Stoney Creek Football Players Welcome New Coach Brad Zube

football players met their new coach after school on Thursday. They heard their new leader's message loud and clear.

"I don't see any reason why this group of guys I'm looking at won't be in the playoffs next year," Brad Zube told about 50 players.

Zube, the former football coach at Pontiac High School, accepted the job this week. He replaces Calvin Gross, who had been with the program for 10 years.

"Brad brings a different view to the program," said Stoney Creek athletic director Shane Redshaw. "We liked his energy and enthusiasm. He's about the kids, for the kids and willing to do what he can to make the kids successful."

Redshaw said the school had 22 applicants for the head coach position and interviewed nine of those individuals.

Zube, who grew up in Romeo, described himself as an "old school" coach.

"There aren't a lot of jobs I would have left Pontiac for. But this is a marquee job at a marquee place."

Zube coached at Pontiac for three years; he was the head coach the past two years. Before that, he was an assistant coach at Notre Dame Prep.

"Zube is a really good guy," said Troy Athens coach Josh Heppner. "While he was at Pontiac, we'd communicate quite a bit, go back-and-forth about teams. I don't know much about Stoney Creek's situation, but he'll do a good job up there."

Zube is a teacher in Waterford; he lives in Clarkston with his wife and two daughters; they have a son on the way.

"It's an advantage that I coached in the OAA Red Division, which Stoney will be a part of next year," he said.

Zube's Pontiac team was 6-4 last year and made it to the first round of the playoffs before losing to Clarkston 40-12. Pontiac was 5-4 in his first season. Last year, Pontiac defeated Rochester 46-16; the team did not play Stoney Creek.

"I'm a players' coach," he said. "I coach because I love my players. It wasn't easy for me to leave Pontiac, but I'm real excited to be here."

Patch sports writer Mike Niziolek contributed to this report.