Football coaching staff is set for the newly merged Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville team

Contributed Photos – The Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville varsity staff will include, from left, Head Coach Joe Suhr and Assistant Coaches Rick Boyle and Trevor Powers.

In preparation for its debut season this fall the coaching staff for the newly merged Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville eight man football program has been set.

Joe Suhr is serving as the head varsity coach with Rick Boyle and Trevor Powers as his varsity assistants.

CJ Knight will be the Modified team head coach assisted by Brett Pecoraro.

The Modified team coaches will be Head Coach CJ Knight, at left, and Assistant Coach Brett Pecoraro.

“What we are trying to build is something new, something that incorporates the passion, tradition, and love of football from all 3 districts to create a unified identity, RBL,” said Suhr who is a teacher at Lyndonville and has 25 years of playing and coaching experience ranging from the youth, high school, college and semi pro levels.

“Roy-Hart, Barker, and Lyndonville need each other but what we are going to try to create is a culture where all 3 schools, their communities, and the respective players from those schools want to remain part of this new thing for years to come,” he added. “It’s important to this program that all 3 schools have a stake and are represented in everything we do. And in that we can form a really strong and successful program that’s in it for the long haul.”

Suhr’s playing experience includes with Bar-Lyn Youth, Pembroke High School, St. John Fisher College and the Lyndonville Tigers semi-pro team. He served at the defensive coordinator for the Tigers for 10 years. He also coached football for six years at Medina (two as a JV assistant and four as varsity defensive coordinator). In addition he was the varsity wrestling coach at Akron for four years and has been the co-head varsity wrestling coach at Lyndonville the last two years.

Boyle, a Roy-Hart graduate and a six year member of the Rams football program, has 38 years of coaching experience in football, baseball and softball including the last eight as the varsity softball assistant coach at Lyndonville.

“As a Roy-Hart Alumni I would like nothing more than to see the program turned around and to be successful,” said Boyle. “The kids deserve a chance at winning championships and they need to be proud of what they can contribute to the awesome game of football.”

Powers, who was a three sport athlete at Batavia High School (football, hockey and lacrosse), played collegiate club hockey at RIT,  has four years of coaching experience as a varsity assistant with the Genesee Ice Devils.

“I have had the opportunity to Coach the Genesee Ice Devils for the past 3 years as we went through a merger combining 6 schools to form 1 team. This opportunity for athletes from multiple communities to come together to form a single team and represent all of the communities is a fantastic experience. The team and players are able to build their own identity from the ground up and form connections outside of their school district that will last a lifetime,” said Powers.

Knight who played four years of high school football at Newfane and four years of college football at SUNY Brockport, has coached JV football and Modified basketball for three years at Roy-Hart.

“I find that this 3 way merger is a huge opportunity for each school district,” said Knight.  “With the numbers of each school decreasing, combining together will allow us to be competitive and form a strong team. Having worked with the Roy-Hart kids in the past, I think it will be a great experience for myself and them, to build relationships with the other student athletes from Barker and Lyndonville. I am looking forward to a great season to turn this program around!”

Pecoraro, a four year US Marines veteran, played four years of high school football at Medina and has coaching experience with both the Medina Loyal and Medina High football programs.

“When I played for Medina it worked out really well. Without the merger Lyndonville kids would not have had the opportunity to play football. Without that they would’ve missed out on the camaraderie and character building the sport brings,” said Pecoraro.

The Roy-Hart/Barker/Lyndonville eight man varsity team is scheduled to debut on September 11 at Oakfield-Alabama/Elba.