George Guido: Springdale Legion anniversary worth celebrating

By: George Guido
Saturday, August 13, 2022 | 5:15 PM

With American Legion baseball all but dead in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Friday was a good time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Springdale’s rise to the state championship.

On Aug. 19, 1972, Springdale, managed by the late Jack Heimbuecher, defeated Chambersburg, 3-1, at Freeport Borough Field.

It was the seventh time a local Legion team won a state title. Curtisville (West Deer) won four titles in 1939, ‘43, ‘49 and ‘53, Tarentum won in 1941 and Lower Burrell won in 1965.

It is possibly the last time an A-K Valley Legion team will win a state title. This summer is the first time in nearly 90 years there was no American Legion baseball in the Valley area, though the 2020 season was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic. There were several local Junior Legion teams in 2022, but it remains to be seen if that will have any effect on future play.

A number of team members gathered for a reunion at Grieco’s Carefree Inn in Indianola. Many reminisced about the challenges met to win the state title.

“Our strength was knowing the fundamentals,” said Skip Yakopec, state tournament MVP. “We had great pitching, and we were able to manufacture runs with bunting and stealing.”

Jim Basilone, the baseball coach at Valley High School, recalled, “Coach Heimbuecher took us to a football game in Freeport the fall before. We walked across the infield after the game. Jack stopped us and said, “This is the place where we will win the state championship next year.’ ”

Heimbuecher was a stickler for the little things. Every player had to shine his shoes and batting helmet before coming to the field. Even the players in the middle of the batting order had to know how to bunt.

“Jack was a perfectionist,” Basilone said. “He could put up with physical errors but not mental errors.”

Heimbuecher and his coaching staff are deceased, along with several team members — most notably Tom Eaton, who was the winning pitcher in the Allegheny County final, the regional final and the state final.

Heimbuecher was inducted into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, Yakopec in 2004.

There were nearly 800 American Legion teams in Pennsylvania in 1972.

New staffs

Practice begins Monday to start the 124th season of high school football in the A-K Valley, and four new coaching staffs will be unveiled.

• New Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski will have Scott Newell as offensive coordinator and Mark Kaczanowicz as defensive coordinator. Marcus Willliams will handle the running backs and outside linebackers, Adam Lattus the fullbacks and inside linebackers and Beau Elliott, Josh Petit and Nick Hilliard the offensive and defensive linemen.

• Knoch coach Tim Burchett will have Joe Farkas as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Aaron Vannatter handling the offensive line, Connor Shinsky special teams and offensive line, Matt Savannah linebackers and running backs, Rob Moss defensive line and special teams and Rob Corrado both lines.

• New Springdale coach Ryan Tempalski also will be the offensive coordinator.

He will be assisted by Nick Spehar, defensive coordinator, veteran coach Chip Moyes for both lines, Ed Williams, quarterbacks and linebackers, and Giullo Tommarello, wide receivers and defensive backs. Jimmy Ferrante and Jeff Gilbert will handle both lines.

• Valley’s Dave Heavner will return to coach his alma mater and will have Lew Thompson as assistant head coach directing the running backs and linebackers, Dane Jones strength and conditioning along with both lines, Isaiah Jones wide receivers and linebackers, Josue Martinez, both lines, John Megats, tight ends and defensive ends, and Aven Heavner, game day manager.

This story was updated to include Tarentum winning the 1941 state Legion title.