Going for four

Winning a WPIAL team championship is difficult, ask any coach fortunate to have won a title. It takes talent, dedication, discipline and, often, a little/lot of luck or the right draw.

Winning multiple WPIAL championships is even tougher. For coaches, it's a rather exclusive club.

Carmichaels baseball coach Dave Bates can win a fourth WPIAL Class A baseball championship if the Mikes get past Serra Catholic Thursday afternoon at Consol Energy Park, home of the Washington Wild Things. Bates coached Carmichaels to titles in 2003, 2005 and 2008. The Mikes finished second in 2004.

Should Bates win a fourth title, it puts him in elite company among the coaching fraternity in Washington and Greene County.

According to information obtained by the Observer-Reporter, Bates could become the 13th coach to win at least four WPIAL championships in one sport, while two others have won at least four in multiple sports.

The following is the list of coaches who won at least four WPIAL titles in one sport:
1. John Husk (Trinity rifle) – 10
2. Ernie Closser (Waynesburg wrestling) – 6
3. Joe Ayersman (Waynesburg wrestling) – 4
Hank Day (Washington football) – 4
Ron Faust (Washington boys basketball) – 4
Ron Headlee (Jefferson-Morgan wrestling – 4
Jerry Luxbacher (Peters Township boys soccer) – 4
Dan Ross (Chartiers-Houston softball) – 4
John Ross (Canonsburg wrestling) – 4
Joe Shook (Trinity wrestling) – 4
Bill Solominsky (Washington wrestling) – 4
Jon Vallina (Burgettstown golf) – 4

Multiple sports:
1. Guy Montecalvo (Washington football, track) – 5
2. Jimmy Russell (Donora football, boys basketball) – 4

If anyone knows of anyone else, please let us know. We're wondering who coached Canonsburg High School boys cross country back in the 1930s. Canonsburg won the first five WPIAL team titles (1935-39).