Defensive guru: Long-time coach Berish played key role as defensive coordinator for PIAA champion Leopards
Submitted photo
A 1990 Belle Vernon graduate, Brett Berish was a 5-foot-7 dynamo while playing for the Leopards as a wing back and defensive end under Bill Connors.
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon defensive coordinator Brett Berish (right) and his father Bob Berish hold the WPIAL Class 3A football championship trophy the Leopards won this season.
Submitted photo
Brett Berish has coached under Matt Humbert for two years at Ringgold and since 2014 at Belle Vernon. Berish started his coaching career in 1990.
Brett Berish bleeds Belle Vernon green and gold, from his days as a player to his coaching career.
Berish was a 5-foot-7, 135-pound dynamo for Belle Vernon as a wing back and defensive end for the Leopards under coach Bill Connors.
BVA posted a record of 7-3 when Berish was a sophomore in 1987. In 1988 the Leopards were Big Nine Conference co-champions with a 7-4 record. In Berish无毛视频檚 senior campaign in 1989 they were Big Nine Conference champs finishing with a record of 10-2.
无毛视频淚 was 5-7 and lucky to be 150 pounds when I played,无毛视频� Berish recalled. 无毛视频淐oach Connors liked guys like me, tough, hard nosed, gritty-type kids. Basically at the end of the day I was maybe slightly above average during my playing days. If it wasn无毛视频檛 for Coach Connors I probably never would have got to play for a lot of other guys. My life would have gone in a different direction that无毛视频檚 for sure.
无毛视频淗e a big influence on my life. It was playing for him and after I was done playing for him I really didn无毛视频檛 have much interest in going to college to play football. I started coaching with Jesse Cramer and Connors was still at BVA and thought it would be a great idea if I was coaching at the junior high and middle school and it just took off from there.无毛视频�
Berish has found memories of his playing days with the Leopards.
无毛视频淲e were co-champs and champs my junior and senior seasons,无毛视频� Berish said. 无毛视频淲e had a great bunch of guys on those teams.无毛视频�
Berish played a lot bigger than his size.
无毛视频淚 was a linebacker in middle school and my sophomore year they moved me to defensive line and I had a lot of success,无毛视频� Berish said. 无毛视频淐oach Connors had a lot of success with smaller guys down in trenches. I loved to play the game and I used my quickness and football IQ to great advantage.无毛视频�
His teammates appreciated what Berish brought to the table game in and game out.
As a teammate Michael Metikosh remembers Brett Berish: 无毛视频淯ndersized individual but had that will-to-win attitude. Would play any position to help the team win. Played linebacker in Junior High and moved to defensive end in high school where he learned how to play the position, such as how to take on a pulling guard. He learned how to use his size to his advantage. Brett had a tenacious, non-stop motor.无毛视频�
After high school Berish embarked on a coaching career and got a college education which led to a rewarding professional career.
无毛视频淚 went to Westmoreland Community College and worked for Weightman Construction,无毛视频� Berish explained. 无毛视频淚 worked for them all through college. I got an associate degree in liberal arts and then went to Cal U and ended up with a teaching degree. In 1997 I started working with at risk youth at the Center for Community Resources based out of Butler. We are in every county in the state. Right now my title is SAP Coordinator. We cover the 14 school districts in Washington County.无毛视频�
Berish has had an interesting coaching timeline as an assistant football coach.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e coached under Bill Conners (BVA junior high 1990-1992), Tony Ruscitto (BVA junior high 1993), Gary Dongilli (BVA middle school 1994 thru 2000), Jesse Cramer (BVA 2001 thru 2005), Guy Montecalvo (Canon-McMillan 2006), Randy Walters (Bentworth 2007), Tim Brenen (West Mifflin 2008), Aaron Krepps (BVA 2009, 2010, 2011), and Matt Humbert (Ringgold 2012 and 2013, BVA 2014 to present),无毛视频� Berish said.
无毛视频淚 was lucky enough to start my coaching career when some of the best old school coaches were on their way out of the game. I无毛视频檝e seen many different styles and definitely what 无毛视频渘ot无毛视频� to do in my years. For the record, Bap Manzini, Guy Montecalvo, Barry Duhnam and Joe Kroskie were the biggest influences on my defensive coaching career.无毛视频�
Coaching, like life, is full of ups and downs. One the biggest downers for Berish was getting fired at Belle Vernon after the 2011 season.
无毛视频淚t a tough pill to swallow because the defenses were really good and I had coached Aaron Krepps,无毛视频� Berish lamented. 无毛视频淟ook, at the end of the day he had to do what he did and I think his decision speaks for itself. I love Aaron and I wish him nothing but the best. I coached him and he无毛视频檚 one of my kids. I was more hurt than anything that it played out the way it did, but I never would have ended up with Matt Humbert and that has turned out really well.无毛视频�
Humbert guided Belle Vernon to 12-2 record, a WPIAL Class 3A championship and the first state title in school history when the Leopards staged a goal line stand to preserve a 9-8 win over Neumann-Goretti.
Berish, the architect of the Leopards无毛视频� stout defense, spoke about the effort.
无毛视频淚t was pretty special, and we will remember it forever,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淥ne-yard line against a South Philadelphia Catholic school. The defense didn无毛视频檛 give up a point. I am so proud of everyone.无毛视频�
It was fitting that the defense came up big. Heading into the PIAA championship game, which was played at Cumberland Valley High School, the Belle Vernon defense had not given up a point in the second half of a game since the third week of the season.
The game was a tight defensive struggle, as BVA gained 215 yards on 59 plays while limiting Neumann-Goretti. to 140 yards on 48 plays.
It boiled down to the great goal line stand by the Leopards.
In the closing moments the Saints were mere inches from scoring on consecutive plays and possibly winning the championship, only to be thwarted when quarterback Mekhi Wharton fumbled at the goal line and Aiden Johnson recovered the ball for the Leopards at the one-yard line to seal the win and state crown.
无毛视频淚 told them there is a thing called football justice and it finally went our way,无毛视频� Berish stated. 无毛视频淭hose kids refused to quit. This was one of the quickest defenses I无毛视频檝e ever coached in my life. Adam LaCarte had a big hit on the quarterback and Anthony Crews came in and swiped the ball out and Johnson picked it up and it was absolutely incredible.无毛视频�
Berish, 51, gave credit to the woman behind the man, his wife of 20 years Mary Lou. Berish has two stepdaughters, Alexis and Liza. Berish also gave a shout out to his boss Barb Mazza at Center for Community Resources for being so understanding about his coaching career.
Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert gets the last word on what winning a state title meant for his long time defensive coordinator.
无毛视频淭his is such a good experience for him because he无毛视频檚 a Belle Vernon alum and native,无毛视频� Humbert said. 无毛视频淗e has a lot of pride in that community. Brett无毛视频檚 the best defensive coordinator you could ask for. There无毛视频檚 never an argument between us. If there无毛视频檚 something I see or like, he无毛视频檚 always receptive to it. I think it无毛视频檚 very deserving for him for all the time and energy that he put into it.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.