The situation proved perfect for Dan Heinrichs.
The location? Another plus.
The latest upstep in Heinrichs’ football coaching career took place in March of 2023, when he became Upper Perkiomen High School’s head football coach. He took the helm from Tom Hontz, who stepped aside after nine years in charge.
“It was perfect timing,” Heinrichs said of the move. “It’s where I’m at in my life.”
A teacher of academic biology at the high school, Heinrichs’ familiarity with football in Red Hill dates back to his scholastic days at UP. The 2013 graduate was a guard, center and linebacker under head coaches Keith Leamer and Steve Moyer, receiving All-Pioneer Athletic Conference honorable mention his senior season.
He went on to play defensive end at Lycoming College, playing in every game his junior and senior seasons while serving as a team captain in 2016.
His coaching career began as a volunteer at nearby Montoursville High School, where he stayed through 2021. Working as defensive line and junior-varsity coach with the Warriors, Heinrichs helped head coach J.C. Keefer’s staff win District 4-3A championships in 2018 and 2019.
He then returned to Upper Perk to coach linebackers and defensive ends, as well as being head junior varsity coach, in 2022.
“Part of it is learning enough from the other places I’ve been, and being comfortable,” he said.
“Schematically, we’ll do what I learned in college. Different personalities showed the way in the coaching world.
“We’ll put in some new stuff, stick with some bread and butter. The way we call things will be important.”
Heinrichs’ influence on the program’s culture is already being lauded by his players, who are coming off a 2-8 finish that included a 1-4 mark in the PAC’s Frontier Division.
“We have a closer team connection,” Eric Romanowski, a senior playing end on both sides of the ball, said. “He’s been a great leader since the early winter practices.”
“We’ve been executing exceptionally well,” Zach Schwartz, a junior playing at running back and defensive back, added.
Heinrichs will be drawing on his collegiate experience in his first head-coaching capacity. His staff includes fellow UP alumni Cody Fleming (Class of 2008), Matt Weiss (Class of 1991), Rich Kressly (Class of ‘85) and Zeke Hallman (Class of ‘17).
“We’ve been working since the winter on mentality and coaching,” Heinrichs said. “There’s excitement. The tempo and energy are good. We’ll change the little things to make the big things work.”
Schwartz was a bulwark both ways for the Indians in 2022, receiving second-team honors on both the All-Frontier Division offensive and defensive units. Defensively, he comes off a memorable sophomore season in which he was in a three-way tie with Owen J. Roberts’ Mason Miller and Pope John Paul II’s Braden Reed for interceptions (four). Offensively, he placed seventh among PAC runners last fall with a team-high 743 yards on 142 carries (5.2 YPC) and nine touchdowns.
He and sophomore Brody Weiss are shaping up as a 1-2 punch in the offensive backfield, with senior Jayden White also working there.
“Brody Weiss runs hard all the time,” Heinrichs said, “and he and Zach Schwartz balance each other at running back. Having a two-prong attack with guys that have leadership skills like they have is priceless.”
The offensive line is headed by Romanowski (end) and senior captain Jedidiah Ianuari, and sophomores Tice Hallman (captain), Maddux Diaz and Ethan Scharneck.
“The team is very connected,” Romanowski noted. “The energy level is high. We’re more like a family.”
On defense, UP lists Ianuari, Hallman, Diaz and Scharneck on the interior line, Romanowski and Scharneck at end, and Weiss and White at linebacker.
“Our defensive linemen have a large emphasis,” Romanowski said. “They’re one of our strong suits.”
Other seniors on the Indian roster are Micah Renzi (TE/DL), James Rogers (OL/DT), Luis Velez (RB/LB), Logan Watkins (K) and Gavin Weiss (QB/DB).
“All of these players can be seen as key contributors in the upcoming season,” Heinrichs said. “They all should be key components of our game plan week to week.
“A lot of the sophomores mentioned started as freshmen last year,” he added, “and we hope for them to step up and rise to the occasion of the leadership roles we need to be successful.”
Heinrichs’ staff is completed by assistants Matt Pirolli and Greg Palma. Pirolli, the offensive coordinator, was a wide receiver at Kutztown University in the early 2010s before doing two tours on the Golden Bears’ coaching staff in 2014 and 2020; and Palma played defensive line at Lehigh University from 2012 to 2015, accorded Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015.
“The impact has been real good,” Schwartz said. “Every coach on the team has been helping us.”
“It’s been great,” Romanowski added. “Everyone is excited about the new start. We respect the coach, and he respects us. It’s a new era in Upper Perkiomen football.”
