New plan
Uniontown grad Castor hopes to get Falcons back on track
Brownsville无毛视频檚 football program has struggled mightily in recent years and hasn无毛视频檛 had much stability at the head coaching position.
A year ago, the Falcons无毛视频� third as an independent, David Martin III began the season as coach and former coach Von Braddock stepped back in on an interim basis to finish it. The Falcons have thus had four head coaches in the last four years.
Cody Castor hopes to change all that.
The 2008 Uniontown graduate was recently hired as the newest coach at Brownsville.
无毛视频淚 think they无毛视频檝e dealt with a great bit of change,无毛视频� said Castor, a Penn State graduate who played four years with the Nittany Lions. 无毛视频淭hey haven无毛视频檛 had a lot of consistency. I无毛视频檓 hoping to bring that, and with that, improvement each year.无毛视频�
Castor has already met the players and began implementing his program.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e just trying to teach kids the right way to do things,无毛视频� Castor said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 all about our actions being intentional and forming great habits.无毛视频�
Castor has already seen interest in the football team rise.
无毛视频淧eople close to me and around me tell me it无毛视频檚 a situation where it无毛视频檚 going to take time to fix,无毛视频� Castor said. 无毛视频淏ut I intend to work hard to give them the best I can right away and they无毛视频檝e really taken well to that in the weight room.
无毛视频淚n my short time with the program we无毛视频檝e grown in the weight room. We started with around four kids who would stay after school and we无毛视频檝e had as many as 16 or 17 sometimes, probably a consistent group of about 12 this summer.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 trying to give those kids quality instruction, trying to share some of the lifting I did at Penn State with them. For example, not only doing the power lifting but also how to work mobility into it so as to get the most out of it, so you无毛视频檙e able to move your body and not just be strong.无毛视频�
Wins have been hard to come by for the Falcons. Brownsville was winless last season and had one win during the 2023 season under Skooter Roebuck to snap a 33-game losing streak.
Castor is confident he can get the program back on track.
无毛视频淚 am,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 think they like to learn. They无毛视频檙e really hungry kids who are excited for a good opportunity that stands in front of them. I think that无毛视频檚 helped to build more participation.无毛视频�
Castor has been working on communicating with the players.
无毛视频淲e talk before lifting and after lifting and we无毛视频檝e had some Saturday workouts where we try to come together and provide them with good messages,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭he goals of the program are to try to make really good men and good people, and then good football comes from that, people who care about their work, who are accountable and responsible. It无毛视频檚 not a whole lot of sexy talk, it无毛视频檚 just kind of old-school family, faith and football and trying to be competitive. Iron sharpens iron is another thing we无毛视频檙e trying to build into the kids.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been telling them they need to rise up, it无毛视频檚 time for them to stand up and represent the program and their community as best they can. We无毛视频檙e trying to put the things around them to support them as best as we can on our end of it.无毛视频�
Castor has already run into a few minor obstacles he无毛视频檚 worked around.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got our gym floor being remodeled right now so Coach Braddock is letting the kids use the West Brownsville gym so a thank you to him for that and for helping the program stay around with his efforts in transition last year,无毛视频� said Castor who has already lined up several assistant coaches.
无毛视频淚 have started to put my staff together. Bill Rouse, Jeremy Orie, Ken Silva, and I无毛视频檝e added some young names I无毛视频檓 really excited about. Amonti Marsh, who无毛视频檚 a Brownsville athlete, and Damani Stafford, are two, and Stephen Boone is going to remain on the staff. Nick Seto is going to help out with us also.无毛视频�
The 34-year-old Castor, the son of Christopher and Terri Castor, played on the defensive and offensive lines and at tight end for the Red Raiders under John Fortugna.
无毛视频淕reat man,无毛视频� Castor said of Fortugna. 无毛视频淗e showed me what it meant to be dedicated to coaching a group of young men and showing strength and toughness. He was quite often doing the workouts with us high school players, and just as well if not better than most of us. He definitely set a high standard.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 still very happy whenever I get to see him to this very day.无毛视频�
Castor, who played under the late Joe Paterno for three years and under Bill O无毛视频橞rien for one while with the Nittany Lions, got into coaching while he was at Penn State.
无毛视频淚 helped out at Penn State with spring ball after I graduated while I was student teaching,无毛视频� Castor pointed out. 无毛视频淚 coached at Berwick High School where I was teaching for the last 11 years prior to this year. I coached at the middle school and varsity level for probably a collection of five years.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e also coached three years at Bloomsburg University in the PSAC. That was a great experience. I spent time with the defensive line and one with the outside linebackers. That experience helped tremendously because not only are you looking at the position you无毛视频檙e coaching, you have to understand how every piece of it fits together. I see how that helped me grow and to learn more about defensive schemes of the game of football.
无毛视频淭his last year I volunteered with Laurel Highlands, so I无毛视频檝e got about nine years of coaching experience.无毛视频�
Brownsville will be Castor无毛视频檚 first head coaching job but he feels ready for the challenge.
无毛视频淭he last couple years I无毛视频檝e started to wonder if I无毛视频檇 be able to structure a whole program or not,无毛视频� Castor said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 now confident I can. I无毛视频檝e tried to put together the best resources and have good conversations with other people I无毛视频檝e coached with.
无毛视频淚 think we have a lot of the right information for these kids. It无毛视频檚 trying to bolster their confidence and support. I feel we have a lot of really good ideas ready to go and want to give them clear instruction.无毛视频�
Castor has felt welcome at Brownsville.
无毛视频淚nternally, I see a lot of amazing people,无毛视频� Castor said. 无毛视频淥ur superintendent Dr. (Kristin) Martin has been extremely helpful. Mr. (athletic director Jim) Barak has been very helpful also, communicating different things with me about the program to get me rolling. We无毛视频檝e had a lot of cooperation among the coaches. I无毛视频檓 actually going to be on Mr. (Joe) Hough无毛视频檚 coaching staff for the boys basketball team. Even the teachers have been very kind to me here.无毛视频�
The Falcons无毛视频� schedule for the upcoming season is still in flux but Castor hopes to play 10 games. Castor noted that one of those will be early in the season at Uniontown when, ironically, his dad will be honored and inducted into the Uniontown High School Hall of Fame as part of the 1975 Red Raiders WPIAL championship basketball team.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 sure that will be memorable,无毛视频� Castor said.
无毛视频淢y perspective is to put the kids in games they can be competitive in and to come out of them feeling they无毛视频檙e growing and competing and getting better. The more games the better for the kids in my opinion. What kid doesn无毛视频檛 like to play games? And also hopefully it gives some of them a chance to put some film of themselves out there if they decide they want to play at the next level.无毛视频�
Castor is determined to make the Falcons relevant in football once again.
无毛视频淭he goal is to change the perception of Brownsville,无毛视频� Castor said. 无毛视频淎s I try to ask these kids to be competitive, I无毛视频檓 going to be as competitive as I can be, too.无毛视频�