NORTH ANDOVER — The sun had long since disappeared and Brooks School football practice had just ended when senior Steve Domoracki was asked for an anecdote that best epitomizes second-year head coach Alex Konovalchik.
Domoracki, of Hamilton, didn't have to think long, pointing to a teammate running sprints about 50 yards away.
"That's Ryan Gibeley, an all-conference offensive lineman, staying after practice and running sprints to get better," said Domoracki. "That never happened before Coach K got here."
Tomorrow at Endicott College (1:30 p.m.), in one of five New England Prep bowl games, Brooks, 7-1, plays Pingree, 7-1, in the Clark-Francis Game.
It is believed to be Brooks' first playoff game since the format was adopted 20 years ago.
Konovalchik took over a program that had consecutive 1-7 seasons in 2005 and 2006 and was 0-8 in 2007.
Three wins in Konovalchik's first as head coach was a boost in the right direction.
"At our first football meeting in the spring, after Coach K was named head coach, he kept us there about an hour," recalled Brooks' star quarterback Jordan Johnson, who'll play for Brigham Young next fall.
"He talked about being a team. About starting a mandatory weight-lifting program, about going summer camp together ... And he talked about winning. It caught a lot of us off guard."
It's not that "winning" was a dirty word - the boys and girls soccer teams annually rank among the best teams in New England.
"It was a little weird when I got here," said Domoracki. "I had never been to a school where it was cooler to play soccer than football."
Konovalchik, also a history teacher at the school, has been the varsity wrestling coach for 17 years. His teams have won three conference titles but football has always been his passion.
The Peabody native starred at Governor Dummer before lettering twice as a running back at Harvard (1987-88), where was an honorable mention All-Ivy wrestler.
His late father, Andy Konovalchik, was head football coach at Salem (Mass.) High from 1964-68.
When Dan Rorke's successful 20-year tenure (84-64-3 record) came to an end after the 2003 season, Konovalchik considered applying.
"A number of different assistants were on the staff, including John Quirk and myself," said Konovalchik, who lives on the Brooks campus with his wife, Sheila, and sons Andrew and Nick.
"For me, the timing wasn't right. My children were very young. Perhaps I was intimidated a little bit. Plus, I had settled into a comfortable routine as an assistant."
Quirk got the head job and Konovalchik was his top assistant for the next four seasons.
When Quirk was named the associate Head of School, the position opened again. It was like an alarm went off in Konovalchik's head.
"The moment I became a head coach, I said, 'Oh, my God, there are so many things I want to do,'" said Konovalchik. "Let's insist they go to weight lifting and do summer workouts. Let's meet kids in admissions when they come to visit as eighth graders ... It was very exciting for me."
Konovalchik gave Head of School John Packard a list he thought would be needed to make the program successful.
Konovalchik wanted to attend summer camp, schedule a game on a Friday night, hire a coach (or two) from outside of the school and be more aggressive attracting kids to Brooks to play football.
Konovalchik basically wanted to make football a priority.
"John said yes to everything," said Konovalchik. "His support meant so much. It really energized me."
Konovalchik inherited some talent and, unlike in the recent past, this year's schedule didn't include BB&N and Lawrence Academy, the Independent Schools League's top two teams.
Johnson, who was ISL co-MVP as a quarterback and safety, leads the way while running back/linebacker Domoracki, end/cornerback Jason Buco of Methuen, linemen Gibeley and Andrew Peck, and receiver/linebacker Brian Charlebois of Andover also made All-ISL.
Konovalchik says he's received e-mails and notes almost every day.
"I got an e-mail from a captain of the 1957 team, talking about the great season they had and how excited he is for us," said Konovalchik. "I got another from Nick Booth, who is on the Board of Trustees here at Brooks. We had just beaten Middlesex and he was on a business trip in Hong Kong. He was with a graduate of Middlesex and told me how much he enjoyed needling him."
Quirk says he couldn't be prouder of his replacement.
"Alex is a great person. He's done a lot of nice things to put his stamp on the program," said Quirk. "I think he was ready to become a head coach. He knows how to get a lot out of the kids. He's the right man for this job."
"Did I think we'd be where we are so quickly? Probably not," said Konovalchik. "But winning is contagious. And the kids put in the effort. So have the coaches. We watch a lot of film.''
E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com
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