Westmoreland County senior spotlight: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Cole Spivak

By: Anthony Difilippo
Monday, December 13, 2021 | 10:11 AM

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Greensburg Central Catholic’s football team might have lost its first-round playoff game to OLSH, but the fact that the Centurions even played is remarkable.

Two line coaches for GCC, Joe Oslosky and B.J. Farrell, died days before the game, and coach Marko Thomas was left with a decision: forfeit or play the game as scheduled.

“Coach Thomas rallied us together after we found out about Coach Oslosky’s death, and he said, ‘Do we want to play this game?’” offensive lineman Cole Spivak said. “We all said we wanted to play. We wanted to play for them.”

Spivak, who worked closely with Oslosky, knew it would be tough losing a mentor, for both him and his teammates.

“Coach Oslosky was my main guy I was with every single day,” Spivak said. “A lot of our younger guys did not really know how to deal with losing a coach, or losing a mentor.”

Spivak is going to continue his football career at Carleton College, a Division III school in Minnesota.

With the season over, Spivak took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A.

How did you get started in football?

I started playing freshman year. Yeah, I never had any experience playing before, and it’s always something I wanted to do, so I just decided to give it a shot. I started lifting with the team in the winter of my eighth grade year. Funny story: I was a receiver up until a week before our Derry scrimmage, where they moved me to line. I could not catch to save my life. Then I bulked up, and I was able to start sophomore year and pull my weight.

How was it blocking for this talented offense?

It was great blocking for those guys. They’re very talented — the quarterbacks, Tyree (Turner) and Nate (Dlugos) — and our line did a very solid job of (protecting them).

Why are offensive lineman so important to the game?

You can’t play football without an offensive line. I think linemen add another level of competition to the game. It’s where all the big strong guys that maybe aren’t as fast play. It’s more brutal physicality that’s being displayed. It’s man on man, and you get to really show who the stronger man is up front on the line, which I don’t really think you get to do with any other position on the field.

What did new coach Marko Thomas bring this year?

Coach Thomas did great his first year. He really did a complete turnaround for our team, coming off a 2-5 junior year for me. I was really just looking for anyone that could help turn our team around, and that’s exactly what he did. He brought intensity and physicality that we never really had before. We were a lot more disciplined, which is something that I think could help the younger guys coming up. I just think his whole staff that he brought (was) excellent. So I think a mixture of him, his personality, the way he coaches and the staff he brought is what led us to a better season this year.

What is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength I think is my footwork and my physicality up front. I think I move my feet very well. I am a faster lineman, so I think my speed and agility help me come off the ball well.

Is there an area where you could improve?

My size. I’m actually trying to maintain my speed but gain a lot more size to bulk up for college ball. So I think if I put on some weight, and I can just work to get even faster, I think that’s where my weaknesses are right now.

What made you choose Carleton College?

If you look at my Twitter (@SpivakCole), I was looking at a ton of places all over the country. I just fell in love with Carleton. It’s a perfect union of intense football and crazy good academics. The MIAC conference is one of the top D-III conferences, one of the most intense D-III conferences there are, and Carleton offers a top-notch education. It’s, I’d say, on level with the Ivy League. I would never want to pass up an opportunity like that.

Looking back at your high school career, is there one memory that sticks out?

Beating Jeannette. I just think that winning against Jeannette, I know they had a very down year, but I think that was something that the culture needed. The Central-Jeannette rivalry’s been a thing since the beginning of time. I think that us finally beating them, despite the odds being in our favor, I think it’s something that is going to be important for the younger guys to set a precedent.

What is one thing that people might not know about you?

One thing that people may not know about me is that I am a member of Mensa (the high IQ society).

Tags: Greensburg C.C.