Football is in Matt Kosciolek’s DNA.

Kosciolek’s father and brothers were all coaches, and it’s something he always aspired to be himself.

An assistant coach the past 10 seasons with Palmerton, Jim Thorpe, and most recently with Lehighton, Kosciolek certainly accomplished that goal. But now he can check one more box off the bucket list – head football coach.

That’s because on May 10, Kosciolek was named the new head coach at Pleasant Valley High School.

“I always wanted to be a football coach since I was a little kid. Watching my brothers play and my dad coach, it was just always something I wanted to do, it’s something I’ve always been passionate about,” said Kosciolek. “I had to get the greenlight from my family first with a seven-month old son and a 10-year old son, but once I got the OK then I really wanted to attack being a head coach head on.

“I’m just excited for this opportunity. When (Pleasant Valley Athletic Director) Mr. (Jake) Percy told me that I was the guy, it was one of those once in a lifetime feelings.”

Growing up roaming the sidelines as a kid is where Kosciolek first fell in love with the game, watching his father Caszy coach and his brothers Caszy and Greg play. Matt would then get involved in the family business, first as a player, graduating from Marian Catholic in 2002. He would then move on to play defensive back at Shippensburg University until graduating in 2007.

Kosciolek always played the game with high energy and effort, and that’s something that he’s been able to bring to the table as a coach as well, and that’s exactly what he’s looking for his players at Pleasant Valley to buy into.

“High energy, high octane, that’s the type of coaching style that I’m bringing to Pleasant Valley, and I think that’s something that any football player that is passionate about the game will buy into from the get go,” said Kosciolek. “Our players have been great at making the adjustment already. They’ve been really receptive and attentive.

“I think the main attitude we want our kids to have is positivity. I’m going to make mistakes, they’re going to make mistakes, but I want us to make mistakes going 100 mph, going for it, trying to make a play. High energy and effort on every single play.”

Kosciolek is also excited because he was able to put together a strong staff.

Brian Miller, a former head coach at Bangor and an assistant coach at Lehighton, Dieruff, and Muhlenberg College will anchor the assistant coaching staff. Former Palmerton and Albany University standout Justin Petersen, Stroudsburg High School standout Jon Fenner, along with James Ward and Ben Conklin, a pair of assistants at Pleasant Valley last season, will round out Kosciolek’s staff.

“I’m really excited about our staff. I think we all bring something different to the table and they’re all the exact kind of guys that I wanted. All of them have high energy and a good work ethic,” said Kosciolek. “I don’t know if I would’ve pursued this position without knowing that I was going to have Brian Miller come with me and Justin and Jon are great additions with a wealth of football knowledge. I also want to thank James and Ben for being the glue that held the program together when they didn’t have a head coach, that was huge.”

The season is fast approaching with two-a-days starting on Monday and opening night just two weeks away on Aug. 24. Kosciolek and his squad are excited to start a new chapter for Pleasant Valley football.

“We’ve been hitting the ground running, since the day I was hired, I was hired late, so we’ve been really hustling. It’s a testament to the kids for how hard they’ve worked so far,” said Kosciolek. “Our mission statement here is respect, trust, and attitude and our players have embraced that.

“Every practice during this week’s heat acclimation has been getting better. Our core players have really stepped up, it’s been truly exciting. We can’t wait to get on the field in two weeks for our first game.”