Apr 23, 2015 2 min read

Each year, the Tri-CADA Coach of the Year Banquet honors coaches who either led their teams to a WPIAL or PIAA championship or to the state finals. They fall into the category of Olympic Sports honorees.

This year, three coaches – Dave Derrico of Canon-McMillan girls soccer, Bob Dyer of Peters Township boys soccer and Joe Winans of South Fayette girls track – will be honored at the Tri-County Athletic Directors Coach of the Year Banquet at 5 p.m., Sunday at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Meadow Lands.

Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are on sale at Washington High School. Reservations can be made by calling athletic director Joe Nicolella at 724-223-5085, ext. 2091.

All proceeds from the banquet benefit Special Olympics.

Derrico guided the Big Macs to wins in eight of their final nine matches in the regular season to earn the third and final playoff berth in Section 5-AAA. The Big Macs clawed their way to the WPIAL finals before falling to Seneca Valley.

In the state tournament, Derrico led the Big Macs to three wins to make it to the state championship game. There, they fell to Central Bucks West in overtime. Canon-McMillan finished with a 19-5-1 record.

Dyer led the Indians to a tremendous run through the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs. Peters Township finished second in Section 5-AAA, then caught fire in the playoffs with prolific forward play and great defense. PT allowed only two goals in eight matches on the way to winning WPIAL and PIAA championships.

The Indians beat Upper St. Clair in the WPIAL finals and Great Valley in the state finals. Peters Township finished with a 22-2 record.

Winans led the Lions girls team to their second consecutive WPIAL Class AA Team Track Tournament title with three wins in the finals. South Fayette defeated Beaver, Mohawk and Freeport in dominating fashion.

Among the events won by South Fayette girls team were the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter relay and numerous field events, including the long jump and triple jump.