‘I’m excited for the future’: new Kiski Area head football coach Colyn Haugh has big plans for fall

Tagged under: Coaches Corner, District 7, News

Annabelle Aquino | March 1, 2025

Colyn Haugh is determined to turn his roster into ‘lightning rods’ rather than ‘energy vampires.’

As the recently hired head coach takes over the Kiski Area Cavaliers football program, Haugh looks to improve the team from a 4-6 record during the 2024-2025 season while also creating a positive environment for the players to develop.

“Energy vampires suck the life out of the program, lightning rods bring the energy into it,” Haugh, an avid user of analogies, explained. “[Lightning rods] are the type of guys I want on the team. Those are the types of coaches I need around the field.”

William Spicher                                                         Colyn Haugh’s game ball sits in his office from an Edinboro vs. RMU rivalry on Sept. 7. Haugh, who was coaching for Edinboro called the victory “fun and bittersweet,” as RMU was his college Alma Mater.

Despite Haugh being new to the school district, his 17 years of college coaching experience in Western Pennsylvania and growing up in Murrysville offers a familiarity to the job.

“I know [Kiski’s] program from back when I played against it,” said Haugh, a Franklin Regional High School alumnus. “I know that they’ve won in the past and have a good history of winning and I think the community is on board with it… that’s ultimately what motivated me– the communities behind this program, the players are hungry and eager to win and there’s a lot of talent here that’s ready to be coached and molded the right way, so I’m excited for the future.”

This is not the first time Haugh has picked up a whistle; he first coached in 2007 at his Alma Mater, Division I Robert Morris, as a graduate assistant for the defensive line. 

Haugh then moved to Division I Saint Francis University in 2010, coaching the defensive line, and eventually Division III Westminster on the offensive line, before starting in 2023 at Division II Edinboro. 

“At Edinboro, I helped run the weight program, so that’s helping me here running the weight room right now,” said Haugh, who has begun running offseason practices at Kiski. “At Saint Francis, I balanced budgets. I was the person in charge of ordering, so that’s going to come to fruition whenever I start to do that here.”

“I’ve seen a lot of different things and a lot of different places. I have experience in areas that I didn’t think I would ever have experience in.”

Haugh took on the position in January, following the resignation of Sam Albert, Kiski’s former head coach for eight years. Albert, planning to coach as an assistant elsewhere, took the Cavaliers to the playoffs on three separate occasions with an overall record of 27-52 from 2017-2024.

Kiski ended the 2024 season 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the Class 5A Big East Conference, barely missing the WPIAL playoffs. 

“We’re not doing the offseason workout to compete next year… we’re doing this workout now in order to win. We were one game away from making the playoffs a year ago. There’s no reason we can’t be in that same position, if not in a better position this year,” Haugh said.

Haugh played as a lineman during his time at Franklin Regional and RMU. It was at RMU that he met Jake Nulph, Kiski’s athletic director since December 2024. After playing together for two seasons, Haugh and Nulph coached together at RMU, St. Francis, Westminster and Edinboro.

Haugh expressed his gratitude towards Nulph for the opportunity to become a Cavalier coach.

“It wasn’t something I had given a lot of thought to until Jake got here. When he got here, he told me that there was the talent that was here and the group of kids that were young. He said, ‘we can win here,’” Haugh explained.

One of Haugh’s coaching goals outside of the playbook is to develop his players, or ‘young men’ as he refers to them.

“Our three values are pride, character and discipline,” Haugh said. “I want the kids to have a sense of pride in everything they do, whether it’s on the field, in the classroom or at work.”

He explained that discipline will come from the mantra, “untrue by an inch, untrue by a mile” to motivate players to finish jobs the full way.

Haugh claims his No. 1 job is to ensure players in the football program from the Kiski Valley Lancer Youth Program to senior year in high school have a positive experience.

“I bring passion and love for the game. If we’re going to turn this thing around, that’s how we’re going to do it: with a staff that has passion and love, a community that has passion and love and the kids that have passion and love.”

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