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Central Grad Stein Building Maryland Grid Powerhouse

WHEELING — A torn ACL cut short Kurt Stein’s football playing days. The serious knee injury, however, has done nothing to hamper his career on the gridiron.

Stein is a 2000 Wheeling Central graduate, coached by the legendary Jim Thomas. Although his senior grid season was truncated due to injury, it didn’t extinguish his passion for the sport.

Stein was able to rehab his knee enough to play in the OVAC Rudy Mumley All-Star Charity Football Classic before heading to Marshall University. After picking up his Thundering Herd diploma, he landed a teaching and coaching position at Catoctin High in Maryland.

He coached six years at Catoctin, helping the team to the 2009 state championship in his final season at the school. His tenure at Catoctin opened the door of opportunity.

Stein, shortly thereafter, was hired as the first head coach at Oakdale High, consolidation of students from Linganore, Thomas Johnson and Urbana high schools. Oakdale is located about 45 minutes from Washington D.C. and currently has some 1,200 students in grades 9-12.

The first years, however, were tough sledding in building a program as Oakdale opened with only ninth and 10th grade students. Those infancy days have blossomed into a Maryland prep power.

Oakdale is 7-0 on the season, now in its eighth varsity campaign. The Bears are currently ranked No. 7 in Maryland in the state media poll and No. 1 by MaxPreps.

“The first few years were incredibly tough. The 10th graders that first year were placed in a new school. It was a tough adjustment for them,” Stein said. “We started playing a varsity schedule that second year with no seniors. We went 0-10 and then 2-8 in our second year.

“The third year we went 6-4 and just missed the playoffs. It was that season that I felt we finally turned the corner. We have won eight games every season since and we are now beating teams that used to push us around. It was a wonderful experience being able to build your own program. Now we are realizing the dividends.”

Oakdale made the playoffs last year, going 9-2, losing twice to the defending state champions. Stein lost nine first-team all-area performers from that squad but was still optimistic about 2018.

“We lost a great group from last year but we also welcomed back a solid group. We have four players with D-I offers and our quarterback has verballed to Kent State,” Stein, 38, said. “We have a 42-player varsity roster and they have really bought into the weightroom and the off-season work.

“Our jayvee team is really good as is our eighth grade team. Things are rolling now. We should be formidable for the coming years.”

Stein relished the opportunity of having played for Thomas.

“Coach Thomas was tough on us in practice. He rode us hard but was a great friend off the field. He would tutor anyone who needed help,” Stein offered. “He was a big influence on me as a person and a coach. I learned so much from him.

“After every win at Central all the players would hold their helmets up in the air and make a bunch of noise. Then Coach Thomas would come in, fist in the air and hammer his fist down and all the players would bring their helmets down with him and abruptly end the noise all at once. It was always one of my favorite things and felt like the last part to every win.

“When I started the program here, I took that from him, and we’ve done it for every victory in school history. The newspaper here refers to it as ‘Coach Stein’s customary flying fist pump after wins’ but it’s not mine, it’s his. And each victory for a moment I’m always reminded of Coach and Wheeling Central.”

Stein has proven he can establish a program, take it to a high level and maintain it while still being quite young, making him very marketable in coaching circles.

So what does his future hold?

“I see Oakdale as a career job. We have built a house here and my wife, Megan, is an elementary school principal,” Stein said “My mom and dad drive over to watch a lot of our games. This place has been great to me and my family.”

Kurt and Megan have two sons: Colt, 5, and Case, 1.

HIGH-FLYING FLYER

Jack Cook is doing big things for the University of Dayton football team.

The redshirt freshman quarterback — who has deep Ohio Valley roots — has been selected as the STATS FCS Freshman of the Week after authoring a record-setting effort in a 36-34 setback at San Diego. He completed 29 of 40 passes for a school-record 432 yards for four touchdowns while also rushing for a fifth.

Cook has completed 124 of 203 passes this fall for 1,722 yards and 13 TDs. He is also the Flyers’ second-leading rusher with 303 yards and four TDs. The 6-foot, 202-pounder ranks second in the Pioneer Football League in passing yardage (246 yards per game) and third in total offense (289.3).

Cook ranks second nationally in both categories among freshmen in the Football Championship Subdivision. Last week, he was named by STATS to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, presented each year to the top freshman in FCS football.

Cook starred at Seneca Valley High in Cranberry Township, north of Pittsburgh. His father, Scott, was a three-sport standout at Shadyside. Scott was a key performer for Coach John Stanko’s hoop squad that knocked off the state’s No. 2 rated team Garaway in the 1988 district tournament.

Jack’s grandparents are Pete and Joan Cook of Shadyside and Dr. and Mrs. James Newton. He is the former dean at OUE. Scott’s wife, Jenn, is a St. Clairsville native.

BUBBA’S BITS

∫ Iowa State’s defense was outstanding in shutting down WVU last weekend. The Cyclones’ defensive coordinator is Jon Heacock. He is a Muskingum University graduate. Heacock is in his third season in that position with Iowa State.

∫ Former St. John Central three-sport standout Emily Lemasters has been named girls’ basketball assistant coach at The Plains High School in Athens, Ohio. As a senior, she led the Irish hoopsters to a 21-4 record and a record 15th OVAC title.

∫ Meadowbrook product Josh Sills is enjoying a banner year in his second season as a starting guard at WVU. The 6-7, 330-pounder was named to the Pro Football Focus All-Big 12 Mid-Season Team. Sills and teammate Colton McKivitz were both tabbed to Pro Football Focus Team of the Week despite losing to Iowa State.

∫ Kudos to Martins Ferry AD Kim Appolloni and Shadyside AD John Triveri for agreeing to a football series. The Tigers and Purple Riders will meet in Week 1 of the 2019 season at Fleming Field, with Shadyside trekking to Ferry in 2020. It’s a great matchup of two storied programs. Appolloni took it a step further by adding Linsly to the Riders’ Week 2 card. Players want to play local teams. More schools should follow suit.

∫ Nick Bosa has received criticism for his decision to start prepping for the pros. It was a smart business decision for the injured Ohio State star. His playing season was over and he was going to enter the draft this April anyhow. So why not channel his immense talent toward the NFL?

∫Zach Collaros continues to pile up quality numbers for Saskatchewan in the Canadian Football League. The former Steubenville High QB great has completed 205 of 339 passes for 2,595 yards and nine touchdowns. The OVAC Hall of Famer has directed the RoughRiders to a 10-6 record, good for second place in their division.

∫ Quaker Valley improved its record to 5-4 on the season with a 49-0 rout of Hopewell Friday night. The Leetsdale, Pa.-based Quakers are coached by Ron Balog, a 1987 St. Clairsville High grad.

Bubba Kapral can be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonline.com

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