Unexpected move pays off for Redbank Valley
So much happened so fast for Frank Fabian.
Less than five months ago, Fabian, then the quarterbacks coach at Kittanning, was helping the Wildcats transition after the graduation of 1,100-yard passer Ross Harmon.
Now, Fabian, 31, is the man in charge of Redbank Valley, a District 9 program considered to be in a state of rebuilding after a 3-7 season a year ago. Last Friday, he guided the Bulldogs, who had three two-way starters return and 28 players on the roster this fall, to an upset win at Karns City, the three-time defending District 9 Class AA champion. That made Redbank Valley 2-0.
"We weren't sure what we were gonna get, and we've been pleasantly surprised here the first two weeks, especially Week 2," Fabian said.
Fabian's predecessor, Brandon Rapp, resigned in May after two seasons, and Redbank Valley initially planned to replace him with Ed Wasilowski, the Bulldogs' coach from 1997 to 2007. But hip replacement surgery in late June limited Wasilowski's availability, and Wasilowski knew Redbank Valley needed a coach who wouldn't let the offseason continue to slip away.
Enter Fabian, Wasilowski's former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
"I thought — and I turned out to be right — that he'd be a great football coach, even at that first meeting (in 2002)," Wasilowski said.
Wasilowski stayed on the coaching staff as the team's defensive coordinator. He said the thought of working for a former understudy never struck him as awkward or problematic.
"I know some guys might be worried about it if the guys they hire turn out to be better than them," Wasilowski said. "But I took the opposite view."
Kittanning coach Sam Panchik said he had no qualms with Fabian's decision to leave for a higher position. Panchik knew how well Fabian worked with players, both inexperienced and seasoned. He also knew Fabian was something of a local spread offense expert, a much sought-after person in this region of run-first football teams.
Fabian, a first-time head coach, and his assistants approached their wealth of first-time varsity starters with an open mind.
"We didn't set any type of long-term goals, which was kind of a first for me," Fabian said. "When we sat down and talked to the kids at the beginning of the year, we just talked day by day and week by week. What we're trying to get across to them is, you're gonna make mistakes. We understand that. Just make it at 100 mph. We'll live with it."
Fabian described himself and his coaches as facilitators rather than dictators. Four of the coaches are teachers, which is evident in how they operate on game night.
"I feel like our job is to coach the kids up all week," Fabian said. "Once Friday comes, it's time for us to step back and kind of let them do their thing."
