Crabel promises changes at Burlington Central
Rich Crabel says you can expect some changes on Rocket Hill this fall.
Crabel, who has been around the Burlington Central football program since 1999, was named Friday as the Rockets’ new head coach.
Crabel replaces Aaron Wichman, who stepped down after seven years. Wichman was 34-35 in his tenure. The Rockets’ last winning season and playoff appearance was in 2007.
Crabel was Central’s defensive coordinator from 1999-2005 and from 2009-2010. He coached at Byron in 2006 and 2007 when his son played for the Tigers then came back to Central as freshman coach in 2008. He was also the head coach at Genoa-Kingston from 1994-97 with a record of 9-27. He also was a linebackers coach at Eureka College, his alma mater, for one season.
Crabel’s first tenure at Central was also the program’s best run in school history. Coaching under Dave Smith, who is now the head coach at Mt. Zion in southern Illinois, Crabel helped lead the Rockets to a 35-10 record between 2000 and 2003 and two trips to the state quarterfinals.
“We’ll take the things that have been good and make them better,” Crabel said. “We’re going to make some changes offensively and we’ll probably throw the ball a little more. We’re in the hallways right now and in the process of getting the kids into the weight room and we’re going through the process of assembling a (coaching) staff. My No. 1 goal is to get my staff set.”
Crabel was chosen from approximately 25 applicants and the fact he’s a teacher at Central made it an easy choice to hand him the football program. Crabel teaches business and physical education.
“We had a lot of great people we just don’t have any teaching openings,” said BC athletic director Steve Gertz. “But Rich stood out because of his experience and his rapport with the kids. He’s very respected by the kids and within the community. He has great Xs and Os knowledge and he was exactly what we were looking for. He has a great knowledge of the conference and I think he’s the guy who can turn the program around the quickest.”
The Rockets were 3-6 overall this past season and 3-2 in the Big Northern East. They lost several key players to injury, including senior running back Tim Maroder in the opening game of the season.
“Our first concern will be to fill some spots on the offensive line,” Crabel said. “We had a lot of seniors on the O-line.
“We were pretty young defensively and the majority of those kids will be back so we should be solid defensively.”
Crabel said having a seasoned quarterback returning in Ryan Ritchie, who started this past season as a sophomore, will be a bonus but he said the position will be open for competition.
“It’s nice to have his experience but we have two other kids who will fight it out with him for the position,” Crabel said. “And we’ll use a fullback in our offensive system now and we’ve got a number of kids who will go after that spot.”
Crabel expects the current junior class to turn into the leaders of a football resurgence on Rocket Hill.
“I coached all of next year’s seniors when they were freshmen,” Crabel said. “Our senior class next year should be full of leaders.”
And many of them, as well as possible future assistant coaches, were responsible for Crabel’s decision to seek the job.
“Before the interview process began I talked to kids and to potential staff and they gave me the confidence that told me I should go through the interview process,” he said.
Crabel graduated from downstate Illinois Valley Central High School in Chillicothe in 1981. He has also coached wrestling, track and baseball in his career.
“Coach Crabel has built a solid resume through experience in great programs and has a plan to bring this experience to build a winning program at CHS,” said Gertz. “Central High School is excited and honored to have such a strong leader as our new head football coach.”