Competition. Character. Community.

Driven by these three words for the past 19 years, Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger is on the cusp of two decades of fulfilling his passion for Jim Thorpe football.With the retirement of Marian's Stan Dakosty, Rosenberger is the senior mentor of the area's high school gridirons at the young age of 44. Unlike a stereotypically arrogant and egocentric football coach, he speaks with gratitude and humility about having 15 winning seasons and just three losing records during a tenure that also includes five District 11 and two Eastern Conference playoff appearances. Two of his teams have been inducted into the Jim Thorpe Hall of Fame.His rise to head coach at age 24 was what he called "surprising, but not shocking.""When I graduated from college, Coach Dakosty recognized my love for football and he took me on his staff as an assistant at Marian," said the Pottsville High School Hall of Fame baseball and football star.Rosenberger became head coach at Jim Thorpe three years later in 1998, a time when Olympian football had not yet stepped up to the big stage. He brought along two other Marian assistant coaches to his staff - Pat Morgans, who is currently the new head coach for the Colts, and Anthony Vecolitis."We were playing vocational and small private schools then," he said. "My goal was to elevate the program and compete against bigger football powers."With outstanding players like Brian Richards, Craig Sibbach and Brian Borosh who changed the culture of the program in the early years, the integrity of Olympian football improved. In 2004, Thorpe completed an undefeated regular season before losing in the district semifinals to Pottsville."If we had won that game, we would have played Berwick," he said. "That's certainly a step up in competition from where we started."Although his coaching style has evolved over the years, his philosophy has not. Olympian football begins with high intensity, is based upon a dominant defense, and features fast and physical athletes."The game is the same as it was in the late 90s, but the preparation is much different, which has moved athletes to a different level," he explained. "Summer workouts and weekly weight training has made players quicker and stronger."Rosenberger added that the demands put upon coaches have also increased."Football coaching is basically a seven-day-a-week job during the season. Practice all week, game day, film day, and staff meetings are time consuming, but I'm passionate about every aspect of it."In his first years, Rosenberger treated all his players the same, but he has learned that a team is comprised of individuals with different personalities that require a variety of approaches for motivating each of them to play to the best of their abilities."Some players you get mad at and others you put your arm around," he said. "Motivating an entire team sometimes requires different approaches, too. In 2004, when we were undefeated, we just finished winning a game, 35-0 and I let them know how angry I was because we had not played up to our potential."Then, a few years ago, we were a pretty good team, but we were losing 17-7 to a struggling team at the half. I spoke calmly to my players and asked it they wanted to play football or not play football for the rest of the game. We scored 35 points in the third quarter. Halftime speeches don't always work, but that time it helped."Outside the lines, Rosenberger is Jim Thorpe High School's vice principal, and he laughs when he says, "my title certainly helps to keep my players in line during the school day. Nobody wants to get sent to the office and have to deal with the vice principal, who is also his football coach."He looks at football as a symbol for winning the game of life, which is much more important than what happens on the field."I get great satisfaction when we help build their character," he said. "I'm thankful to have the opportunity to help mold the lives of young men."His gratitude also stems to the community of Jim Thorpe, the parents of his players, and the loyalty from the fans who come out every year to support Olympian football."I love it when my former players come back to see me and tell me how much playing football at Jim Thorpe meant to them," he said. "And to know how well their life is going really makes me proud to be a coach."Like most coaches, Rosenberger can stress over a tough loss longer than his players, but that's when his wife Christine and his daughters, Mackenzie and Carsen, come to his side."My family has athletic minds. They understand the demands of athletic programs. My wife coached volleyball and my daughters are players of that sport, so they understand how I feel because of my competitive nature."For Rosenberger, the game is mostly about building the character of his players, who help bring pride to the community. But when the red, white and blue strap on their helmets on Friday nights, he's all about the competition, and his record has proven that his players know what it takes to be successful on the gridiron, as well as in their lives after football.