His landmark victory was recognized with no fanfare.

And that’s just the way Coach Dave Oertner wanted it.

When his Northern Lehigh boys’ cross country team defeated Salisbury and Catasauqua and his girls’ team beat Salisbury in a recent tri-meet, the 37-year coach had tallied his 1,000th win.

“I really wasn’t sure it was 1,000 until a graduated athlete of mine, who keeps track of these sorts of things for the school, contacted me to offer his congratulations,” said Oertner.

When told that the only other known select group of cross country coaches who have reached this achievement were one from Easton and the other from Notre Dame, Oertner still was not impressed with himself.

“First, it simply means I’ve been doing this coaching thing for so long, and second, this many wins come because of the talent I’ve had,” he said.

Oertner has left his mark on a number of Bulldog teams throughout the years. He has been head coach for several boys and girls basketball teams, as well as track teams, and this year, he will mentor NL’s freshman boys hoops.

“I’m getting to the point in my career when I’d rather be an assistant than a head coach. There’s less responsibility when you’re not in charge, so you can have more fun.”

The high school science teacher mostly enjoys seeing his athletes grow both in skill and in maturity. Many come to him with raw, awkward ability and are often immature, especially when they are freshmen. Oertner takes great pride in following the progression of their development. He points to junior cross country runner, Reagan Pender, as an example.

“Reagan gets better every year and has made herself one of the best runners in the area. She’s a great example that with hard work and dedication, an athlete’s body can do amazing things.”

Oertner prefers to talk about his athletes rather than himself. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, he coached several excellent teams that amassed many of his 1,000 wins, but off the track, the court, and the field, what he really likes is seeing his athletes grow into good people who have a lot to contribute to society.

“I’m very straight forward in how I coach,” he said. “I don’t pull any punches. My kids have to be able to take criticism. What I really try to do is get them to believe in themselves, and that will take them a long way after they get out of school.”

He preaches to train smart, and cautions about over training, especially because cross country is essentially a sport in which you compete against yourself. He says his runners have to know the limits of training so they don’t wear their bodies down.

Oertner’s influence upon all who have called him coach through the years was apparent when the 25th alumni race was held and his former XC runners, now in their 40s, competed in a 5K event.

“I just got a text from Bob Chandler (a state champion in 1992), who used to run for me, congratulating me on my 1,000. I can really have an appreciation for coaching this sport for so long, considering that I was not a very good runner in high school and ran only one year at Clarion State, where I went to college.”

He’s not sure about how much he has left in the tank regarding his teaching and coaching careers.

“Like most coaches, I don’t know if I can ever give it up completely, so I might volunteer at the booster club youth level when I’m done at Northern Lehigh.

So for now, he will continue to add more wins to his grand total, but somebody else will have to add them up for him.

“I don’t need attention or praise for this recognition. I can look in the mirror and be satisfied with what I do as a coach.”

The next time Oertner looks in the mirror, he just might see an army of his current and former athletes standing behind him applauding their coach’s historical achievement.

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INDIAN MILESTONES ... Lehighton’s Lillian Brown went off with 44 digs and seven aces during an intense five-set win against Northwestern on Monday. She collected career dig No. 1,000 during the win. Teammate Samantha Banning also hit a personal milestone last Thursday in a Schuylkill League loss to Blue Mountain. She tallied 15 digs, and reached 500 for her career.

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DOUBLE HAT TRICKS ... Northwestern rolled to an 11-1 Colonial League boys soccer win over Northern Lehigh last Wednesday. Both Caleb Danner and Jacob Sacco had hat tricks for the Tigers. Other hat tricks recorded by area players included Palmerton’s Carissa Fallon, who recorded hers in a soccer win against Notre Dame last weekend, and Jim Thorpe’s Alex Putt, who netted three goals against North Schuylkill last Wednesday during a 6-0 rout. Northwestern’s Maggie Motolese had a hat trick plus one last Wednesday against Northern Lehigh as her four goals helped the Tigers claim a 9-0 victory.

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RUDY’S WORLD ... As of Monday, Tamaqua’s Jacob Rudy ranked fifth among the Schuylkill League in points (33). He also has 13 goals this year. Jim Thorpe’s Thor Huth, meanwhile, has 11 assists and ranks third in the league in that category.

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SAVING THE WORLD ... The Times News area has the two of the best goalies in the Schuylkill League in terms of save percentage. Tamaqua’s Luke Verta leads the league (.881), while Jim Thorpe’s Kingsley Ehling (.871) ranks second. On the girls’ side, Thorpe’s Kate Bos has the fifth-best percentage (.826) in the league.

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LEADERS OF THE PACK ... With the district playoffs just around the corner, there are currently four area teams holding the top spots in their respective district classes. The Northwestern boys soccer team is first in Class 3A, while the girls hold first in 2A. The Tamaqua boys soccer team leads the field in 2A, and Panther Valley’s volleyball team is first in 2A. Speaking of the Panthers, they are one of just two undefeated District 11 volleyball teams. The other is Nativity.