Longtime Lester Prairie football coach Joe Scoblic honored as one of four MRC Outstanding Coaches
BY AUSTEN NEATON
Staff Writer
Lester Prairie head football coach Joe Scoblic was named one of four Outstanding Coaches in the 2023 Minnesota River Conference at a recent social event .
The honor is given to longtime coaches in the conference who enrich their athletes both on and off the field .
Scoblic , who has coached the Lester Prairie Bulldogs for 34 years , was the only football coach honored at the Sept . 13 event .
In fact , he was the only football coach at the event because the conference no longer includes football teams , which are now sorted into districts .
That didn ’ t stop the conference , which felt that Scoblic should be acknowledged as an outstanding coach in its final year giving out the honor .
The conference will be disbanding at the end of the current school year .
Going into the current football season , Scoblic had 203 wins and 131 losses , which is a 60 % win percentage . And he has appeared in the state tournament seven times .
He has been named coach of the year numerous times by different groups , but the Minnesota River Conference ’ s recognition was different , he said . It highlighted his work with students rather than his performance in a given season .
“ It ’ s a huge honor ; I thank the committee for even considering me , and to be chosen is a great honor ,” Scoblic said . “ For your peers to consider you and feel that you are doing a good job , that means a lot to me .” Humble beginnings Scoblic ’ s passion for football began in high school . The Big Stone City , SD-native played offensive guard and defensive end , and it was in the gridiron trenches that he realized the importance of teamwork .
“ The cliché is that it is the ultimate team sport , and it truly is ,” he said . “[ W ] hat I love about it is when you see everyone get that concept that they have to do their job . You have to be disciplined . You have to be a team guy rather than an ‘ I ’ guy .”
Scoblic fell in love with coaching after he graduated from school and began coaching junior high basketball . He went back to college , where he earned a degree
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in coaching . After graduation , Scoblic applied to be a teacher at Lester Prairie Public School .
After arriving at the school , he took over the reins of the football team from former coach John Rosell . Storied season Fast forward to today , and Scoblic is coming off another state tournament appearance . His team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2022 State Class A Football Tournament before falling to Fillmore Central , 18- 16 , which resulted in a first round exit .
“ It ’ s just such an unbelievable feeling that you know you have gone through everything you did and you ’ re one of the best eight teams in the state ,” he said . “ That is special .”
Despite the season being cut shorter than the team would have liked , Scoblic said he was proud of all they accomplished during a season that featured 11 wins . Positive program Scoblic believes that reinforcing good values in his players results in strong performances on the field and in life .
“ I think that the definition of a good coach is somebody who is honest and looks beyond the wins and losses ; I am here to teach these young boys and girls life skills , and that ’ s really what a good coach is ,” he said . “ Some people might disagree and say they are supposed to win games , but I think that that takes care of itself if you teach them the life skills to be a good human being .”
“ That ’ s really 100 % of what it ’ s all about ,” he said . “ It ’ s extremely important that when they come out they are a better human being than when they came in , and that is really what I consider sports to be all about because we are teaching life skills through football and all other sports .”
Scoblic said he has coached teams whose biggest accomplishment was their personal development and not what happened Fridays nights on the field .
“ I have had teams where we didn ’ t have a great winloss record , but you saw the boys grow and become so much better than what they started at , and that is extremely satisfying ,” he said . Scoblic ’ s students are more than athletes to him . “ I tell them all the time that I love them all like my own kids ,” he said . “ What I really want to walk them away with is a dedication to whatever they choose , and an understanding that they are held responsible for their actions .”
Scoblic said it ’ s hard when he can ’ t reach an athlete .
“ The hardest part is when you work , and work , and work with an individual and they don ’ t do things the way they need to be done , or they get in trouble , or their grades fail , and that is just heartbreaking to see ,” he said . “ You work with them over and
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