Five storylines from 2010

Ed Dalton and the Trinity Area School District

The ongoing story of Ed Dalton and the Trinity Area School District dates back to last December, when the school board opened all fall coaching positions, including Dalton's positions as football coach and athletic director.
In early January, following significant public backlash, the board unanimously rescinded its rulings, but another controversial decision was only months away.
By an 8-1 vote at June's board meeting, Dalton was transferred from athletic director to a teaching position and the search for a new athletic director – a position Dalton held for the previous 12 years – was under way with the school year rapidly approaching.
Former St. Francis (Pa.) men's basketball coach Bobby Jones was hired as athletic director in late July.
Dalton, who remained as the Hillers' football coach, took the next step when he filed a lawsuit against the school district, claiming a breach of an oral employment contract. Dalton claims damages in excess of $100,000.
"We went out of our way not to go this route," Dalton said.
Dalton coached Trinity during the 2010 season, his 12th with the Hillers. Trinity finished 6-4 and made the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs for the ninth time in Dalton's coaching tenure. The Hillers lost to West Allegheny in the first round of the playoffs.

Ringgold football
Once a pipeline to Division I, Ringgold football hit hard times the past decade as there were nearly as many coaching changes as victories.
That changed in 2010 as the Rams, led by first-year coach Matt Humbert and a roster equipped for a track meet, made history at the tradition-rich school.
Bolstered by a move to the Keystone Conference, Ringgold got off to a strong start and gained confidence with a come-from-behind win at Hollidaysburg in Week 3. A spread offense geared toward the run suited Derrick Fiore, Quad Law and blossoming playmakers Alfon Cook and Demetrius Louis.
The wins kept coming in a variety of ways and Ringgold won the conference, plus it finished the regular season 9-0 – its first undefeated regular season.
The season ended in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs against Central Valley, which went on to win the WPIAL title.

Guy Montecalvo
Guy Montecalvo, the only high school football coach from Washington County to win a state championship, resigned in April after 30 seasons on the sidelines.
Montecalvo spent the first 23 seasons as a head coach at Washington and the last seven at Canon-McMillan, where he remains the school's athletic director. During his tenure, Montecalvo compiled a 225-107-2 record.
"The passion (for coaching) just isn't the same right now," said Montecalvo.
At 23, Montecalvo accepted his first post as head coach at Wash High. He guided the Prexies to WPIAL Class AA titles in 1993 and 2001. Washington won the 2001 state championship. The Prexies were also district runners-up in 1990, 1995, 1998 and 1999.
In 2004, Montecalvo guided C-M to a victory over Belle Vernon in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, the only postseason win in Canon-Mac history.
With an opening at Peters Township and the possibility of one at Trinity, Montecalvo's name is again making rounds as a candidate to coach in 2011.

The Peters Township School Board

In a situation with similar tones to the Ed Dalton and Trinity saga, Peters Township made waves when football coach Nick Milchovich had his job opened following a WPIAL Class AAAA playoff appearance.
Then, in another interesting move explained as a school policy that has rarely if ever been enforced, all fall sports coaching positions were opened. Given the success of girls soccer, boys soccer, boys golf, girls tennis and others at Peters Township, the move seemed strange.
Is it a cover-up to oust Milchovich?
Is it a case of a school policy being enforced?
Are sports programs unfairly being included with other student activities?
These questions, and others, could still be answered as further action is taken.

Ed Woods
Beth-Center's Ed Woods, the longest-tenured football coach in Washington County, guided the Bulldogs to another WPIAL Class A playoff appearance this season as the second-place team from the Tri-County South Conference.
Woods, however, was forced to coach Beth-Center's first-round victory over Cornell from the press box after a near-death experience.
On a Saturday in late October, Woods fell 20 feet off the roof of his house but remained alert enough to call Jefferson-Morgan football coach Jan Haiden for help. The Bulldogs and Rockets played later that week.
Woods missed that game while at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh with several injuries, including broken ribs.