Bethel Park hires Brian DeLallo as new football coach

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 | 9:07 PM

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Bethel Park administrators talked with a handful of football coaches from outside the district, but decided that their best candidate already was on staff.

The school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to promote assistant Brian DeLallo, 48, to head coach of the Black Hawks. He replaces longtime coach Jeff Metheny, who resigned in January after 25 seasons.

“I’m really happy and proud to continue on what Jeff has built,” DeLallo said. “I’ll try to carry the torch.”

The Keystone Oaks graduate has worked as an educator in the Bethel Park district for 17 years, the past five as dean of students. He’s coached football there for 13 years divided over two stints, but also worked in between with Jim Render at Upper St. Clair and Lou Cerro at Montour.

“Obviously, having a guy in the building is a plus,” Bethel Park athletic director Dan Sloan said. “But on top of that, he comes with a lot of years of experience at the assistant level — 13 of those years at Bethel Park — so we’re confident that he can carry on the tradition that we have.”

Metheny went 164-104 at Bethel Park with a WPIAL title and PIAA runner-up trophy in 2008. He resigned in January to spend more time watching his son, Levi, play college football at Albany.

Sloan said the school “seriously interviewed” six candidates.

“We gave screenings to a bunch of people because we wanted to do our due diligence,” he said. “You talk about the continuity of having that guy on staff, but you also have a program that is good, so you’re going to get some names that (are interested).”

DeLallo takes over a program that went 6-4 last season and reached the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

“I didn’t want them to hire me if they didn’t think I was the best guy,” said DeLallo, who attended Tuesday’s board meeting with his wife, Ginger, and his father, who grew up in Bethel Park.

“My resume, I think, speaks for itself,” he said. “Especially the guys I’ve worked for.”

Along with Metheny, Render and Cerro, DeLallo also coached under three-time state champion John Wrenn at Chandler Hamilton in Arizona. Among the players DeLallo coached there was future NFL linebacker Terrell Suggs.

DeLallo said he’ll maintain Bethel Park’s traditions while adding his own touches. For example, the Black Hawks will run more spread-offense schemes than in years past, similar to what took Montour to the WPIAL finals in 2017.

“There’s lots of motion and misdirection,” said DeLallo, who played college football at John Carroll in Cleveland. “No huddle. Up tempo. So in that respect, I’m a little different than Jeff. But if you actually look at the schemes, you would see Jeff Metheny’s finger prints all over it.”

DeLallo won’t be the only new coach on a South Hills sideline.

Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair also recently hired new coaches for next fall. Upper St. Clair hired Mike Junko to replace Jim Render, who retired after 40 years and as the winningest coach in WPIAL history. Mt. Lebanon hired former West Allegheny coach Bob Palko to replace Mike Melnyk, who resigned after seven seasons.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Bethel Park