Greyhounds starting over under new coach

By DEAN DELLAMALVA JR.
MVI Sports

Last year, Monessen’s football team and its supporters had a season they would like to forget. The Hounds (0-7, 0-7) suffered through a winless season in which they had to forfeit their final three games due to a lack of players.
Those results helped lead to a mutual separation with first-year head coach Shane Swope. That left Monessen searching for its second coach in as many years.
Enter new head coach Wade Brown, who brings a new staff that hopes to be able to make a better connection with the players and community. A graduate of Duquesne High School and a former assistant at West Mifflin, Brown is hoping to use his life experiences to return the Greyhounds to glory.
“Our coaching staff all come from communities like Monessen,” Brown said. “This was big for me when I was picking the coaches for my staff so we can be able to understand the kids and where they’re coming from and some of the things they’re going through on a daily basis.”
While they are rebuilding the program, goals for the team will need to be tempered. But that doesn’t mean the bar is low.
“We want to build these kids’ confidence so they know they can win,” Brown said. “They need to know they can compete with anybody, they just have to believe in themselves.”
One of the immediate tasks for Brown is to increase the participation rate in his program. There are 22 players currently on the team roster, with just two of those being seniors.
“We’re working through it. I think some of the kids might still be iffy about the last couple of years, if they want to play,” Brown said. “They want to know that we are committed to the program. We can’t skip any steps; we need to try to make it better every day.”
Two of the key players from last year’s team will need to be replaced. When coach Swope left, he took his son, quarterback Shane Swope, with him. Shifty back Isaiah Beltram has graduated, leaving a big void on the offense.
Senior Dayton Carson and sophomore Lorenzo Gardner are engaged in a battle for the quarterback position. A pair of sophomores, Jamar Bethea and Jermere Majors, are competing for carries in the backfield.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s special football edition in the Mon Valley Independent. Call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.