|
|
|
Steve Lian had plenty of memories during his football career at Pittsford and Kenyon College. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he thought of himself as a head coach.
As an offensive coordinator at Pittsford though Lian quickly realized he could run a program. This fall he will take the next step in his football career.
Lian was named head football coach at Brighton this offseason. Lian, who teaches at Twelve Corners Middle School, was the offensive coordinator for the Barons last fall after running the junior varsity team during the 2010 season.
“(In 2006) I started thinking about being a head coach and if I ever became a head coach I knew it would be (at Brighton),” said Lian, who started his teaching career at the Council Rock Primary School.
“It’s not a lot different than when I started here. It has been a pretty seamless transition for the players.”
Lian coached with the Pittsford program for 10 years before moving to Brighton. He worked with plenty of talented offensive players including former Harvard running back JB Monu and current North Carolina tight end Sean Fitzpatrick.
Lian credits former Panther head coach Fred Ricci and current program leader Keith Molinich as his biggest coaching role models.
“I draw on stuff I learned from them and a lot of what we are doing here is taken right from there blue print of how they built things,” Lian said.
Lian is hoping to also utilize a similar offense to the one he ran at PIttsford, which featured a balance between the run and pass. Last fall the Barons ran a hurry-up offense mostly out of the shotgun.
Running back Devan Carter, who is being recruited by several Division I colleges including Syracuse and Rutgers, will be an integral part according to Lian.
“He is going to push for the best,” said Dynell Heath Jr., a running back and strong safety, about Lian. “He doesn’t want you to slack; hard work is what he is about.”
Lian’s biggest focus this offseason has been getting the players in better condition for the regular season. He has worked with school officials to upgrade the school’s weight room, and you can find him and several of his players working out every day after school.
He is also working closely with the talented Brighton Junior Barons youth program, where three teams won district titles this fall.
Steve Lian had plenty of memories during his football career at Pittsford and Kenyon College. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he thought of himself as a head coach.
As an offensive coordinator at Pittsford though Lian quickly realized he could run a program. This fall he will take the next step in his football career.
Lian was named head football coach at Brighton this offseason. Lian, who teaches at Twelve Corners Middle School, was the offensive coordinator for the Barons last fall after running the junior varsity team during the 2010 season.
“(In 2006) I started thinking about being a head coach and if I ever became a head coach I knew it would be (at Brighton),” said Lian, who started his teaching career at the Council Rock Primary School.
“It’s not a lot different than when I started here. It has been a pretty seamless transition for the players.”
Lian coached with the Pittsford program for 10 years before moving to Brighton. He worked with plenty of talented offensive players including former Harvard running back JB Monu and current North Carolina tight end Sean Fitzpatrick.
Lian credits former Panther head coach Fred Ricci and current program leader Keith Molinich as his biggest coaching role models.
“I draw on stuff I learned from them and a lot of what we are doing here is taken right from there blue print of how they built things,” Lian said.
Lian is hoping to also utilize a similar offense to the one he ran at PIttsford, which featured a balance between the run and pass. Last fall the Barons ran a hurry-up offense mostly out of the shotgun.
Running back Devan Carter, who is being recruited by several Division I colleges including Syracuse and Rutgers, will be an integral part according to Lian.
“He is going to push for the best,” said Dynell Heath Jr., a running back and strong safety, about Lian. “He doesn’t want you to slack; hard work is what he is about.”
Lian’s biggest focus this offseason has been getting the players in better condition for the regular season. He has worked with school officials to upgrade the school’s weight room, and you can find him and several of his players working out every day after school.
He is also working closely with the talented Brighton Junior Barons youth program, where three teams won district titles this fall.
“He had a feel from the community and understood their expectations,” said Fritz Kilian, Brighton athletic director. “He has a good idea of what needs to be improved, and it is things they are currently doing.”
Lian and the current crop of players hope to turn around one of Section 5’s most downtrodden programs. The Barons haven’t qualified for sectionals since 2007 and their last winning season came in 1999.
Brighton avoided their second straight winless season last fall when they defeated Bishop Kearney in their season finale. Combined, the Barons have only two wins the previous three years.
“I am very confident about the talent level we have here, especially with our youth football program being there for four years,” Lian said. “We have families who understand the commitment to the sport. That next step to bridge the gap is to improve our strength and conditioning.”
