It’s official: Melnyk leaves Township for Mt. Lebanon

After 13 years at the helm, Mike Melnyk is leaving Manheim Township to become the head coach at Mt. Lebanon. (LNP archive photo)

Hello? Is this thing on?

I’m checking in from self-imposed offseason hibernation to report on the departure of Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk. The official word came from Mt. Lebanon and was reported in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review this morning — Melnyk is leaving Neffsville to take the helm at the WPIAL school.

He replaces Chris Haering, who left Mt. Lebanon to become the linebackers coach at Pitt. Mt. Lebanon engaged in a three-month search for Haering’s replacement before choosing Melnyk, the Tribune Review reports.

Melnyk spent the previous 13 seasons at Township. Word of his possible departure started circulating weeks ago, but he has declined public comment. According to the article we have on our main page this morning, several supporters — including students, parents and fellow coaches — spoke out in support of Melnyk at a school board meeting this month.

Mike Melnyk

One reason behind Melnyk’s decision to leave could be the news that his coaching stipend was cut in half — to $4,421 — as part of a district-approved cost-cutting measure for the upcoming year. Supporters at the school board meeting said that is why Melnyk was looking for a better-paying job elsewhere.

Melnyk didn’t touch on that in his comments in today’s Tribune Review article. Instead, he said he was up for a new challenge at a traditional powerhouse.

“Certainly, the reputation of Western Pa. football goes without saying,” he said in the article. “I’ve always been a person that wanted to take on the great challenges. I really believe I’m going to be taking on the best teams every year. Everybody who’s a competitor wants to measure themselves against the best.

“I’m pleased and honored to be part of that tradition now.”

Melnyk will have some big shoes to fill. Haering went 111-71 in 17 seasons at Mt. Lebanon, leading the Blue Devils to 13 playoff appearances and a WPIAL Class AAAA title in 2000.

But Melnyk is undaunted by challenges. Before he came on board at Township in 1999, the Blue Streaks had one winning season in their previous 23. It took some time for Melnyk to right the ship — Township went 10-30 in his first four seasons, including one memorable 69-0 loss to McCaskey in 2001. But in his last nine years, the Streaks went 65-33, captured two Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 titles and made six appearances in the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs.

Several notable players came through the ranks at Township during Melnyk’s time there, including quarterback Pat Bostick, who went on to Pitt. The Streaks’ current QB, Brennan Scott, is expected to follow Bostick’s footsteps into the major-college ranks after his graduation next year and is already one of the state’s most prolific passers.

If one of the reasons for Melnyk’s departure can really be traced to the reduction of his coaching stipend, that’s really a shame. It means the Streaks’ program has been victimized by the harsh realities of today’s economic and political climate, as schools across the country are forced to tighten their belts and make some tough choices in the light of budget cutbacks.

But ultimately it doesn’t matter why Melnyk’s heading west; at the end of the school year, he’s gone. And his absence will leave a void at Township. Section 1 is only going to get tougher with the addition of Lancaster Catholic in the fall; the Crusaders join a section that already has perennial powerhouse Wilson, upward-trending Hempfield, always dangerous McCaskey and tough-as-nails Warwick. Whomever takes over the reins for Melnyk will have his hands full.

Melnyk’s L-L League peers didn’t appreciate his habit of calling the occasional trick play when the Streaks were comfortably ahead, but he seemed to be universally respected for his ability to build a program. Under his guidance, the Streaks went from one of the league’s laughingstocks to an annual section title and district playoff contender, one that could be counted on for at least seven or eight wins almost every season.

I always thought his most admirable quality was his ability to adapt. He was the first coach in the league to embrace the “Wildcat” offense, using it almost exclusively in 2007 when injuries to his starting and backup quarterbacks forced him to do some hasty improvisation. (At Township, the shotgun formation most NFL fans know by its “Wildcat” moniker is called the “Razorback.”)

Mt. Lebanon has landed itself a pretty good coach. They seem to understand that.

Here’s what athletic director John Grogan told the Tribune Review about his new coach:

“Mike, quite frankly, is the total package. From a football coach standpoint, he’s extremely good. He has the experience … and I think he’s a better person than he is as a coach.

“From a cultural standpoint, after 17 years with Chris, we really wanted someone who could come in and maintain the program. He’s a tremendous leader and will do some great things with the kids. It was important to us to ensure we got it right, that we got the right person, and I certainly believe that’s the case.”

Covering Section 1 will be a little less interesting with Melnyk gone. I wish him well at Mt. Lebanon.

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One more accolade for Catholic: Harbach voted Small-School Coach of Year

Lancaster Catholic coach Bruce Harbach, who led the Crusaders to their second straight title and a perfect 16-0 season, has been voted the Small School Coach of the Year by Eastern PA Football. (Jeff Ruppenthal/LNP)

Eastern PA Football.com has voted Lancaster Catholic coach Bruce Harbach as its 2011 Small School Coach of the Year — one more accolade in a glittering season for the Crusaders.

Harbach led Catholic to its second PIAA Class AA title with a 17-7 victory over Tyrone in the title game on Dec. 17. The triumph capped a perfect 16-0 season for Catholic, which will move up to Class AAA next year.

The full article appears here. Congratulations to Harbach and the rest of the Crusaders.

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4 more L-L League players make All-State teams

According to a report on LLLeagueSports.com, the Lancaster-Lebanon League has four more representatives on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State team.

In Class AA, Lancaster Catholic players Adam DePietro, Charles Sweigert and Roman Clay all made the First Team at their respective positions. All three were vital cogs for the Crusaders, who captured the PIAA Class AA championship last weekend.

Meanwhile, McCaskey junior Diante Cherry was voted onto the Class AAAA First Team.

Congratulations to all four players.

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2 Columbia players make All-State First Team

Columbia players Mike Burke IV and Bryan Flory were voted onto the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State First Team. Matt Blymier’s story is here.

Congratulations to both players.

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Lancaster Catholic Videos/Good night and good luck

Wrapping up (finally) the weekend’s coverage of Lancaster Catholic’s 17-7 victory over Tyrone in the PIAA Class AA championship game, we have a pair of videos.

I shot this one, which concentrates on the Crusaders’ post-game reaction to winning their second state title in three seasons.

There’s also this one from Matt Blymier, who was roaming the sidelines and got some good footage of the in-game action. (Thanks, Matt.)

In case you missed them, stories about Saturday’s action can be found here and here.

This brings the 2011 Lancaster-Lebanon League season to a close. It was a good run for Catholic, Lampeter-Strasburg, Wilson, Columbia and the rest of the league’s playoff teams. Congratulations to everyone.

Also, I’d like to thank everyone who followed my live blogs this season. This was my third year of blogging live from L-L League games, and I’m pleased to say the amount of site views has increased every year. This season, I topped out at 889 viewers for the PIAA semifinal game between Catholic and Philly West Catholic. But this year, I could count on anywhere between 300-400 viewers for a normal, regular-season Friday night — a significant increase from what I could expect back when this whole venture started in 2009. Barring something unforseen, I’ll be back at it again next fall (you might also see me doing a few live blogs during basketball season when the playoffs roll around; we’ll have to see).

I’ll be something of an infrequent poster here for a while (this is a L-L League football blog, after all, and football season is over), but be sure to follow me on Twitter or “like” LancasterOnline’s High School Sports page on Facebook for news and updates about local sports.

Thanks again. And one last time, congratulations to Lancaster Catholic for an outstanding year. Happy holidays, everyone.

 

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Catholic captures 2nd state championship — Official stats

I probably won’t get to post much more on Lancaster Catholic’s 17-7 victory over Tyrone in the state championship today; I have holiday-related obligations for the rest of the weekend. But here are the official stats from today’s game:

Lancaster Catholic 17, Tyrone 7

Catholic stats:

Rushes-yards: 45-205

Passes: 11-17-2

Pass yards: 121

Fumbles-lost: 0-0

Penalties-yards: 10-92

Tyrone stats:

Rushes-yards: 30-60

Passes: 8-23-2

Pass yards: 101

Total yards: 161

Fumbles-lost: 4-1

Penalties-yards: 2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Catholic Rushing

Roman Clay 25-154, TD; Brandon Hollister16-53; Carmelo Cruz 2-1; Andrew Dzurik 2 (-3).

Catholic Passing

Andrew Dzurik: 11-17-2, 121, 1 TD

Catholic Receiving

Charles Sweigert 4-59; Sean Titus 3-35; Brandon Hollister 2-12; Robert DePietro 1-10; Sean Gibbons 1-5.

Tyrone Rushing

Christian Getz 17-88, TD; James Dorminy 6-2; Steven Franco 7 (-30).

Tyrone Passing

Steven Franco 8-23-2, 101

Tyrone Receiving

Nick Patton 5-84; James Dorminy 3-17

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PIAA Class AA Championship Updates: Lancaster Catholic vs. Tyrone

Due to PIAA regulations, I will be unable to bring you live, real-time play-by-play from the PIAA Class AA championship game between Lancaster Catholic and Tyrone on Saturday. But I will be able to summarize what happened at the end of each possession. And I’ll be available to answer your questions and provide my insight on what I see, so it will still be worth your time to visit.

Don’t forget, the game is being televised live at noon (and, later, on a tape-delayed basis) by the Pennsylvania Cable Network. (That’s channel 186 for you Comcast customers.)

My suggestion: Watch the game on TV, but bring it here to chat about the game, read my commentary and smile politely at my attempts to be funny.

 

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PIAA Class AA final prediction: Lancaster Catholic vs. Tyrone

You're calling me a homer? What's the problem? (courtesy of spaciousplanet.com)

Normally, I just slip a prediction into the end of my preview capsules. But Saturday’s PIAA Class AA championship game is no ordinary game, so I decided to pull out all the stops. Since I’m going to be called a homer for picking Catholic, I should at least put in the effort to justify my prediction. (Sorry for spoiling the ending for you. If you’d like, go ahead and skip down. I won’t mind).

Still with me? OK. Here are Five Reasons Why Catholic Will Win:

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Tale of the Tape: Lancaster Catholic vs. Tyrone

Tyrone, coached by John Franco (second from left), might not have a lot of size int he trenches, but the Golden Eagles win with heart and grit. (Photo courtesy of the Altoona Mirror)

Here is a comparison of the 2011 schedule/results, projected starters and offensive and defensive stats of Lancaster Catholic and Tyrone, who will meet Saturday at noon in the PIAA Class AA championship game in Hersheypark Stadium.

The Crusaders are seeking their second state title in three years, while the Golden Eagles are after their first state crown since 1999.

The game will be televised live by the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Due to PIAA regulations, I will be unable to offer real-time play-by-play on my blog from the game, but I will be there to summarize each team’s possessions, answer any questions you might have and provide my insights. Join me Saturday starting at 11:45 a.m.

Click here for a closer look at each team.

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PIAA Class AA Championship: Lancaster Catholic vs. Tyrone

Lancaster Catholic players Adam DePietro (left) and Sean Titus hope they'll have more to celebrate after they take on Tyrone in Saturday's PIAA Class AA championship game in Hersheypark Stadium. (Jeff Ruppenthal/LNP Staff)

After countless days of offseason preparation, two grueling weeks of training camp in August and 15 long weeks, it all comes down to one game for Lancaster Catholic.

The Crusaders will try to bring home the golden state championship trophy Saturday in the PIAA Class AA title game in Hersheypark Stadium. The final remaining obstacle is District 6 champion Tyrone, which surprised Aliquippa in last weekend’s semifinal round.

Catholic, which staged a miraculous comeback against Philadelphia West Catholic in the semifinal round to pull out a 23-20 victory, has a chance to wrap up a perfect 16-0 season with its second state title in three years. But Tyrone, a team that is a bit lacking in size but has heart and grit to spare, will not be an easy hurdle to clear.

(Cheap plug alert: While PIAA regulations prevent me from providing live, real-time play-by-play on my blog, I will be at the game and available to answer your questions, field your comments and provide insight as the game progresses. So if you’re not traveling to Hershey, check out the Pennsylvania Cable Network’s live coverage of the game and join me here to chat about what you’re watching.)

Now, let’s take a closer look at the matchup. Click here to see both teams’ 2011 results and projected starting lineups.

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