Suburban One League: C.B. East raises bar

In late January, soon after leaving Quakertown to become the football coach at Central Bucks East, John Donnelly met with his new players at school.

He handed out a goal sheet to each player, talked about putting last year's 3-7 campaign in the rear-view mirror, and stressed accountability for anyone wanting to join him in rebuilding a once-proud program.

Accountability in off-season workouts. Accountability in believing in each other. Accountability in doing what it takes to contribute to a blue collar-type squad.

"Yeah, we needed to raise the bar in that area," Donnelly, 40, said. "That's the only way I know how to do things. And I could see these kids were for it. They were looking for some structure, discipline, and stability."

Tim Michael surprisingly resigned three games into last season. From there, the Patriots, collectively run by C.B. East's assistants, limped to the finish line.

"It wasn't a good situation," senior Tim Hughes, a two-way lineman, said. "There were four or five coaches who tried to take over. Every now and then, we got conflicting instructions. It's kind of hard when you can't look to one person for direction."

Enter Donnelly. At Quakertown, his no-nonsense approach helped the Panthers to a 42-43 record in seven seasons. Before that, he spent three years in charge of Southern Lehigh in Center Valley.

"John expects the best out of you," said Brian Hensel, coach of neighboring Central Bucks West, a Suburban One League Continental Conference rival. "That's his persona. He carries that with him onto the field."

Quakertown qualified for the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA tournament in each of the last two years, grabbing a No. 6 seed and posting a 9-3 mark in 2008.

"It wasn't an easy decision to leave," Donnelly said. "I wasn't looking for another job. From a football standpoint, everything was fine at Quakertown. Coming to C.B. East, which is only a seven-minute ride from my home, gives me a chance to spend more time with my family."

A few months after his hiring, Donnelly, a history teacher who has a master's degree from Lehigh, had to deal with the fuss many Central Bucks School District taxpayers made over his top-of-the-pay-scale salary. His teaching salary is nearly $102,000, with a coaching stipend of about $7,500.

"As a football family, we did not let it become a distraction," Donnelly said. "We moved on. And I can say that no one has approached me and said anything negative. Overall, it's been a good reception."

Zak Mysza is a 6-foot, 265-pound senior and two-way lineman for C.B. East. "Coach Donnelly has put forth a tremendous effort so far," he said. "I think the players are really responding to him. We've already made tremendous strides from last season."

Said the 6-4, 260-pound Hughes: "He knows how to get the best out of us. If you do something right, he's the first one to come over and say, 'Hey, nice job.' But if you do something wrong, he's the first one to get on you. That's a good thing. That's how you get better."

Donnelly, a tight end at New Hampshire and two-way end at Bethlehem Catholic, where he also served as punter, is installing a multiple-spread offense.

The Patriots, who averaged 13.7 points per game last season, are spurred on offense by two returning starters, tailback Justyn White, a 1,400-yard rusher, and quarterback Josh Bernard.

"Coach Donnelly wants us to be tougher, more physical," Hughes said. "I think we've bought into that."