More to the recipe of destroying a program

Here we go again with more parent drama plaguing a successful athletic program in the Mon Valley.

And while the Frazier wrestling program has seen a lot of success since it’s creation in 2015, it’s seemingly being destroyed from the inside out.

We all know those parental types. The ones living vicariously through their children having success, because they were unable to fulfill their own goals in their high school careers. Trust me, that’s not a Frazier problem. That’s a problem in a number of districts nationwide, statewide and right here in the Mon Valley.

It started after last season when Buck Watkins resigned as the head coach. Doing this job long enough, with the graduation of workhorse and four-time state champion and multiple WPIAL champion Rune Lawrence, it was really no surprise.

There are plenty of talented wrestlers waiting in the wings, so the Commodores wrestling job was a coveted one.

Enter Tyler Kenney. The Connellsville graduate was hired in July to succeed Watkins. Earl Moore – an assistant under Watkins – stayed on to be his assistant.

The Commodores feature a number of talented wrestlers including a defending WPIAL champion in Ryan Celaschi, his cousin Chase Celaschi, Jonah Erdely and Jackson Angelo, who is the No. 1 seed in the 172 weight class heading into this weekend’s WPIAL championships.

So let’s go back to the Southmoreland Holiday Tournament where a voluntary assistant coach/parent, verbally threatened one of the student athletes in front of a number of people. Thanks to family throughout wrestling circles and an email from “anonymous parent,” I was able to gather that information. No charges were filed in the incident.

The Commodores went on to finish 5-12 in dual meets this season and 1-3 in a tough Section 3-2A, but their wrestlers have high hopes in this weekend’s championships and look to qualify for the PIAA tournament.

Despite the outlook for the individual season, Kenney tendered his resignation Feb. 3. Undoubtedly, those outside influences were among the reasons from the naked eye, but Frazier athletic director Mandy Hartman said Kenney cited “personal reasons” for leaving the job before the season was over.

Moore was appointed to succeed Kenney through the postseason, but did not accept the position. He did remain on as the junior-high coach and finished that season, Hartman said.

As the coaching carousel has now turned, varsity assistant Josh Maruniak has stayed on and will remain an assistant.

Dustin Wiltrout, who served as the junior-high coach under Watkins has returned to continue helping the program.

After exhausting those options, the program is now in the steady hands of former assistant Craig Kordich, who was an assistant when the program was formed.

“He’s a teacher in the district, knows the kids and has coached multiple sports,” Hartman said. “He knows some of the turmoil that has gone on and understands the processes and procedures within the athletic department. I thought it would be best to put him in there. He had tremendous success with Buck and has committed to seeing this thing through until the very last wrestler remains.”

I will vouch for Kordich any day of the week. We went through school together and played sports together. He is the best guy for this job.

When asked to expand on the “turmoil” or issues that have been going on in the wrestling program, Hartman declined to comment.

But now we have someone trying to pound another wedge into the program, with some members of the wrestling team coming to their residence to practice, leaving what coaches do remain and some other wrestlers on the outside looking in.

So for those warped minds out there looking for the recipe to destroy a successful sports program, this is how you do it.

Members of the Frazier wrestling community are fully aware of what has been happening and they’re well aware of where the animosity, malice, antipathy and bad blood is coming from.

My question is why? Speaking to some nearby wrestling parents around other teams in the Valley, is it no surprise that opportunities for scrimmages have been few and far between for the Commodores? No one wants to deal what comes with them. That’s not fair to the athletes.

That’s the true crime in all of this. Those wrestlers wearing red and white are good kids. They all get along, maybe to spite all those on the outside trying to tear down the walls of their safe place on the wrestling mat and in the gym?

Who knows … but the last question I have is why we don’t have a grip on this by now? Hasn’t it gone on long enough?

Maybe we should start banning some folks from the stands. Look at local districts like Belle Vernon and Monessen. For it’s 1, 2, 3 strikes your out. Period. Bye bye, adios, dasvidaniya, ciao, au revoir and sayonara. School boards around the region, state and nation are now passing policies for reasons just like those mentioned above. No matter what the sport because there are too many loud-mouthed parents and bleacher creatures in the stands.

Let the kids play and knock off the shenanigans. Even your athletes don’t care as much as you do. In the end, it’s a game. I’m a firm believer that sports teaches us more about life than any game. It teaches athletes how to overcome adversity, but when you as a parent or fan is the source of the adversity – YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! So, let the coaches coach and let the players play.