ROTH RULES - Championships Keep On Coming

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The full text of “ROTH RULES - Championships Keep On Coming” by Dave Fegley, from the Vol 1 — Winter 2024 issue.

Southern Columbia, a small rural school district located near the middle of Pennsylvania, got off to a late start with establishing a football program compared to other well-known programs across the state that started many decades prior. After starting in the early 1960’s, up through the early 1980’s, there was a time when the Southern Columbia Area School District considered getting rid of the program.

There weren’t too many individuals interested in the sport, and the majority of those early seasons didn’t include many wins. Fast forward to present day, and Jim Roth has turned the Southern Columbia Tigers into (one) of the most accomplished programs across the state on the gridiron. Prior to Roth’s tenure, the program’s all-time record was 83-127-7. Since then, the wins just keep on coming. The 2023 season marks the 40th year that Roth has been the head coach at Southern Columbia.

In his first 39 seasons, Roth won more games than any other coach in Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) history. His mark entering this current season was an astounding 484- 67-2, and at the time of this article submission he is one victory away from winning a 14th PIAA state title which he already has twice as many as any other program in the Keystone State. Roth’s offensive system isn’t anything too flashy. It is all about establishing the run.

Roth Rules Pennsylvania High School Football Roth Rules Pennsylvania High School Football Southern Columbia Championships Keep On Coming

7 • We run the Wing-T with formations and man principles similar to Delaware Wing-T. • Three running backs / full back and two halfbacks, establish the run • Look to make big plays, off the run our passing game emphasis is play action throwing deep set up by the run • We play a 4-4 defense priority stopping their run.

• Special Emphasis=Very good Kickers, vital to high school football/set state records three con - secutive years in total points scored • Program=PLAYER MOTIVATION=ALL IN, from previous success, player participation in off-season, important key treating players with respect • Develop an effective coach/player relationship/be their coach not their friend • Don’t overload the playbook, get players comfortable so they can play faster, shorter more efficient practices.

• Goals=one step at a time, don’t look ahead, win each game, win playoff game, win state championship “We run the Wing-T, but like many high schools we have changed and adapted over the years. It’s not what you would consider the textbook Delaware Wing-T, but we use the formations and many principles from that traditional offense,” said Roth. When Roth began his tenure as the head coach, his offense featured a freshman running back by the name of Jerry Marks.

By the time Marks graduated, he compiled 7,075 rushing yards which at the time was the most in PA history. “We use a three running back system with a fullback and two halfbacks. We started running this formation in 1988 following Jerry’s graduation because we didn’t have a feature back to keep feeding the ball to,” said Roth. “Being a small school, it has worked well because you can be successful with smaller linemen due to the blocking schemes and misdirection in the system.

It also doesn’t allow your opponent to pinpoint just one guy to stop.” During the years, Roth has coached 26 rushers that have topped 2,000 career yards, 12 of which have run for over 3,000 yards, and four that amassed 7,000 yards. Gaige Garcia is the program’s record-holder with 8,232 yards and he is Pennsylvania’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (138) and total TDs with 159. Garcia’s younger brother Gavin is second in the state’s history with 122 on the ground and 143 overall.

“We ran the same type of system in junior high, and you just continue to get more and more comfortable as you move to varsity. Coach Roth does a great job of making sure that when someone makes a mistake, it is corrected. The assistant coaches are all onboard and the staff works together as a unit,” said Gaige. ROTH’s RULES

Although the Wing-T doesn’t look like the traditional spread offenses out there today, that are built around making big plays, Roth’s offense more often than not allows for someone to break off a splash play at some point in each drive. “We look to make big plays and we have been able to do that consistently over the years with outstanding backs. Some of our guys have set state records. Set up off of our runs, our passing game emphasis is play-action with throwing deep passes looking for the big play.

We look at the specific defensive fronts and determine which plays and formations will be the most successful with our running game,” Roth said. Even though the Tigers aren’t known for throwing the ball often, former SCA star Julian Fleming broke two of the major state records in receiving during his time as a Tiger. The 2-time PA Gatorade Football Player of the Year is Pennsylvania’s all-time leader with 5,481 receiving yards and 78 receiving touchdowns.

“You look at somebody like Julian, and how impressive his numbers were, but it’s even more impressive because of the fact that he didn’t touch the ball as often as standout receivers on other teams because of our offensive scheme,” said Roth.

“Then you add in the fact that he played his entire career with Gaige (Garcia) and two years with Gavin (Garcia), having multiple state record holders playing at the same time while sharing the ball is pretty mind-boggling.” Although the offensive statistics have been eye-popping and seemingly inconceivable, the Tigers have been outstanding on defense as well. “We play a 4-4 and our number one priority is stopping the run.

If you control the running on early downs, it makes the opponent’s offense more predictable which benefits our defense and makes it easier to call defensive schemes. Andy Mills has been my defensive coordinator throughout my entire tenure, and he does a great job every season,” Roth said. As the saying goes, “Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.” Over the course of Southern’s dynasty, the defense has lived up to expectations and finds ways to make stops in the largest moments.

“We have our base defense and then adjust accordingly. Some games we need to have a second safety on the field to operate against the pass. Other times, we will use different blitzing packages or alignments. From game to game, it is always different,” said Mills. “I watch a lot of films and our goal is to come in at the beginning of each week with the scouting report ready to go. Jim (Roth) is great to work with.

He trusts all the assistants and we put a lot of time in as a coaching staff to have gotten to the point to where our program is today.” The product on special teams in Southern’s performance has often become an overthought because of their dominance on both sides of the football, but the Tigers are always sound in the third phase of the game. Looking back just a couple of years, the Tigers etched their mark in Pennsylvania history when it comes to scoring points on special teams.

As absurd as it sounds, from 2017 to 2019 three different kickers from the same Southern program broke state records in consecutive years. In 2017, Elijah Hoffman connected on 102 of 104 PAT’s and was 13 for 15 on field goal attempts. Those 141 points are the most ever produced by a kicker in a season across the commonwealth. The next year, Ethan Dunkelberger broke Hoffman’s state record by making 105 extra points.

During Southern Columbia’s dominant 2019 state and national title run, Ethan Haupt made 118 extra points, which also set a national record according to NFHS. “Our philosophy is to be efficient with good coverage teams and creating some big plays with returns on special teams. We don’t get fancy with things like fakes or different formations. Having many

9 outstanding backs over the years, we have had a strong return game. We have also been blessed to have very good kickers which is something that is vital in high school,” said the 40-year veteran. Entering this season, the Tigers had won a record 13 PIAA state championships, earlier in November added to their record with a 31st District IV gold medal, and they added a 33rd conference crown earlier in the year. “Coach Roth has a very organized approach. Every practice there is a plan, and he sticks to it.

Some days there might be more of an emphasis on running routes and throwing the ball. Then, there are days where the focus is on blocking against a certain front. The same thinking goes with defense and special teams,” said Fleming who was the top-ranked wide receiver recruit in the country when he finished his Tiger days. “For the most part the practice weeks operate the same way.

There are just some additional details each week that are the primary focus to prepare for the upcoming opponent.” From 2002-2006, Southern Columbia won five consecutive state championships and last season the Tigers broke their own state mark with six PIAA championships in a row and they are looking for a seventh this upcoming Friday. “Previous success in the program serves to motivate the group each year.

From the players participating in the offseason work, our players come to realize that if they work hard and develop, we will find a place for them to contribute. Being honest, fair, and treating all players with respect I feel is most important in motivating athletes,” Roth stated. In three consecutive seasons from 2018-2020, Southern Columbia captured the High School Football America (HSFA) Small School National Championships.

In 2020, Roth’s program additionally was tabbed as the MaxPreps Small School Football National Champions. With three National Championships, Southern is tied with Berwick for the most of any program in Pennsylvania. George Curry, who Roth passed for the most coaching wins in state history, was the coach of the Bulldogs during all three of their National Championships which were given by USA Today in 1983, 1992, and 1995.

North Hills out of Pittsburgh won USA Today’s 1987 crown, and the “We have a dedicated coaching staff with several long-term assistants and many who were former players.”

10 now defunct Harrisburg Tech was selected in 1918 and 1919 by National Sports News Service as the only other school in the state to be named as the top team in the nation. “We have a dedicated coaching staff with several long-term assistants and many who were former players. We take an approach that is even keel and consistent. Focusing on developing fundamentals and staying consistent with offensive and defensive schemes, not trying to do too much, is something that we stress,” said Roth.

“Our in-season practices aren’t too long. We have a plan and stick to it. The goal is that we are mentally and physically strong for a long 16 game season which is the maximum number of games a team can play.” Starting with a regular season win in 2011, and continuing through the middle of the 2021 season, Southern Columbia set a state record winning 93-consecutive regular season games. During that run, Roth’s team rolled off 65 straight wins to lead the country at the time.

“You don’t want to be part of the team at Southern that doesn’t live up to the expectations in the program. The goal is to win every game, and the most important game to win is that final one in the state championship,” said former Tiger linebacker Cal Haladay who holds the school record with 474 tackles. In 2020, Roth was given the prestigious honor of the MaxPreps National Coach of the Year, adding another coaching honor to his overfilled list.

Coach Roth’s most impressive stat is his consistency of producing a winning program every year regardless of who comes and goes with graduation. Since his first season in 1984, the Tigers have not once had a losing season on the gridiron, and he has now taken that streak to 40 straight years. “I learned some work ethic and discipline from my high school coaches, but I developed most of my philosophy through my experiences of coaching at a young age.

I started my career on a staff with all young coaches, so I never had a veteran coach to learn from,” Roth claimed. To put that number of winning seasons into perspective, the NFL head coach with the longest streak of winning seasons all-time is former Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry with 21. “We have had consistency and continuity in the program over several decades. With the tradition of the program, players expect to win, and they don’t want to be responsible for a drop-off in success,” said Roth.

The fact that Southern Columbia has only ever had one player in the program’s history to be selected to the prestigious Big 33 game, is something that makes the sustained success that much more unfathomable. In recent years, there may have been a few more added to the list, but with their early enrollment into college they weren’t eligible to play in the game.

Henry Hynoski, a 2006 graduate of Southern Columbia, played in the Big 33 before going on to play at the University of Pittsburgh and then was the starting fullback for the New York Giants when they won Super Bowl XLVI. “You need to develop an effective coachplayer relationship with discipline. Be a coach to your players, not a friend.

11 “The attention to detail has always been something that sets the Southern Columbia coaching staff apart, and the adjustments that they make. I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship in college and then to make a career out of football in the NFL, but there is nothing quite like being a Tiger. The whole community is excited for football, and as a player you are motivated to make an impact on the program,” Hynoski said.

The SCA coaching staff’s impact on Hynoski helped lead him to become a coach after he retired from the NFL. After being a head coach at a nearby high school, he is now in his first year as the high school principal at Southern Columbia. “Once I graduated high school, it was always in the back of my mind to come back to try and make a positive impact,” said Hynoski. “I want to give back in a leadership role, and there isn’t a place that I would rather be other than my alma-mater.

Coach Roth and some of his assistants were a huge part in my decision.” Roth’s advice to other coaches involves having discipline and being efficient. “You need to develop an effective coach-player relationship with discipline. Be a coach to your players, not a friend. Be fair and try to avoid favoritism. Don’t do too much with X’s and O’s. You want your players to be more comfortable and play faster.

Shorter and efficient practices are more effective over the course of a season,” said the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Famer. Anyone that has been associated with any practices that have been conducted by Roth knows what the expectations are. “A well-run practice serves to condition so that by mid-season there isn’t a need to have extra conditioning. The routine eventually has the players prepared for the workload of a four-quarter game,” said Roth. “We continue to lift weights throughout the season.

Our goal is to be mentally and physically strong for the point in the season when it matters the most.” As for Roth’s overall goals with his coaching future, at this point he is taken it one step at a time and not looking ahead. “Our short-term goals have been the same for many years. We want to win every regular season game, each playoff game, and finish by winning a state championship. Fortunately, these are realistic goals in our program, and they have been for a very long time.

As far as long-term goals are concerned, at this point in my career I take it one year at a time with no plan for when I may decide to retire,” Roth said