In this episode of the Board Drill Podcast, Kyle and Matt sit down with Coach Tom Yashinsky, head coach at Onalaska High School in Wisconsin, to dive into the nuts and bolts of building a consistent and competitive football program from the ground up. Coach Yashinsky brings nearly two decades of experience and shares detailed insight on aligning your program 9–12, structuring staff, developing coaches, and building buy-in across your community.

Whether you're a head coach, coordinator, or position coach, this one’s packed with practical wisdom you can apply immediately. Don’t miss the breakdown on practice structure, middle school alignment, and how Onalaska turned a struggling program into a perennial playoff team.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 – Intro and how Coach Yashinsky joined the show

• 1:10 – Onalaska football background and program context

• 3:04 – Taking over the program under tough circumstances

• 6:35 – Aligning your staff across all levels (9–12)

• 9:58 – Year-round planning and development focus

• 12:45 – The importance of coach retention and mentorship

• 16:12 – Practice organization and seasonal phases

• 20:41 – Lifting schedules and coordinating with multi-sport athletes

• 24:09 – Offseason program and coach roles

• 28:57 – Building culture: “Be Early, Be Loud, Be Invested”

• 32:44 – Middle school and youth integration strategies

• 37:11 – Handling success: sustaining performance and expectations

• 42:36 – Advice for new head coaches

• 46:58 – Final thoughts and how to connect with Coach Yashinsky

Subscribe, like, and share if you’re a coach looking for real-world solutions and ideas you can bring into your own program tomorrow.