New East Allegheny coach carries on family tradition

By: Mark Nitowski
Wednesday, August 14, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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East Allegheny football is a family affair for Frank Cortazzo.

When the new Wildcats coach hit the field for a recent preseason practice, he was accompanied by his father, also named Frank, and his uncle, Tim. The three Cortazzos are longtime WPIAL coaches.

“I have my dad on my (coaching) staff and Tim is helping us with speed training,” Cortazzo said. “I think the players see we have a family with a lot of knowledge of football and pride for East Allegheny.”

Dom Pecora – who is Cortazzo’s cousin – resigned as head coach in January after leading the Wildcats to a 67-48 record in 11 seasons.

When Pecora stepped down, Cortazzo said applying for the East Allegheny job was a no-brainer.

“There’s so much Cortazzo tradition at EA,” he said. “My grandfather also coached football. When the opportunity arose, I wanted to continue the tradition. This has always been a place that I love and hold dear to my heart. It’s been a big part of my life – EA and Wildcat football.”

Last season, Cortazzo split time between Pecora’s EA staff and coaching linebackers at Waynesburg University.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Waynesburg, but it was a long drive,” said Cortazzo, who’s a teacher at East Allegheny. “Now I can walk out of the building when the (school) day is done and go right to the field.”

Pecora’s last season at East Allegheny was a memorable one. The Wildcats captured the Allegheny Six Conference title with a 5-0 record. After a first-round playoff bye, they defeated South Park, 28-21, before losing to eventual state champion Belle Vernon in the WPIAL 3A semifinals.

“We want to keep the program going and build on what Dom started more than a decade ago,” Cortazzo said. “He’s my cousin and a good friend.”

While EA might look similar to Pecora’s teams, Cortazzo said he’ll bring his own coaching philosophy to the sideline.

“I learned a lot of things from my dad, uncle and grandfather that have influenced my coaching,” he said. “I also was the defensive coordinator at Franklin Regional, and coach Greg Botta was a big inspiration to me.”

Cortazzo takes over a Wildcats squad that lost a number of key players to graduation. Gone are the likes of quarterback Michael Cahill and running back Amir Rollins, who shared the conference’s offensive MVP award.

“A lot of the kids we have now didn’t get much playing time because we had such a talented group of seniors last year,” Cortazzo said. “They’ve been around championship-caliber players. Now it’s their time to step up. They need to take over the roles so we can reload for this season.”

Cortazzo singled out wide receivers DJ Warren and Chris Portis as players ready to assume lead roles in the Wildcats offense.

“DJ has been catching anything thrown in his vicinity,” he said. “Chris is a tall lanky kid who’s got some speed. He’s also catching balls all over.”

Junior Cedric Mack is slated to take over the quarterback spot in EA’s spread offense.

“Cedric was backup to Cahill last year,” Cortazzo said. “He’s a good kid who can sling the ball.”

Competing for playing time at running back are senior Jordan Rondeau, junior Aumar Everett and sophomore Ladar Jackson.

“Rondeau played offensive line last year, but he’s also a soccer player and a nice-sized kid,” Cortazzo said. “We’re looking for him to do some good things for us this year.”

On the offensive line, senior Sebastian Goldstein returns at center and Bryce Dendy is back at tackle. Cortazzo also expects senior lineman Sebastian Odah and senior tight end/H-back Raemar Sims to make significant contributions.

Defensively, Cortazzo said sophomore Nate Lucanish looks good at inside linebacker. Sophomore Tanner Loya and junor Eli Smirga are running at safety and Jackson, Portis, Warren and sophomore Ronte Lawrence are battling at the cornerback position.

“We have some really nice competition going on with guys fighting for positions,” Cortazzo said. “We’ll see who comes out ahead when we put on the pads and how they fit into the lineup.”

East Allegheny will play in the Allegheny Seven with Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Highlands, Imani Christian and Valley. Highlands dropped down from 4A while Burrell and Imani moved up from 2A.

“We should have one of the best, if not the best, conferences in 3A,” Cortazzo said. “It will be a battle every Friday night.

“Deer Lakes was tough last year and Freeport and Imani will provide challenges. Burrell and Valley will be well coached. I haven’t coached against Highlands since I was at Franklin Regional. They’re going to be tough after dropping down a class.”

East Allegheny

Coach: Frank Cortazzo

2023 record: 9-3, 5-0 in Class 3A Allegheny 6 Conference

All-time record: 339-262-23

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.23 at South Park, 7

8.30 at Southmoreland, 7

9.6 Elizabeth Forward, 7

9.13 at Highlands*, 7

9.20 Deer Lakes*, 7

9.27 at Burrell*, 7

10.4 Imani Christian*, 7

10.11 at Valley*, 7

10.18 Freeport*, 7

10.25 at Fox Chapel, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Michael Cahill*

104-192, 1,616 yards, 16 TDs

Rushing: Cahill*

68-426 yards

Receiving: Brennen Rutledge*

39-778 yards

* Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Cortazzo is Frank III, following his father and grandfather. His son, Frank IV, was a senior offensive lineman at Waynesburg University last season.

• The patriarch of the Cortazzo family — Frank Sr. — was the football coach at the former Westinghouse Memorial High School in Wilmerding. Wilmerding is now part of the East Allegheny School District.

• In 2023, the Wildcats lost two of their first three games then rattled off seven victories in a row to close out the regular season.

• East Allegheny opens the 2024 season on Aug. 23 at South Park in what could be considered a rubber match between the two schools. They played twice last season, with South Park winning a nonconference contest and EA getting revenge in the playoffs.

Tags: East Allegheny