Sterlecki seeks improvement on various levels for PHS football

By: Bob Nuse
   Ray Strelecki knows the first place people will look in order to see if the Princeton High football program is improving is the won-loss record.
   But as a coach, he knows improvement doesn’t always mean more wins.
   "We had 21 guys go to the Princeton University football camp this summer, and we only had three go last year," said Strelecki, who will begin his third season as the Little Tigers’ head coach when Princeton hosts Steinert on Saturday. "Right there, that says a lot. There was also more of a commitment to lifting during the off-season. It’s still now where I’d like it to be, but there was an improvement.
   "I think we’re moving in the right direction. But at some point we have to show it on the field and win some games. You can’t keep going 0-10 and 1-9 . You can’t last too long with those kinds of records."
   After going 0-10 in Strelecki’s first season, Princeton went 1-9 last year with a win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North. This year, Strelecki would like to see the program’s improvement show on the field.
   "We look better, but we still have a long way to go," said Strelecki, a former assistant at Princeton University. "The attitude is better and the off-season work was better. But we’re still not close to where it should be. Our numbers are still not good. We have about 30-32 guys with the sophomores, juniors and seniors. That’s probably less than we had last year.
   "But we’ve had to tighten the screws down and some of the guys didn’t want to deal with it. I think the guys that we have here all want to be here and play the best football they can."
   Princeton has 25 players in its freshman program, which is a good number at this point. He’s hoping that the improved overall attitude rubs off on the younger players and translates into a better all-around program.
   "We’re definitely better, but I don’t know how that will that translate into the wins and losses," Strelecki said. "We had a couple of good scrimmages and we did better than we did last year. But we’re still not where we should be to be a 9-1 team.
   "We have a core of kids that want to play football. I’m hoping that we can win five or six games, which I think is possible for us. I think we can be competitive against most of the teams we play."
   Strelecki finds himself in a bit of a Catch-22 situation at Princeton. There are players that could help the team win who don’t come out for the team because it losses. But if those players decided to play, it would mean a better chance to win games.
   "There are still kids out there that don’t play because it’s not cool to play football and they don’t think we’re good enough," the Princeton coach said. "I think we have a chance to do well. If we do, then maybe there are some kids out there that will become more interested in playing football at Princeton."
   As far as the players Strelecki does have, he’s been happy with their approach heading into the season.
   "These kids have worked hard," he said. "I like the attitude they’ve had in practice. We open up with a tough team in Steinert. On paper, they might be the best team we play all year. We’ll go out and do the best job we can."