Veteran coach Don Phillips ready to lead Rochester’s resurgence

By: Brennan Valladares
Thursday, August 21, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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It had been over 40 years since Don Phillips was calling plays from the sidelines for the Rochester Rams.

But after championship head coach Gene Matsook retired in December, Phillips was chosen to lead the Rams once again, and hopefully back to their championship ways.

“We want to succeed,” Phillips said. “We want to win games, and we’re going to do everything we can humanly possible to do that. … (The football program) was down last year. OK, that’s over and done. That’s in the past. Now let’s get it back where it belongs.”

The Rams — one of the winningest programs in Class A history with eight WPIAL titles and three PIAA championships — took a step back last season, going 3-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big Seven Conference. While Phillips plans on resurrecting the program to the standard set by Matsook, he knows it will be a process, beginning with fielding players.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how many players I’ll have,” Phillips said.

“Right now, there’s a lot of kids who are, I’ll just say, trying to decide if they want to play football or not. … I hope I have 20 players.”

Of those 20 players, Phillips is expecting to have six returning seniors, among whom is all-conference offensive lineman Lucas Pearce.

“I’m looking forward to coaching Lucas this year, because what he has shown us so far and through this winter and spring and now in the summer, he works very hard,” Phillips said.

“The thing that Lucas brings is a level of intensity that you need to have to play the positions that he plays. … And we’re expecting big things out of him this year to not only anchor that offensive line but also anchor the defensive line and help bring the other kids along. But Lucas has a sense of passion for the game that he just wants to get out there and show everybody that he can be one of the best in the conference. And there’s no doubt in my mind he has that ability.”

Joining Pearce as a member of the senior leadership is quarterback Patrick Bable. While Bable is expected to start because of his experience, sophomore Braeden Siget will also get reps under center. The sophomore — who filled in for Bable following the senior’s hand injury last season — threw for 140 yards and one touchdown in 2024.

“… We feel pretty good at the quarterback position,” Phillips said.

“Not only do we have two quality kids there, but it does provide the depth to help us, you know, stay competitive because Braden has worked very hard and has shown a lot of skill, a lot of talent at the quarterback position.”

Even though all three will be key starters, Pearce, Bable and Siget will be playing multiple positions just like the rest of the team.

“We’ve been doing a lot of conditioning, because we know our numbers are small, so we’re going to have to be in shape for 48 minutes,” Phillips said, “and a lot of these kids are going to have to play both ways and special teams and all that sort of thing.”

For instance, while Bable is in at quarterback, Siget will flank him on the outside and vice versa. Up front, Pearce will be jumping around the offensive and defensive line, from center to tackle, and from guard to defensive tackle.

Other notable returnees who will be pulling double duty are seniors Lennon Miller (OL, DL) and Tommy Henry (HB, MLB), along with juniors Jason Clinton Jr. (HB, MLB) and Kaiden Merz. Miller, Henry and Clinton Jr. should primarily bolster Rochester’s defense, while Merz’s speed and quickness could be valuable on both sides of the ball.

In terms of new faces, two freshmen Phillips called out were Nico Williams and Michael Buckenheimer. Williams will most likely be positioned on the offensive and defensive line. At the same time, Buckenheimer might get some time at running back and outside linebacker.

The process of rebuilding Rochester into the powerhouse it once was began in February. While that won’t happen overnight, Phillips is looking to improve on last year with a group of players who want to be a part of Rochester football, even if there are only 20 of them.

“I’m excited to be there,” Phillips said. “It’s a great community. Of the kids who play, they want to play. They have talent. And the good thing, like I said, this senior group is pretty unified. Even though there’s only a handful of them, they’re pretty close to each other, and I know they want to succeed, and they want to turn this program around.

“… We want to make sure we’re competing and being in every game for four quarters, that’s why we’re doing a lot of things with conditioning, because we don’t have a lot of numbers, and we know late fourth quarter we’ve got to be strong just to keep being competitive.”

Rochester

Coach: Don Phillips

2024 record: 3-7, 3-3 in Class A Big 7 Conference

All-time record: 696-433-54

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 7

8.29 at Freedom, 7

9.5 Western Beaver, 7

9.12 Neshannock*, 7

9.19 at Laurel*, 7

9.27 at Summit Academy*, 12:30

10.3 Shenango*, 7

10.10 at Cornell, 7

10.17 Northgate*, 7

10.24 at South Side*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Braeden Siget

16-30, 140 yards, 1 TD

Rushing: Antonio Laure*

86-499 yards, 7 TDs

Receiving: Jayvin Hemer

3-45 yards, 1 TD

FAST FACTS

• Don Phillips was the head coach of Rochester from 1982-84. He has nearly two decades of coaching experience at the high school level, and recently left his assistant coaching job at Geneva, where he was the quarterbacks coach.

• From 2000-04, Rochester won four WPIAL titles, including three straight to start the century.

• Gene Matsook was the head coach of the Rams from 1999-2024. He was an assistant for 14 years before that. His resume boasts over 300 wins, seven WPIAL titles and three state championships as an assistant and head coach.

Tags: Rochester