Saturday, January 31, 2009

Football carousel

Heading into February, two of Washington County's more tradition-rich athletic programs are searching for football coaches, while a third has yet to full its position.

With Jeff Petrucci's retirement after two years as head football coach at Ringgold, the Rams are searching for another coach. Over the past 11 years, Ringgold has been coached by Chuck Colborn, Scott Venick, Jeff Matty, Russ Moore, Steve Campos and Petrucci. One challenge for Ringgold athletic director Lloyd Price will be finding a coach who not only is looking to stay but one who can work at the school.

Washington High School is searching for Bill Britton's replacement and either it's a very secret search or there has not been much movement. I've asked several people and none claim to have an idea of who may become the Prexies' next football coach.

While Ringgold and Washington are two traditional programs, California High School is a regular in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Joe Kuhns, who never missed the postseason as the Trojans' coach, filled the opening at Waynesburg Central, where he faces the task of rebuilding the Raiders back to what they were during the days of Moore and Dave Serra. Word is Colborn - an assistant coach at Beth-Center the past two years - is a possible hire but nothing has been made official.

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

If Waynesburg wants to rebuild "back to what they were during the days of Moore", then they should have hired Russ Moore. Hopefully, Joe Kuhns can get things on the right track there. Now what will it take to get something done with the basketball program in Waynesburg?

Anonymous said...

Lloyd Price is the best candidate for the Ringgold job. The guy has a been a winner his whole life. He is willing to put the time into Ringgold and rebuild the program.

He will bring stability to the program that hasnt been there in years.


This Price is right and if you dont think so you must not know Lloyd.

Anonymous said...

moore was ringgolds answer but the schoolboard thought that a soccer coach from bethany coll. (girls) who didn`t get the job when moore was hired.Campos was the biggest joke to coach in the w.p.i.a.l all because he coached someones kid in collage coach moore would have took the program farther instead ringgold ends up going backwards patrucci only wanted to play 9 games a year but the kids made the playoffs 2 years in a row spoiling jeffs time off hays off to the kids they tried unlike the schoolboard

Anonymous said...

Petrucci won more games than Moore did with the Rams. So whats your excuse on why Moore didnt win???

Russ Moore was not the answer.

Anonymous said...

ask the kids who they wanted as a coach, moore or petrucci. those were moore's boys playing this last year. it could have been like waynesburg after five years. how much time did petrucci put in during the off season---none. petrucci won more, why? keystone conference first year and nonconference games this year that were the sisters of poor.

Anonymous said...

Russ Moore is ten times the coach that Petrucci is, always has been and always will be. The people at Ringold have no idea who to hire and support, thus their recent woes.

Bring in an experienced, hungry guy, support him and get the hell out out of his way and let him go.

Anonymous said...

Ask Mike Siriani who he would rather have on his staff? Petrucci, Campos or Moore. He worked with all of them. I am not sure about what he will say about Moore, I think they parted on bad terms. I know that Banny was happy with Moore. Moore is old school, he stands up for what he believes in and won't let boards tell him how to run a program.

Anonymous said...

Its amazing how many people know the answers to solve Ringgold's problems.

Bring in Lloyd Price that is the best option Ringgold will ever have. Lloyd is a winner. He will win football games. He will get the kids excited about the football program.

He works in the building which is a huge. I think its tough to coach if you dont work in the building.

Anonymous said...

I would imagine that Frank Zebrasky is the top candidate for the Ringgold job. Now that his kid has finished at Canon-Mac, it is probably time for him to branch out and be a head coach somewhere.

Anonymous said...

I would imagine your an idiot then...

Anonymous said...

So we are asking the kid who they would want more Petrucci or Moore? Should we ask all the kids or only the kids who were mad they werent playing?

Anonymous said...

Mike your poll makes no sense at all since Ringgold was in the playoffs last year?????

Explain?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Fisher Law,

Thats cool just call out a bunch of people who you really have no idea if its them. Other than R. Keith who posts with his picture you have no idea who is posting anything.

Also, if you dont like reading the message board then dont read it. Your just another example of someone that thinks they have all the answers for Ringgold. What have you done to improve Ringgold athletics????

Real nice calling out a bunch of high school seniors. You randomly calling people out is "idiotic."

I know R Keith isnt a senior but he acts like a child on here.

This is a stupid message board it has nothing to do with the success of an athletic program.

You are the one acting like a child being a 45 year old man calling out high school seniors.

Anonymous said...

Are these people new to the interent or what??? How can you complain people not posting their names on a message board?

Fisher Law you are a joke.

Anonymous said...

Clairton Alum, Jason T, Fish Law, and company let's get back on track. Let's discuss who should be the next Ringgold football coach and ignore all of the obnoxious comments that have been made. Mike Kovak has provided all of us with a forum for discussion of primarily Washington County athletics and I think it is fair to say that all of us who regularly read this blog share one thing in common: interest in high school sports.

I like the idea that someone posted about Frank Zebrasky being the new Ringgold coach. He is a proven commodity at the AAAA level and has turned Canon-Mac into one of the best defensive football teams around.

Is Zebrasky the only worthy candidate? No. I have heard some rumblings that Ringgold is going to try to buy Tom Lougheran out of his post at South Park. Apparently he is going to be retiring from teaching soon, so he'd be free to put in the hours at Ringgold. The guy has 2 state titles, so Ringgold could do much worse. I am also hearing that a former Pitt legend could try his hand as Ringgold's coach. That man is none other than Tyler Palko. He is highly unlikely to take the job, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lloyd The Hammer Price brought him in for an interview.

Outside of these 3 candidates, I'm sure many names will emerge. But I think Ringgold would be thrilled to land Zebrasky, Lougheran, or Palko and I would think one of those 3 could bring Ringgold back to the good old days.

Clairton Alum, do you think Tom Nola would have an interest in the Ringgold job? It seems like he has done all he can do in Single-A, so maybe he will want a new challenge?

Anonymous said...

I think you people are all crazy. Lloyd Price is the best candidate. Bottom line he is a winner and I would never want to play agaisnt him.

Anonymous said...

Hardwork, dedication, and pride will bring back Ringgold to the glory days.

Its not going to be easy, but nothing worth while ever is easy.

Anonymous said...

Fisher Law,

You are a perfect example of a trouble maker in Ringgold. You have done nothing to benefit anyone.

You are a joke blaming it on high school kids. You probably also think you should be the coach at Ringgold, because you coached the pee wee football team to a winning record.

Anonymous said...

Palko a PITT legend? What are you smoking dude? Canvanaugh and Marino are the only PITT QB's that you can call legends. There is another name for Mr. Palko- a bust.

Anonymous said...

Palko isnt going to coach at Ringgold. You must be smoking the reefer buddy.

Anonymous said...

Dan Pallante
John Miller
John Trovato
Bill Cowher


Take your pick.

Anonymous said...

Frank Zebrasky is a Prexie at heart. I couldn't imagine him coaching at Ringold especially with Wash High's job open.

Also I heard at a recent board, parents at Washington showed interest in forming a panel to have input on selecting coaches for the staff. I also heard the board is looking at it's hiring practices for coaches. Possibly a change in policy as far as selecting coaches inside the district. Right now this is only talk but a change needs to be made.

The football program has decline a lot due to numbers. A lot of students just aren't coming out. Guy Montecalvo was excellent at getting the kids to come out and keeping them working year round. I'm not saying that is the only problem but it's the start for sure.

Washington was a ton of athletes they just need a coach that can get them on the field and stay on.

Anonymous said...

Clairton Alum,
Is the Lloyd Price you are referring to also the AD at Ringgold? Because if that is the same guy, what coaching experience does he have? How is he the best candidate? I used to think your posts were interesting and thought provoking, but you must have married Lloyd's sister or something if you think he is the best candidate. I mean no disrespect to Lloyd, but as the AD he should bring in a proven coach and bringing in himself would do nothing to advance the program.

Funny thing is you are Clairton Alum, yet now you are an expert in Ringgold athletics? Methinks that this exposes you as a teacher in the Ringgold district... perhaps one that has been promised a job on Lloyd's staff?

Anonymous said...

Bimbo Cecconi - Pitt QB legend.

Anonymous said...

Give me a break anon. Lloyd coached at Cal u for a year as the running back coach. He was also the linebackers coach this past year on Ringgolds team.

Also, what really kills me is you talk about experience. Half the people with experience suck. All they have is experience. The other half with experience are lazy.

Go with youth and enthusiasm. Plus Lloyd knows the game. He was an academic all american for a reason.

Look at Mike Tomlin. No head coaching experience yet wins the Super Bowl in his second year. I am not saying Ringgold will win the WPIAL, but Lloyd has the heart, desire, and passion to make it happen.

And you are way off on me just supporting Lloyd for a position on his staff. First off I will not be coaching football for any team.

Secondly you act like someone is going to be hired off what is written on this message board.

Lastly, hire Lloyd Price as head football coach because he is a class act who is the best candidate.

Anonymous said...

Lloyd Carr?

Anonymous said...

Experience only goes so far. I would rather take someone who has the brains and work ethic.

Price is who Ringgold needs. He will stay with Ringgold for a long time and bring stability to the program.

I hope he gets the job and turns Ringgold into a powerhouse. Then all the haters can jump on the bandwagon.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sold on Lloyd Price. Not because he wouldn't be a solid football coach, but because the job of AD/football coach is a difficult one to balance. Several people have tried it and I'm not sure that it has fully worked for any of them. Since this is a Wash Co. blog, I will give the example of Guy Montecalvo at Canon-Mac. Montecalvo has been pretty successful in his time as Canon-Mac's football coach- including 2 straight playoff appearances. However, knowing several coaches and parents in the district, the feedback has been that he completely ignores his AD duties. Apparently he has his secretary do all of the leg-work (scheduling, facility allocation, bugeting, etc) while keeping his focus almost entirely on football.

I'm not too familiar with the school district, but the problem of having a "ghost" AD has been mentioned to me by several coaches and parents from that district. Obviously Canon-Mac has had some great sports success in the last couple of years, but it didn't come with out coach vs administration struggles.

If you ask me, I think Montecalvo is doing the best that he can. First and foremost, he is the AD because he can also be the football coach. So on his list of priorities, I think he has to take care of his team first. Nothing wrong with that, but with only one other person apparently working alongside him, I'm sure that a lot of things simply do not get done in their athletic department.

As for Lloyd Price, Ringgold needs to upgrade all of its sports. If the AD is spending 90% of his time coaching football, then inevitably the rest of the sports programs will suffer. Lloyd Price may one day be as great a coach as Montecalvo, but at what cost to overall sports scene at Ringgold?

Anonymous said...

This is kind of stupid, but how would Ringgold fans feel about a guy like Bill Cherpak taking over their football program? I'm not saying he is interested at all, but he is widely considered in the elite class of coaches in the WPIAL. Would he be able to turn the program around?

Anonymous said...

Just because Cherpake had success in T.J. doesnt mean he would make Ringgold a success. I think it is going to take someone from inside the district to turn the program around. Someone who knows the kids and their lifestyle. Ringgold has a diverse school coming from Donora, Monongahela, and Finleyville.

Anonymous said...

Lloyd Price = no head coaching experience. Ringgold's not the place for a first-timer.

Anonymous said...

Another idiotic comment. Last time I checked Ringgold wasnt a top tier team.

So why is it not the place???

Experience means nothing. Half the area coaches suck anyways. Its all the old timers who talk about experience, but most of them are lazy.

Probably just another idiot from Donora posting I am sure.

Anonymous said...

Lets go with experience. Sounds like a great idea. By the way your home boy Russ Moore won 2 games with Bean Heller the schools best running back. Great coach...

Also, every other coach with experience other than Petrucci didnt do much to improve Ringgold.

Anonymous said...

Let me rephrase this. The coaches didnt do anything to improve Ringgold.

Anonymous said...

As if Shane Mountain, R Keith Taylor, Simon Bekavac, Ricky Douglas, Scott Veras, Jake Spaziani, Chris Hough, Blayze Schindler, Tom Brletich, or Taylor Bruff would lower themselves - what an outrageous and salacious remark

Anonymous said...

FYI salacious (obscene or grossly indecent)

Anonymous said...

Fisher Law is an idiot. What else would you expect from that guy?

Anonymous said...

Ringgold athletics has more problems than Lloyd Price can solve (and he has tried for the last couple of years). To me the biggest problem is that the Ringgold school district has not been a "living destination" for new families. This may change due to the housing/credit problems in the U.S. but over the last 10 years, the neighboring Peters community has been a much more desirable district to live in than Ringgold. Peters has the nice, new neighborhoods, the big houses, etc. Ringgold also has some nice places to live, but it lacks the new housing developments than other areas like Peters (Canon-Mac and Trinity as well)have thrived on. As a result, Ringgold has lost out on an overall student population base that could have improved their sports programs tremendously. Imagaine if Jordan Janikowski had lived in Ringgold and not Peters. Do you think the baseball team would have been better?

Facilities are also a problem at Ringgold. The football field and stadium were great 7 years ago, but have aged and will likely need to be upgraded soon. The football field is overused because so many teams play and practice on it (Varsity, JV mens and womens soccer, football, etc). The baseball field is one of the worst in the WPIAL and is hardly fit for hosting a cow grazing let alone a baseball game. The gym is solid, but the weight room stinks. Ringgold is going to need some big $$$ to come into the picture to upgrade the worst facilities in the AAA/AAAA level. Perhaps Joe Montana has some money to donate?

Finally, a school composed of many smaller communities is doomed to fail if the youth programs
are not all working towards the same goal. In the Ringgold district, the youth programs are completely divided and in fact many kids grow up as rivals only to be forced to come together in high school. If you don't like someone when you are 8,10, 12, and 14 years old, you are probably not going to like them in high school. First impressions are tough to crack.

Ringgold definitely stands to benefit from the housing/credit crisis, as those that can't afford to live in Peters, Canon-Mac, Trinity, etc will look to move to Ringgold in a cost-saving move. If they can add 10 kids to the district in each grade that would be huge. Ultimately Ringgold needs to get its entire community united to have any chance at ever being relevant in WPIAL sports. Unfortunately the work ethic just doesn't seem to be there from the district.

Anonymous said...

The anon made some great points. Ringgold isnt going to attract many people to move there. They dont have the nicer housing developments.

However other school districts like Woodland Hills seem to do just fine. If you remember they are combined of smaller towns just like Ringgold.

Joe Montana will never donate he doesnt care about Ringgold or the people there. That is his decision.

The new Ram Club at Ringgold is raising alot of money which should help the sports teams.

I think Lloyd Price is the best solution to the football team.

Anonymous said...

I found anon's comments on Guy Montecalvo (Feb. 3) interesting and disturbing. I have worked with and under many-many athletic directors (in other schools as well as at Cm). Guy puts countless hours in as AD that many do not see. He has been one of the best I've worked for. Yes his secretary is excellent and does alot of work...that is her role. Yes there was a period of time when he was on leave due to family concerns and she took on extra duties. But all-in-all to say that he ignores his AD duties is unfair and unwarranted.
Coaching football takes an incredible amount of time and any time someone acts as AD and head football coach at the same time they will have plenty of critics.
When that school is the size of Canon-Mac, there will be no shortage of opinions.
My opinion is that Coach Montecalvo is an excellent AD.

Anonymous said...

Mark Wise should be washington's head coach he is one of the best pepole for the job played on probably the best wash high football team in the history even though they lost to jeannette to go to wpial's but he is a great teacher of the game and knows what hes taling about alot of experience playin on the national chamionship team at penn state in 86 he can put this progarm back on top with all the young talent coming up if he is the man to get the job you heard it here first

Anonymous said...

I think Rodney Taylor would make a fine football coach for either Ringgold or Washington.

Rod are you going to apply for either position?

Anonymous said...

Rebuild Ringgold?
sectional championships - 3
1973 - 1987 - 2000
Tradition????

Anonymous said...

The Varsity Letters is the best site on the planet. YAY

Anonymous said...

Ryan Matsook of Beaver Falls is who I heard for the Wash Hi job.