Howell Cory Davies recalled that in Derek Reichenbecher’s football playing days at Howell High School, he displayed all the traits of a coach. From his leadership to his preparation for games, Reichenbecher seemed the most likely to become a coach.
“We were always joking that he would come back and coach some day and take over the program,” Davies said.
That day arrived last week when the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education appointed Reichenbecher as the Rebels’ new head football coach.
Davies, who coached Howell for 21 seasons, resigned after the 2011 season and that paved the way for Reichenbecher, who had been the Rebels’ defensive coordinator, to take over the program.
“It is awesome to have him taking over the program,” Davies said. “We have always had a good relationship. He was always the choice (for head coach) in my mind. It makes the transition easier.”
For Reichenbecher, who has been the boys lacrosse coach for 10 years (a position he will give up at the end of the 2012 season), the time was right for him to make the total commitment to the demands that running a football program requires. It is something he and his wife, Sarah, discussed thoroughly before he decided to apply for the position.
“She’s on board,” he said. “I’m in the right place in my life. I’m ready for it. It’s a great opportunity.”
The Howell football program is now in the hands of someone with deep roots at the school. Reichenbecher starred as an offensive linemen and was a team captain in his senior year.
After playing football at Boston University, he returned to teach history at Howell. He has been an assistant football coach with a variety of responsibilities for 11 years, as well as serving as the head coach of the boys lacrosse teams. He bleeds Rebel blue and gray.
“Howell High School is a special place to me,” Reichenbecher said. “I went to Boston University and loved it there, but I always knew I was coming home.”
And he has come back to a program that has experienced unprecedented success in the last decade, with two trips to the Central Jersey state sectional finals, five state playoff appearances, two Shore Conference division titles and the 2007 Central Jersey Group IV state sectional crown.
Reichenbecher was present for Howell’s first gridiron renaissance under Davies in the mid-1990s.
“In my three years as a starter (1993-95) we won one game my first year, we went 4-5 the next season and we were 7-2 the following year,” he recalled. “We took something and turned things around.”
Reichenbecher believes Howell can turn it around again, although it will not be as dramatic it was in the 1990s. Although Howell was 4- 6 in 2011, the Rebels are just one year removed from the state playoffs. Howell is a program that has become accustomed to winning.
Reichenbecher credits Davies for helping him to get ready to be a head coach. He started out coaching the running backs and ended up as the defensive coordinator.
“Cory has a passion for football,” he said. “He helped me prepare for this position. I fulfilled a lot of different roles for Cory on and off the field.”
Davies said he was grooming his former standout to be a head coach by giving him a variety of positions and roles over the years.
“It gave him an overall feel for what goes on” in running a program, Davies said.
No matter what his role was, Reichenbecher did not take any shortcuts. He showed his commitment through his work ethic. The same characteristics that made Reichenbecher a good football player are what Davies said will serve him well as a head coach.
“He was a great senior captain,” said Davies. “He took charge. He’s well organized and well prepared.”
Because he has been the head coach of the lacrosse program, Reichenbecher knows what separates a head coach from his assistant coaches.
“The biggest difference being the head coach and the assistant is that it’s your decision,” he said. “It falls on your shoulders.”
Reichenbecher has met with Howell’s football players and is busy assembling his staff. Although kickoff for the 2012 season is months away, Reichenbecher already knows his first priority.
“We have to commit to getting bigger and stronger,” he said. “We have to have a renewed emphasis in the weight room.”