Change sweeps through Waynesburg after back-to-back playoff seasons

By: John Phillips
Sunday, August 17, 2025 | 5:01 AM

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The winds of change swept into Green County this past offseason, and Waynesburg was in the path of much of it.

The Raiders graduated four all-conference starters, including starting quarterback Jake Stephenson, who led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances.

Waynesburg also welcomed a new coach.

Aaron Giorgi had been at the helm of the school’s turnaround. In 2022, Waynesburg went 0-10, due in large part to not having Stephenson all season due to injury. Giorgi guided his club to not only a winning season in 2023 but was also named coach of the year in the Century Conference. By all accounts, his 6-5 mark in 2024, coupled with another playoff appearance, meant his return for year five was a given.

Well, it turns out that wasn’t the case.

After the school board voted 5-4 in December to retain Giorgi as head coach, they voted 6-2 in February of this year to remove him.

Enter Joe Kuhns, who returns for his second stint as the head coach in Waynesburg.

“I was approached about it. It kinda happened fast,” Kuhns said. “They approached me about it being open and would I be interested. I gave it a thought because I knew the kids. They are good kids. The way they acted in a classroom translated to football, and it was a good group to come back to, I thought.”

Kuhns spoke about how the Waynesburg leadership approached him about returning to a program that he once ran between 2009-2011.

“The selling point was, they knew I had a lot of experience and a lot of success,” he said. “The selling point was they wanted me to be there. Coaches nowadays don’t have as much of backing they used to. If you are walking into a situation where you know the administration has your back, the teachers are supporting you, they community wants you there, it makes it a lot easier. They kind of sold it as you are wanted here. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Graduating from Beth-Center in 1987, Kuhns played his college ball at Cal (Pa.). Prior to attending college, he joined the Army, served four active years and went to Pittsburgh Aeronautics School. He discussed the struggles of getting kids to want to participate in sports.

“When I was coming through, even through and even up through the early 2000s, there was always 40-50 kids on a team,” he said. “They are going through a dip right now. But we get the offspring of a group of blue-collar workers, a bunch of hard-nosed kids are coming out.”

As always, returning players make or break a team, let alone a new head coach. Kuhns has some depth that will give him a chance at a third straight playoff run in the Century Conference.

“A lot of our starters are back,” he said. “We did lose a really good quarterback in Jake Stephenson, but the kid who is coming in to be the quarterback now is a pretty talented kid. He should pick up right where Jake left off in Teagen Crouse. We are counting on him, for sure, to keep him healthy and leading us. Senior Jeffrey Blair is old school and wants to hit everything that moves at linebacker/fullback. He’s a silent leader type. Zach Jiblits will play in the slot at wide receiver. He’s athletic in the open field and should also help us on offense.”

Junior Jack Ricciuti is probably the team’s best athlete, according to Kuhns. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver will probably play football at the next level and will give opponents matchup problems all season.

Waynesburg is like many smaller schools whose roster size will fluctuate in that high 20s to mid 30s, so recruiting kids to come out is one of those things Kuhns knows is important if he wants to field the best talent available to him in the district.

“Hopefully, we have enough success this year where kids want to come out next year,” he said. “I’m kinda old school in the kind of way where I’m not going to grab you if I see you in the hallway. I want the kids that want to be there. Hopefully a kid sees us play well and says to himself he wants to join us.”

Kuhns has seen many changes in his 40-plus years in football and shared some of his thoughts on that, including how social media impacts the game.

“I think there is not as much of a ‘team’ concept as it once was, and social media has a lot to do with it as it has become more about the individual,” he said. “I’m hoping to bring back that sense of us. It’s sometimes you, it’s sometimes me, but it’s always about us. Watching some of the things in the background, I hope to bring back that idea of we can all win.”

Waynesburg

Coach: Joe Kuhns

2024 record: 6-5, 4-2 in Class 2A Century Conference

All-time record: 388-582-36

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 West Greene, 7

8.29 at Jefferson-Morgan, 7

9.5 California, 7

9.12 Washington*, 7

9.19 Steel Valley, 7

9.26 at Seton-LaSalle*, 7

10.3 at Carlynton*, 7

10.10 at Keystone Oaks*, 7

10.17 Charleroi*, 7

10.24 at Sto-Rox*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Jake Stephenson*

92-158, 1,177 yards, 7 TDs

Rushing: Stephenson*

146-1,111 yards, 20 TDs

Receiving: Jack Ricciuti

30-489 yards, 3 TDs

FAST FACTS

• This is the 123rd year of football for Waynesburg, which first started playing in 1903.

• The school’s only WPIAL title came in 1999 with a championship game win over Washington.

• Bill Green played at Waynesburg, graduating in 1947. He later went to Wake Forest, then the NFL. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Tags: Waynesburg