By Jeff Oliver

Published: Thursday, October 25, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Updated: Thursday, October 25, 2012

There is nothing Ed Jenkins would like more than to win Friday's regular season finale against Brownsville.

The first-year Charleroi coach said there are several reasons why a win would feel so good.

“It would be great to send our seniors off on a winning note, letting them know they won their last game. That's a great feeling that lasts a long time,” Jenkins said. “And for our young guys, it would be a great way to get that taste in their mouth for winning before they start getting ready for next season. It would be a momentum builder.”

Of course, it would also be nice to win just because the Cougars (1-8, 1-7) have done very little of that on the scoreboard this season.

However, even with few wins to show for it, don't tell Jenkins his first season was a losing proposition.

“In many respects, the season went kind of like we expected,” he said. “We knew coming in we had to change a lot of things and establish our program before we could start winning games. We knew we had to do a lot of cleaning up to do. We're not disappointed at all in that regard.

“And I think things have gotten better. I think in the last three games we played better than we did at the start of the season. “We have picked up a lot of small victories that will go a long way in helping us for the future.”

Jenkins said he has seen many good things in his first campaign.

He said he is pleased with the parents who have bought into what he and his staff are trying to do.

“You can't be successful unless you have the parents behind you,” he said. “And we have a great group of parents here who have helped and supported us.”

He also praised his players' attitudes.

“You know, we have only won one game, but every week we prepare and we go on the field thinking we are going to win,” he said. ‘These kids haven't quit on us and that there is something to say for that. We haven't lost kids. We haven't lost the effort. We're building a foundation.”

Looking back on his first year, he said there is one thing he would have done differently.

“I think, as a staff, we would have handled summer camp a little differently,” he said. “We probably should have been a little more focused so we could better prepare. We would do things different to get ready for the intensity and detail needed going into the season.”

Jeff Oliver is a sports editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-684-2666 or joliver@tribweb.com.

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