Greg Tunnicliff
Sports Scene
Winning a state title was supposed to signal the end of the line for Powers Catholic football coach Bob Buckel.
Instead, it has reinvigorated one of great gridiron coaching careers in Flint-area history.
The 55-year-old had stints at Birch Run, Flushing, and LakeVille before coming to Powers last year.
In his first season with the Chargers, Buckel led the school to the Division 5 state title, his first state championship as a coach.
“I said 33 years ago that if I ever won a state title, I would never coach again,” Buckel said. “Somehow it happened last year and it didn’t seem like the time to quit.”
When the topic of great Flint-area football coaches is raised, names like Jack Pratt, Guy Houston, and Tim Furno will surely be discussed.
Pratt won an area-record 304 games and two state titles with four different schools.
Houston led Flint Northern to six mythical Class A state crowns from 1928-51.
Furno ranks second on the area’s all-time victories’ list, having led Millington to 208 wins and a whopping 16 state playoff appearances from 1978-2009.
Buckel can definitely make a claim to be in that group. He ranks third on the area’s all-time victories’ list, having posted a 179-102 (.637) overall record since 1983.
His teams have posted 23 winning seasons, made nine state playoff appearances, and won five league championships and two district titles.
“When you’re young, you think about wins and losses and where you’re going to be,” Buckel said. “When you’ve done it for 30 years, it’s the relationships that matter the most.”
Throughout his career, Buckel has had an uncanny ability to resurrect downtrodden programs.
In his eight seasons at Birch Run, he led the Panthers to a 47-26 (.643) overall record and two Tri Valley Conference titles. His 1988 squad posted a 9-1 mark and earned the program’s first state playoff berth.
It was Birch Run’s first nine-win season since it went 9-0 in 1966. Buckel was named Associated Press Class B Coach of the Year.
In 1991 he moved to Flushing, where he inherited a program that had gone 13-32 in the five seasons prior to his arrival.
During his 19 seasons at the helm, he completely rejuvenated the Raiders’ program, leading them to a 117-68 (.632) mark.
Flushing posted 16 winning seasons and won three Big Nine Conference titles and one district championship.
One of the highlights came in 1994, when the Raiders went 9-2 and snared the program’s first postseason berth and its first Big Nine title since 1973.
Buckel was named the Associated Press Class A Coach of the Year.
“I’m most proud of being at Flushing for 19 years,” Buckel said. “We did everything the right way, the best we could. I had a great group of coaches that put the team ahead of themselves.”
While he was only at his alma mater, LakeVille, for one year, it was the Falcons’ most successful season in 10 years.
He led LakeVille to a 5-4 mark for only its fourth winning season since 1979, and its first since a 5-4 record in 2000.
“LakeVille was probably the hardest coaching job,” Buckel said. “They had gone 1-8 [for five straight years.] I had a lot of advantages because you’re going home and you get the respect. They did everything I asked.”
Buckel took over a Powers program in 2011 that had gone 1-8 the year before, matching the 1997 season for the worst record in school history.
After losing three of their first four games, the Chargers came alive and won nine of their last 10, including their last eight, to finish 10-4 and capture the state championship.
The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association named Buckel the Division 5 Coach of the Year.
“It’s the biggest stage,” Buckel said. “You walk out on Ford Field and it’s like, ‘Wow.’ You have no idea of what you’ve been missing until you are there.”
What’s left for Buckel to do? He hopes that he can win another state championship this season.
The Chargers return several key players, led by senior offensive tackle Vinnie Palazeti, who has verbally committed to Ball State University.
Powers’ top skill-position player is senior quarterback Garrett Pougnet. As a junior, he was 99 of 197 (.500) passing for 1,625 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He also rushed for a team-high 1,009 yards and 12 scores on 176 attempts.
Powers will begin play in the Saginaw Valley Conference South Division this fall.
The Chargers will face three playoff teams in their first four games, including 2011 Division 3 state finalist Mount Pleasant in week 2 and defending Division 7 state champion Nouvel Catholic Central in week 4.
“Our senior class is unbelievably motivated,” Buckel said. “The kids have really stepped up their commitment. We feel like we’ll be a pretty good team.”