Dig it: Coach of Year award winners to include volleyball
The oldest and, arguably, most revered award at the Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association banquet is for Football Coach of the Year.
The newest one, established this year, honors volleyball coaches.
So either Lance Getsy of Charleroi, T.J. Plack of Peters Township or Joe Rossi of South Fayette will be the latest in line to win for football.
And either Mandy Hartman of Frazier, Kelly Lacek of Fort Cherry or Ashley Shoemaker of Carmichaels will be the first to win in volleyball.
The six finalists will be honored and the winner chosen at the Coach of the Year Banquet at 6 p.m., Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe.
Tickets for the banquet are $35 each and are on sale at Washington High School, 201 Allison Avenue, Washington, PA 15301. Reservations can be made by calling athletic director Mike Bosnic at 724-223-5085, ext. 2091.
All proceeds from the banquet benefit Special Olympics.
Getsy led Charleroi to a 6-1 record and a tie with Washington atop the Class AA Interstate Conference. The Cougars defeated Riverside and Mohawk to reach the WPIAL semifinals. South Side Beaver ended the run with a 26-21 victory. Charleroi finished with a 10-2 record.
Plack guided Peters Township to a 6-1 record and a tie with West Allegheny for first place in the Class 5A Allegheny Eight Conference. The Indians downed Armstrong and Penn Hills to reach the WPIAL semifinals, where Penn Hills ended their season at 10-3 with a 22-14 win.
Rossi added another conference title trophy when South Fayette went 7-0 in the Northwest Eight in Class 4A. And the Lions added another WPIAL title with a 31-24 victory over Thomas Jefferson. Erie Cathedral Prep stopped the Lions in the state quarterfinals, 42-10. South Fayette finished with a 12-2 record.
Hartman led Frazier to the Section 3-AA title after running the table twice in the seven-team field. Frazier disposed of Hopewell, Deer Lakes and Freeport to reach the WPIAL finals, where North Catholic defeated Frazier, 3-0. Frazier fell to Cory in the first round of the state tournament to finish with a 15-2 record.
Lacek guided Fort Cherry to a 9-3 record and a tie with Brentwood for second place in Section 3-A. The Rangers finished third in the WPIAL playoffs and qualified for the state tournament. Berlin-Brothersvalley stopped the Rangers in the first round, capping a 12-5 season.
Shoemaker propelled the Mikes the Section 2-A title by beating each of the seven opponents twice. Carmichaels made it to the WPIAL finals before falling to Bishop Canevin. In the state tournament, the Mikes lost to Bishop Carroll, bringing an end to a 17-2 season.