Former Daniel Boone quarterback set to become Blazers’ next head coach

Former Daniel Boone quarterback J.D. Okuniewski is in line to become the Blazers’ next head football coach. His name will be presented to the Daniel Boone school board Monday night for approval according to the board’s preliminary agenda.

Okuniewski has been an assistant coach on the Daniel Boone staff for the six seasons. He served as wide receivers coach and head JV coach last season for Rob Flowers, who resigned following the season.

Flowers coached the Blazers for five seasons, winning an Eastern Conference championship game in his first season, 2018.

The Blazers finished 2-8 last season, 2-4 in their first season in Section 3 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

Okuniewski was part of the program during its best seasons, in 2010 and 2011 when they won 11 and then 10 games, respectively, under head coach Dave Bodolus.

He was the starting quarterback as a senior in 2012 in Bill Parks’ first season as head coach.

His father, John, was also on Flowers’ staff, as defensive backs coach. His brother, Ryan, is a coach at Pottsgrove.

Okuniewski in an English/Language Arts teacher in the Daniel Boone school district, where he has worked since 2018. He previously taught English at West York high school.

Okuniewski graduated from West Chester University and has a Master of Education degree from Wilkes University.

Flowers took the Blazers to their first District 3 playoff appearance in seven years in 2021 when they finished 5-4. Flowers won his final game, 35-8 at Fleetwood, and finished with a 17-31 record at Boone.

“I feel we did a lot of good things in five years,” Flowers said in December after resigning. “I did the best that I could with the guys that were with us. Obviously we all want to win more. Even when I was at Reading, we were always winning off the field, period.”