Braves’ coach chats about snapping ‘the streak’

You have to admire Curtis Waltman’s patience.

When he was a three-sport standout at Garden Spot – football, basketball, track – he didn’t lose very often – in any sport.

Losing streaks of any substance were rare when he was playing quarterback, shooting jumpers or sprinting.

After playing football for Villanova and a couple of assistant football coaching stints, Waltman took the Pequea Valley job three years ago.

And before last Friday night, he hadn’t tasted a victory.

The Braves took a 29-game losing streak into Fleetwood in Week 3, and after a 35-25 win, Pequea Valley had its first victory under Waltman, and first win since 2006 – also a victory over Fleetwood, by the way.

Waltman never gave up or gave in over the last three-plus years, and under his guidance, Pequea Valley’s program has grown in numbers, and the Braves have showed marked improvement every season – despite the goose eggs in the win column.

This past off-season, Waltman took his team to several 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 competitions, and the Braves won some of those events, giving them extra motivation for this season. And after taking Reading Central Catholic to the wire before a 19-12 loss in Week 2, everything finally clicked for Pequea Valley against Fleetwood.

So when the Braves travel to Annville-Cleona for the Section 3 opener on Friday, they’ll do so with a 1-game winning streak in their back pockets.

I chatted with Coach Waltman about finally snapping the streak, about the state of his program, and about where he hopes the Braves go from here.

You can listen to the Podcast by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the interview and listen to it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.