to out work everybody.
Since you implemented a new offense - the wing-t - what can fans look for to see if the offense is being successful?
If you don't know who is running the ball then we are doing our job.
What is the biggest reward you receive from coaching?
I like to see when a kid gets it. You may have kids that are told they will not be a winner or are counted out and when they get it that is nice to see. What does the guy from "The A-Team" say? I love it when a plan comes together.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from coaching?
It will be to always maintain a positive approach and building good relationships with kids. People will want to work hard for you if you keep a positive relationship with them. We are really just part of the system raising these kids to be productive citizens. That is the No. 1 goal and the football part is secondary. If we can focus on those things we should have success.
What will make this season a success?
I like to take it one week at a time. If we can come out and play with maximum effort and execution and not have turnovers and play penalty-free and mistake-free football then I would call that week a success. In order to have record success and to get wins our attention to detail has to be spot on. That will put us in the running to win those close games.
Golembiewski has 26 years of coaching experience at the high school, youth and European semi-pro levels. For 16 years he was the head coach at Orangeville High School.
The last time the Cheesemakers made the playoffs was 2012, and Golembiewski will try to change that in his first season at the helm.
Monroe Times sports reporter Mark Nesbitt talked to Golembiewski about his career in football and his philosophy.
You coached football at Orangeville from 1996 to 2011. What similarities are there between Monroe and Orangeville?
Both Monroe and Orangeville are small schools playing in larger conferences. I think we live in an area where there are some hard-working people and kids. They have been raised by their parents to understand what hard work is. That is one of the similarities. I thought it would be much different, but it isn't. It's still just football. It's the same game when you go and watch the fifth-grade Blaze football team play.
What is your most memorable coaching moment?
From a high school coaching standpoint, one of the greatest victories was a first-round playoff game when I was at Orangeville in 2008 and we beat Dakota (20-7). We lost to Dakota in Week 6 and they were 29-0 and were coming off the 2A state championship the year before and we upset them in the first-round of the playoffs. I will never forget that one. My other memorable games are coaching my son's Blaze football team.
You were a football coach for the Arland Jets of the European football league while you lived in Sweden. How did that shape your coaching style?
When we were installing the offense there were some guys who had never seen a football game on TV. There was no other experience they could relate it to. It was a lot like coaching the fourth-grade Blaze football team. You had to go back to the fundamentals and break everything down. It makes it tough and hard to start from square one. I would recommend for anyone who starts out (coaching) to go back to that level.
Monroe has finished 4-5 the last two years and gone 6-0 in nonconference games and a combined 2-10 in conference games the past two years. How will Monroe get over the hump this season?
You only have the hand you are dealt. We have to get it done this year with who we have. This year we have a group of seniors, if we stay injury free, that can make a run in the conference and get into postseason play.
What is the biggest challenge coaching at smaller schools like Monroe that play in a conference like the Badger South with larger schools?
You can talk about the big enrollment schools all you want. The one thing you can control, is how hard you work. We will try to out work everybody.
Since you implemented a new offense - the wing-t - what can fans look for to see if the offense is being successful?
If you don't know who is running the ball then we are doing our job.
What is the biggest reward you receive from coaching?
I like to see when a kid gets it. You may have kids that are told they will not be a winner or are counted out and when they get it that is nice to see. What does the guy from "The A-Team" say? I love it when a plan comes together.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from coaching?
It will be to always maintain a positive approach and building good relationships with kids. People will want to work hard for you if you keep a positive relationship with them. We are really just part of the system raising these kids to be productive citizens. That is the No. 1 goal and the football part is secondary. If we can focus on those things we should have success.
What will make this season a success?
I like to take it one week at a time. If we can come out and play with maximum effort and execution and not have turnovers and play penalty-free and mistake-free football then I would call that week a success. In order to have record success and to get wins our attention to detail has to be spot on. That will put us in the running to win those close games.
