Paul Zerbe moves past his old coach to become Tulpehocken’s winningest soccer coach

By Jason Guarente –MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Back when Paul Zerbe was Tulpehocken’s goalkeeper in the early 1980s, he never could have imagined the soccer life that awaited him.

It’s impossible to see so far into the future. To picture so many wins.

Zerbe took over as Tulpehocken’s girls coach in 2000, 17 years after he graduated, and has become a fixture on the sideline.

Last week he surpassed one of the school’s legends. Tulpehocken defeated Oley Valley 7-0 Wednesday to give Zerbe career win No. 258. He moved ahead of former boys coach Paul Wentling for the top spot on the Trojans’ all-time list.

“I didn’t even think about it,” Zerbe said. “I didn’t know I’d be doing this 21 years later. It’s just nice to be part of a good program. A lot of great coaches. Tons of great players.”

Few places can match Tulpehocken’s soccer tradition. Wentling won four Berks championships, two District 3 titles and reached the PIAA final twice.

Zerbe played under Wentling shortly before his tenure ended in 1985. Those are fond memories, even if they’re a little hazy.

“It was a long time ago,” Zerbe said with a smile. “He was a very player-friendly coach. I didn’t think of him as a hard disciplinarian as far as I remember. The team was tough. The seniors would get into you if you didn’t do your job.”

Zerbe has crafted his own legacy. He won district championships in 2008, 2012 and 2013, when he helped the Trojans reach the PIAA semifinals.

Tulpehocken, which has started 2-1-1, has a talented roster capable of making another deep playoff run. The Trojans returned eight experienced seniors. They defeated Lancaster Mennonite 2-0 Saturday to raise Zerbe’s win total to 259.

“He knows so much and he truly cares about the girls,” senior Sydney Zellers said. “That’s one of the major things that’s awesome about him. He has good tactics and he motivates us to play hard as a team.”

Zerbe started as Tulpehocken’s JV coach in 1999. He said he took classes to educate himself. He wanted to make sure he was fully prepared for the position.

One year later, he was in charge of the varsity. Two decades after that, he’s still going.

“It’s really one year at a time,” Zerbe said. “I’m glad they support me and have me back. I’m not ready to give it up. I love it and everything is working out well.”

Zerbe ended last season tied with Wentling at 257. It was a long wait to snap that tie. That made this a special week.

“He has said since Day 1 this is our season,” Zellers said. “Hopefully this is our year. Hopefully we’ll get him a bunch more wins.”