This week’s Q&A Campbell’s Mickey Sikora
Rivals Campbell Memorial and Struthers share more than just a common color scheme — they share Mickey Sikora. He got his coaching start with Struthers 26 years ago, after he played for four years with the Wildcats. His coaching travels have taken him to the old South High and Hubbard before he landed at Campbell two years ago. While beating his alma mater would be great, as the Red Devils did a year ago, Sikora sees the matchup as the final step to reaching their ultimate goal — the postseason.
Q. Being on both sides of the field, what does the Campbell-Struthers rivalry mean to you?
A. It’s a game that we don’t worry about until the week leading up to it, but it’s always in the back of our minds. And this year, with it being the last game of the season, it’s very big. I know the impact it has on both communities and the rivalry is still very alive and well.
Q. You’ve strung together a four-game winning streak, what’s been the key during that stretch?
A. The kids having the guts and determination to persevere through hard times. We lost two straight games near the beginning of the year and that really stuck with them. They wanted to get back on track and they bounced back and really got on a roll the next week and we’ve been able to sustain that.
Q. Part of that roll was, what many would call, an upset win at Girard. How gratifying was that victory?
A. We felt good going into the game. Not many people were giving us a chance and we took that to heart and used it as motivation. We focused on the game plan and executed it perfectly. The kids really played whistle-to-whistle because they wanted it so bad.
Q. The offense has come alive this year, as well. Describe the luxury of averaging over 32 points per game.
A. Coming into the season, we knew we had a solid senior class of guys with great experience of the offense. We also knew we had a talented back in Ja’les Hughes. It’s great to have him do what he does best, but it’s always been nice when defenses key on him because it gives the rest of our weapons a chance to do something big. And we have guys that can strike at any time.
Q. What were your team’s goals entering the season and have they been met?
A. We wanted to win games and clinch the AAC, which we did. We want to beat Struthers and get to the playoffs which can happen, now.
Interview by Matthew Peaslee.