Father/son coaching duo are assistants in football after years with CR North baseball

They've been coaching Council Rock North baseball together for six years, with the dad entrenched as the head coach since 2011 and his oldest son an assistant starting in '18.

This fall, Matt and Zach Schram are coaching football together at CR North. Son Zach is a seventh-year assistant coaching the defensive backs, while dad Matt is in his first season working with the linebackers.

The dynamic is a bit different with the Schrams in football than baseball, where Matt is seemingly in charge.

"He's been doing it a long time," Matt Schram said of Zach. "I have no problem saying he's a lot more experienced that I am."

When Matt told Zach that he had talked to head football coach John Greiner about joining the staff prior to this, Zach's response was, "Dad, football is a whole different ballgame."

"He wanted to make sure I'd do my work," Matt Schram said. "He put a lot of pressure on me. I did a lot of studying. I joke around that on the football field he's kind of my boss. It's never, 'Here's Zach and his dad.' It's Coach Schram and Coach Schram."

"The conversation I had with him is it's a lot," said Zach Schram, who played college baseball at Kutztown. "A lot more goes into coaching football. Being that along with being the head baseball coach might be a lot. It's a lot different than coaching Pop Warner."

Matt helped coach Zach and younger son Jared in Lower Makefield Pop Warner Football in the mid-2000s, as well as Tri-Township Cal Ripken Baseball during the same time frame. He also coached both sons in baseball at CR North.

Bristol's Haitian Sensation: Born in Haiti, Nuke Beauplan has quite a story to tell

Matt absorbed the X and O football terminology rapidly and his confidence as a football coach grew.

"He's really picked it up quick," Zach said. "The biggest thing with him is he's not an egotistical coach — he's willing to listen and learn from other coaches."

"His experience has enabled him to break down the instruction of the position of linebacker into understandable building blocks for our players and their improvement has been seen throughout the season," Greiner said. "In addition, (Matt) has been a great mentor to myself and the rest of the staff with his years of coaching. His mentorship has made me a better teacher and person."

When Matt coached his sons in baseball at CR North, they didn't call him Dad — it was always Coach. They never crossed that line.

CR North's Atkinson excels in win: Makes most of Football Senior Night

"Both of them never, ever looked at me as Dad coaching on the baseball field," Matt said. "I was always coach to them. They never argued."

Not surprisingly, their coaching philosophies are nearly identical since Zach learned so much playing for and coaching baseball with Matt. They take teaching/coaching seriously and are passionate in what they do.

"We don't clash in football," Matt Schram said. "I'm not going to argue with him because he has a lot more experience. In baseball, we might have some voicing of our opinions about where to position guys (and so on) and then walk away. It's a good discussion."

These days, they can talk football even more since Zach, 28, is living at the family's Newtown Township home while he completes his master's degree in education at Arcadia.

Neshaminy football has family feel: With seven sets of brothers on roster

"It's been cool for us, professionally and at home," said Matt, 55. "He runs Zoom sessions with the defense and I sit in (another) room, watch and continue to learn from him. It's been a neat journey."

CR North senior football/baseball standout Will Scibona knows firsthand about Matt Schram's ability to inspire student-athletes.

"He's always doing what it takes to win on the baseball field and he wanted to bring this culture to the football team," Scibona said. "Both the Schrams have brought a sense of urgency into our practices day after day."

Scibona, the Schrams and 2-7 CR North face rival CR South (6-3) in Friday night's football season finale.

They'll coach together again in baseball this spring. Matt's best team was probably the 2018 squad that earned PIAA Class 6A District One runner-up honors and lost to eventual champion Canon-McMillan in the state semifinals. Zach, who works with the outfield, was in his first year as a regular assistant that year.

"He knows how to work with kids and knows how to motivate them," said Zach of his dad.

Matt is a special education teacher at CR North, while Zach is in his first year as a special-ed teacher at CR South. Like father, like son, once again.

"It is always awesome to see the connective generations of a father-son duo that the memories of coaching together will always live on forever," Greiner said. "Those memories are great to be part of with both Matt and Zach, who are two of the best individuals that I have come across."

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Schrams coaching together in football after years with CR North baseball