Academy of the New Church is coming off one their best seasons ever. They finished the 2018 season 10-0 and number one team in EasternPAFootball.com’s Class 1A rankings.
Head Coach Ty Klippenstein has been coaching for 7 years, and has a overall record of 31-33.
2012: 1-8
2013: 5-4
2014: 9-0
2015: 3-5
2016: 1-8
2017: 2-8
2018: 10-0
Q. What stood out about your team this season?
“What stood out was how much we improved our execution from the year before. We were basically the same team this year that only won two games the year before. We had one senior graduate and one transfer who ended up starting. (Being able to stay healthy this year helped.) We had a bunch of athletes and our QB did a great job distributing the ball to them and we had a bunch of willing and able blockers. On defense our d-coordinator did a fantastic job of limiting what our opposition could do. There was a commitment in the offseason to improve and it showed on the field. There was so much improvement across the board. The turnaround even surprised me.”
Q. What makes your staff great and how have they helped you throughout the season?
“I always say this about our staff: one of the great things about football season is that it gives me an excuse to spend time with some of the best men I know. These guys care about winning games, but they’re principally concerned with developing young boys into young men of character. We know football is merely a vehicle to teach important life lessons. That’s what this program (115 years old) has always been about.”
Q. How did your team impact your community this year?
“That’s a question I know less about answering. We’re a small community here and we, as coaches, are just trying to keep the game of football alive. We have a bunch of great kids who are on the team and who know there are much more important things than football, many of whom are part of our school charity organization.”
