Feb 28, 2018 4 min read

After 18 seasons as an assistant high school football coach, Lance Getsy thinks it is the right time to be a head coach. He has found a place at Charleroi High School.

Getsy, an assistant at Franklin Regional the past two seasons, was hired Tuesday night by the Charleroi school board by a 7-0 vote.

He takes over a team that went 9-2 last season, losing just one regular-season game to eventual WPIAL Class AA champion Washington. The Cougars finished second in the Century Conference.

“The main things for me are being in the (Mon) Valley and in the kind of community like Charleroi,” he said. “I grew up in the Steel Valley School District, a proud community and school district with hard-working people.

“Football is still an event at Charleroi. The community and people support the team. The stands are filled.”

Getsy’s brother Luke was a quarterback at Pitt and Akron, wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers, and is now the offensive coordinator at Mississippi State.

The new Cougars’ coach said he has “full reign” over putting a coaching staff together. He expects to do so in short order.

He added that he would “love to talk to Charleroi guys” about the staff and will consult with superintendent Ed Zelich, Athletic Director Bill Wiltz, and others concerning the staff.

“I’m a team player and I want suggestions,” Getsy said. “I want this to be a group effort and put us in the best position possible.”

Getsy, in addition to Franklin Regional, also coached at Steel Valley, Norwin, Gateway and Elizabeth Forward. He has coached about every position on the field.

“His enthusiasm and the fact the he really had a lot of confidence” is what attracted the district to Getsy, Wiltz said.

“We like his football background,” Wiltz added. “He has really good family football background. He seems to be a real good fit. He did his homework, watched videos of our team and has a real good feel for what our program is about.”

Getsy said he will call the offensive plays and be involved with the defense as well.

“I’ve been around every type of system and I’m the type of coach who will go after what you can exploit,” he said. “I like the spread, and the RPO (run-pass option) and zone, but I will just as soon hand the ball off and run it.”

Getsy succeeds Donnie Militzer, who resigned after rumors began to swirl that the school board would open his position.

Last season, Charleroi advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. In was the Cougars’ first winning season since 2009 and first time to qualify for the postseason in Class AA competition since 1998. Charleroi was upset by Avonworth in the opening round of the playoffs.

The team returns, among a host of others, quarterback Geno Pelligrini and receiver Dakota Romantino.

The Cougars will be among the favorites in the Century Conference, along with Washington, Beth-Center and McGuffey, which is dropping down from Class AAA, and in the WPIAL.

“I just really felt like this was a nice fit for me and my family,” Getsy said. “From what I’ve heard, Charleroi has great kids with great work ethics.

“I try to build relationships. I believe that’s where self-discipline begins because you don’t want to let others down. I’m old school and I don’t let things go. But I believe in second chances. Self-discipline is the key to success.”

Getsy, a special education teacher in the Elizabeth Forward School District, resides in North Versailles with his wife, Michelle, daughters Taylar and Kalei, and stepson Nathan Waleko.

His brother-in-law is Washington native, Dan Bradley, head football coach at OLSH and head basketball coach at Avonworth.

“I believe God puts you in a situation at the right time and the right place,” Getsy said. “I have thought about being a head coach. But I have been selective in the places where I applied. This is the only one I applied for this year.”