Chunko resigns as Yough football coach

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, March 17, 2022 | 6:35 PM

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Yough football will drop to Class 2A next season, but it will do so without Chris Chunko.

Chunko has resigned as head coach after two years in the position.

He said his job has become more demanding, taking his attention away from the program.

“I can’t put forth the time that is necessary,” Chunko said. “This was a very hard decision. I know the timing is bad, but it’s my livelihood so I have to do what is best.”

Yough went 3-14 overall and 2-9 in conference under Chunko, a Monessen graduate who began with the program in 2020, just before the covid pandemic took hold.

The Cougars finished 1-9 this past season.

“I thought we were making some progress,” said Chunko, 52. “I know the timing is bad. We’ve had kids in here since December. We’ve been watching film on our new opponents. I appreciate the administration and school board giving me the opportunity to coach.”

While he has been coaching since 1987, Yough marked his first stint as a head coach.

He previously coached at California (1989-91), Charleroi (2014-17), Ringgold (2018) and Uniontown (2019), working as a defensive coordinator at the latter three.

Chunko also was a longtime youth coach.

“I hope maybe one day I can get back into it,” Chunko said. “I don’t know I can see myself sitting at home on Friday nights in the fall.”

Yough has not been to the WPIAL playoffs since 2013, the challenge that awaits Chunko’s successor.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.