Nov 1, 2020 8 min read

The road to a championship can be littered with challenges, adversity and pitfalls.

Rarely is that type of journey perfect – or near perfect.

But the 1975 Beth-Center High School football team made it look easy winning the Century Conference title and the WPIAL Class AA championship.

The Bulldogs were behind in a game just once and never trailed in the standings or in precision and confidence.

In the last 50 years, Beth-Center is one of only two Washington County Schools to win a WPIAL Class AA title – Washington High School did it in 1993, 2001 and 2017.

The 2001 Little Prexies went 15-0 and also won a state championship, the only Washington County team to win a PIAA crown.

Other WPIAL championship teams from Washington County in the past 50 yeas include Chartiers-Houston (Class A in 1971 and 1972), and McGuffey (Class AAA in 1994).

The PIAA did not contest football championships in the mid-1970s. It will never be known if those 1975 Bulldogs would have won a state title.

It wouldn’t be wise to bet against that, though.

The record shows the 1975 Bulldogs went 12-0. They averaged 30.3 points per game, while allowing a paltry 3.9 a contest. They posted seven shutouts and captured the WPIAL title game with a 13-0 victory over Kittanning.

Beth-Center stood ahead of every team in the WPIAL – way ahead.

“I never expected,” said Coach Bill Connors, who also led Ringgold to a WPIAL Class AAA championship in 1982. “That was a special team. We didn’t have exceptional size or speed. We had a motto (in 1975): ‘All it takes is all you got.’

“They all gave it what they had. They helped coach one another. Our defense was super. It was a defense that had togetherness and fight. They encouraged one another. It was a family, like brothers. They are still friends today.”

The emotions remain fresh.

“Twenty of our 22 starters were seniors (a number played both ways),” said Jim Pritts, a running back and linebacker, as he choked up recalling the team. “It was a band of brothers. We had each other’s backs the whole way.

“We were super-well coached. Connors and (the late Don) Bartolomucci (defensive coordinator) had us coached so well. We knew our opponents. We knew their tendencies and their moves. Everybody stepped up when they needed to.”

Jim Shargots, who led the team with eight interceptions, also credited the coaching staff and senior class for Beth-Center’s excellence in 1975.

“We had a great coaching staff,” Shargots said. “We were ready to play every game. We could anticipate what our opponents were going to do.

“We watched so much film. Our seniors won 17 consecutive games to end their careers. We’re all proud of that accomplishment. We went 26-4 in our three seasons.”

Setting the Stage

The 1974 season hinted at Beth-Center’s rising excellence in the Century Conference. The Bulldogs lost twice that season by a total of three points. Beth-Center dropped the season-opener to Albert Gallatin, 8-6.

The Bulldogs’ other loss was by one point to Greensburg Central Catholic.

Beth-Center’s signature win, though, came at Wash High Stadium, a 35-6 dismantling of the previously undefeated Little Prexies. Players and Connors agreed, that was an important victory moving forward for the Bulldogs.

Washington went on to share the Century Conference championship with Albert Gallatin, beating the Colonials in the final week of the regular season. However, Albert Gallatin earned the lone post-season berth available via the Gardner Point System – which was used as the top tie-breaker, rather than head-to-head. The Colonials went on to capture the WPIAL Class AA title.

“Coming to Wash High Stadium and to win that game was big for us,” Shargots said.

Added Pritts: “We ran a six- or seven-man front. We brought the house. We didn’t want to give them time to throw. That was big for us. Wash High was the city school. They had a lot of speed and a lot of talent. These guys were different.”

Beth-Center didn’t have to wait to gain some revenge on Albert Gallatin in 1975, downing the defending champions, 21-0.

The win was a springboard to winning the Century Conference and WPIAL championships in 1975.

“Those were two big wins,” Connors said.

The Bulldogs rolled. They defeated Chartiers-Houston (55-8), Clairton (31-0), Wilkinsburg (42-18), Greensburg Central Catholic (10-0), Swissvale (35-0), Washington (21-0), Waynesburg (48-0) and Brentwood (41-8) in the regular season.

Beth-Center added a 34-13 WPIAL quarterfinal win over previously undefeated Peters Township then a 13-0 victory over Beaver in the semifinals.

The Bulldogs’ dominance is clear in the numbers.

Between their three starting running backs and quarterback Kevin Bailey, they rushed for nearly 3,000 yards with Barry Stotka leading the way with 1,267. The other three backs, which includes Pritts and the late Barry Miller, finished within 33 yards of one another – all with more than 560 yards.

The defense made 19 interceptions and recovered 15 fumbles, forcing 2.83 turnovers per game. Pat Sosnak (140) and Gary Selestow (96), both middle linebackers, led the team in tackles.

Len “Buzzy” Corazzi made 40 extra points and two field goals, to add another dimension to Beth-Center.

Bailey, Corazzi, Pritts, Shargots, Wally Stotka, Barry Stotka, defensive end Kyle Lockett, offensive tackle, the late Tom McCarty; safety, Beranger Nemal; and Sosnak were named to the All-Century Conference team.

“We kind of had chemistry, just played together,” said Wally Stotka. “We minimized penalties and turnovers. We played pretty clean in terms of mistakes. It was just a great group of guys. We also took advantage of anything our opponents would give us. We turned their mistakes into a positive advantage for our team. That was big.”

All for One

The members of the 1975 Beth-Center Bulldogs are quick to heap praise on their coaches – Connors, Bartolomucci, Mike Bozick and the late Nate Cecchini. They also talk about togetherness, sacrifice and that they had no superstar. They certainly had standouts, though, and for the most part they just overpowered and out-executed 12 straight opponents in 1975,

“Every player was important,” Corazzi said. “Our defense was stellar. We had a couple of really good seasons. Our linebackers were fast. We were hard hitters and scrappy guys.

“I do think Mr. Connors got everyone to play above their ability all the time. Winning a WPIAL championship, especially since it’s the only one in Beth-Center history is special.”

As great as the defense was, the Bulldogs’ offense tormented opponents.

Bailey was the catalyst. The Beth-Center offense, which could feature multiple sets or formations, but some basic plays, could overwhelm a defense and leave it guessing which one of four backs had the ball.

Bailey made it even more difficult because of his deft ball-handling skills.

“Kevin was a magician with the ball,” Pritts said. “He would ride with the ball carrier into the line so hard and at the last second pull it out and make a play. He was just a wizard.

“Even with all the faking and last-second decisions, I know we fumbled less than five times in 12 games.”

Bailey showed his truest ball-handling and ball-security skills in a late-season 21-0 win over Wash High at Beth-Center.

The game was played on Friday afternoon in a monsoon. The heavy, steady rain soaked and muddied the field. The damp and cold weather made it miserable for everyone. Bailey was flawless.

“Kevin was a silent leader,” Connors said. “He made no mistakes. He carried out fakes. He was hard to see.”

In addition to the players and coaches, the community came together to fall in love with the team. The outpouring of support was appreciated and embraced by the team.

“We played in front of large crowds,” Shargots said. “Friday nights were big. I’ll always remember the elementary school kids waiting for us to come out of the locker room. It was special.”

“We ate that up,” Wally Stotka said. “It made us bigger than what we were. It pumped us up to play harder and play better.”

“I’ve never been associated with anything like Beth-Center,” Connors said. “There was something special there with the people. When we

entered the playoffs, all the signs in the stores, on the houses and the excitement in the schools were something else.”

Clearly, these Bulldogs were something quite different.

Beth-Center’s close-to-perfect run culminated at Mt. Lebanon Stadium with the WPIAL championship victory over Kittanning.

The Bulldogs gained the lead when Corazzi returned a botched punt 40 yards.

Clinging to a 6-0 lead, Kittanning crossed midfield and advanced to the Beth-Center 28. But on a fourth-and-five, Beth-Center’s vaunted defense rose up, and led by Barry Stotka, squashed the attempted pitchout that resulted in a 10-yard loss.

The Bulldogs responded with a 61-yard drive, with Barry Stotka capping it with a two-yard touchdown run. Corazzi’s extra-point made it 13-0.

Beth-Center had secured its championship.

“I don’t think we had any weak spots,” Shargots said. “The wins, shutting out Beaver and Kittanning was a big accomplishment. It was a dream season.”

“Everyone brought something to the table,” Pritts said. “I never went into a game feeling we would lose if we played our game.”

Said Corazzi: “We all just liked each other. From the first day we were as one. Everything was good about it.”