Belle Vernon coach confident former players set proper example for current group

By: Charles Curti
Saturday, August 10, 2024 | 12:01 AM

Over the past two seasons, Belle Vernon accomplished what few football programs have. Heck, the Leopards accomplished something rare in any high school sport: back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA championships.

Not that the standard wasn’t high before. In his decade at the helm, coach Matt Humbert has built the team into one of the most consistently competitive in the WPIAL.

But back-to-back titles? That’s an unenviable act to follow.

So as the Leopards open camp — this season taking their show from Class 3A to 4A — there’s a mixed bag of emotions. Naturally, the returning group wants to live up to its predecessors. On the other hand, they can’t approach the season with so much urgency that it affects their play.

“That’s a tricky thing,” Humbert said, “because when you look at the group of kids we had, and even those seniors who are coming to fruition this year, those kids know nothing but winning.

“One of the things you always try to do with scholastic sports — and sports in general — is you always try to prepare them for success, but you need to prepare them for adverse situations as well. I think it’s one thing that this group will have to kind of navigate through because no matter what, you’re going to have some adversity.”

Even his title teams, Humbert pointed out, had some rough sailing. The 2022 team lost two games early in the season before finding its footing. Last season, the Leopards had to overcome a loss to nemesis Thomas Jefferson.

Kole Doppelheuer is one of the rising seniors who got plenty of experience over the past two years. He said he and his classmates understand what needs to be done to maintain their success.

“Our biggest thing is we are still a very talented group, and we can still come out and do whatever we can to help the team,” he said. “I think our best attribute is even if we lose, we come back the next week, and we work even harder than we did that past week to try to get better.”

That is the residue Humbert hopes clings to the current team. Winning, he said, isn’t just about talent, a commodity the Leopards have possessed in overstock recently. Success comes when talent is paired with proper procedures and mindset.

The returning group must model the actions of the graduated seniors, Humbert said, if Belle Vernon is to contend.

“Wins and losses, they are what they are,” he said. “It’s how you approach each week, the habits you have outside of practice, the habits you have inside of practice.

“One good thing those kids over the past two years did was model appropriate behavior and attitude. And, really, those kids learned the attitude and behaviors from the kids who came before them. There’s no shortage of examples of kids doing things the right way.”

Of course, the usual nuts and bolts will have to fit together for Belle Vernon to challenge for a three-peat.

A new quarterback needs to be groomed. An almost-entirely new offensive line will have to jell. Someone — or multiple someones — will have to pick up the slack for Quinton Martin.

But the blueprint for success has been drawn. If the players who are taking on larger roles can do their parts and injuries are kept to a minimum, Doppelheuer said he sees no reason the Leopards can’t be in the championship conversation again.

“We move a lot of stuff around,” he said. “I think that’s why we can confuse defenses and get big-time plays every time we’re out on the field.

“I think no matter what happens, we’re still going to compete every single week and win as many games as we possibly can.”

Tags: Belle Vernon