It’s an opportunity Jeff Puglio didn’t think he’d get again.
A year ago, Puglio, the head coach of Bradford High football, was chosen to coach in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star Game — a sister event to the famed Big 33 All-Star Game. However, because of the pandemic, he turned it down and eventually, the game was canceled.
Puglio moved on, but as it turned out, opportunity came knocking again. Bradford’s head coach was selected once again, and will serve on the Large School Division’s West team coaching staff.
The East-West Game was created as a way to feature more of the Keystone State’s athletes, since the Big 33 Game is pitted between 34 players each on teams representing Maryland and Pennsylvania.
“I got picked last year, too, but with everything going on with the pandemic, it wasn’t the right time for me to accept it. They didn’t end up having a game,” Puglio explained. “I never thought I’d get picked again, so after turning something down you thought you’d never see again then to get picked again is pretty special.
“I jumped all over the opportunity. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The games are set for Sunday, May 30 at Landis Field in the Central Dauphin School District. There will be a Large School Game (Classes 4A-6A) and a Small School Game (1A-3A). Since Bradford is a 4A school, Puglio will serve on the Large School staff, which is being led by Gateway coach Don Holl.
Gateway is a 5A powerhouse in the WPIAL (District 7), giving Puglio an opportunity to learn from one of the top coaches and programs in the state.
“They play big-time football, and he’s had a lot of success,” Puglio said of Holl. “I’m looking forward to learning and seeing how they run their program and being a sponge when we get down there.”
And that’s one of the things Puglio is looking forward to the most — the chance to learn from not just the coaches, but the players, too.
“I think I’m just looking forward to working with athletes that play in different parts of the state against different competition. I’m excited to see what they do and what I can learn,” Puglio said. “I’m sure whatever I can teach them, they’ll teach me just as much, if not more. I’m just looking forward to being a sponge, and it’s going to be a great experience to be around some really good coaches and players.”
And with those skill levels, Puglio says his approach won’t be so much to teach fundamentals as it will be to learn what the players are capable of during the practices and then put them in the right positions. However, the team’s roster and playbook haven’t been set yet.
“I’ll be curious to see where we match up with how we teach our players,” Puglio said.
As it turns out, Puglio isn’t the only area coach to be taking part, either. Warren High’s Mark Morelli will be assisting on the Large School West staff, too.
While the two are there, Puglio wants to get some publicity for the area’s teams.
“We have some really good teams top to bottom in District 9. It’s such a big geographic district… and I feel sometimes we get neglected,” Puglio said. “Anything I can do, and with Coach Morelli being from District 10, anything we can do to put a significant spotlight on our area is important.”
This isn’t the first time Puglio has coached in an all-star exhibition, either. Puglio and his Bradford staff headed up the Pennsylvania team in the last Big 30 Charities Classic, which was played in August of 2019. The PA squad settled for a 27-27 tie with its New York counterpart — just the third draw in series history.
Puglio hopes to draw on his experience from coaching in the Charities Classic as he heads to the East-West Game this spring.
“You’re focusing on guys that are playing one way, which is different for us (at Bradford). That was the biggest adjustment (in the Charities Classic) for me,” Puglio said. “I was focused on one specific part of the game, and not on everything at once.
“Where I fall in this, assuming it’s one side of the ball, I’ll get to spend time and put 100% of the focus on one area. You can focus in on that, specialize and it makes you better, because you’re not worried about different drills. You can kind of hone in on one aspect of the game.”
And while he’s at it, Puglio wants this to serve as a kickstart for his Owl program during the offseason, too.
“We’re starting our offseason stuff, so this for me is a kickstart for the Owl season, too, which is exciting,” he said. “It gets those competitive juices flowing earlier than normal, and our guys have been in the weight room working hard. A lot of younger guys are working hard. So it’s just a combination of it all, and I’m really excited to get back to work.”
