Thanks to program’s revival, ‘People are talking about Latrobe football’

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, August 18, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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Mention Latrobe and football in the same breath and, to most people, Pittsburgh Steelers training camp comes to mind.

While the crowded summer staple where fans can get up close and personal with the pros was in full force again at Saint Vincent, the Latrobe Wildcats also were ramping up for their season with the customary three-week run-up to Week Zero.

Their workouts may have lacked the allure to the public, but the team was creating a similar preseason buzz.

With the way Latrobe has played the last two years and the direction in which the program appears to be going, the toast of the town might just be the orange and black, not the black and gold.

Yes, something is happening here.

“There is an upshift in the mentality and the mood,” senior linebacker and Penn State commit Alex Tatsch said. “People are talking about Latrobe football.”

A resurgent team that has put together back-to-back winning seasons and is chasing a program-record third straight WPIAL playoff appearance, Latrobe is ready to be taken seriously.

“The kids have bought in 1,000 percent,” third-year coach Ron Prady said. “They go into every game expecting to win.”

Prady has Latrobe holding itself to a higher standard and wanting to play for higher stakes.

Breaking through

Two years ago, in Prady’s first season in charge, Latrobe made the WPIAL 4A playoffs. It was an achievement coming from a tough Big Seven Conference.

But the Wildcats took the feat a step farther, forcing overtime and knocking off favored Highlands, 28-21, for their first playoff win since 1968.

The Wildcats, despite a dim postseason history, won the WPIAL championship in ’68 with a 19-7 victory over Kiski Area at Forbes Field.

The highlight, while proud and impressive, waved like a tattered flag above the program as Wildcat faithful waited — and waited — for another reason to get excited.

Fifty four years and 10 tries later, they broke through.

“Incredible feeling,” Prady said. “We have guys around our program who have seen one winning season in 25 years. You could feel the satisfaction in these people. Playoff wins are addictive. You get one, you want two.

“That first senior class, I owe them a lot.”

Then, last year, they did it again. A 39-7 runaway against better-seeded West Allegheny in the first round set the stage for a showdown with WPIAL big wheel Aliquippa in the quarterfinals.

Latrobe didn’t win, but the Quips wiped their collective brow, grateful to have escaped with a 37-29 win.

Latrobe rallied late, and a fourth-down throw from quarterback John Wetzel to Tatsch with about two minutes left was low and ruled incomplete.

“He caught that ball,” Wetzel said with insistence.

Tatsch also said the pass did not nip the ground and was complete.

Still, the rally was impressive.

“You’re down 25-7 at halftime at Aliquippa,” Prady said. “Most people thought, ‘This one’s over.’ Give our kids and coaches credit. We got the ball to start the second half. It was 25-22, then 31-22, then 31-29. We get an onside (kick) with four minutes left. … It wasn’t to be. But I think we grew a lot from that. And expectations haven’t changed.”

Longtime equipment manager Jim Feather, affectionately known as “Fez,” said the win over Highlands is one of the greatest in program history.

He also said a Latrobe team hasn’t created attention like this in four decades.

“The 1984 team went undefeated,” Feather said. “We lost in the first round to Aliquippa. I’d say that’s the last team here to have that buzz. This team is getting a lot of attention.”

You probably won’t find a more devout Latrobe fan and supporter than Feather, who has been a regular among game day personnel since he began moving the first-down sticks in 1971.

He has overseen equipment since 1994, making this his 30th season.

“(Prady) is the reason this is happening,” Feather said, pointing at Prady during the WCCA 7-on-7 passing tournament last month at Latrobe’s Rossi Field. “He came in and laid down the law. He means business. The (playoff) win (in 2022) at Highlands turned it all around.”

History lesson

Latrobe has been playing football since 1881.

Just four times have the Wildcats made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and they have only made the postseason 14 times overall.

So, two playoff wins in as many years was unheard of for a program starving to taste the richness of winning consistently.

“Doesn’t happen too often” Feather said. “It means a lot to people who have been going to games for 50 years.”

Said Prady: “That’s why it’s so special to people here.”

Before last season, the Wildcats never had won seven games in consecutive seasons.

The eight wins were the most since 1984.

Only three coaches have taken the Wildcats to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons: Prady, Jason Marucco (2018-19) and Pat Murray, twice (2001-02, 2005-06).

Feather said the team started to believe it could win when it captured the WCCA 7-on-7 passing tournament championship two years ago. A repeat followed in 2023, and the Wildcats finished second this year.

He has both championship plaques hanging above the desk in his office inside the Arnold Palmer Field House.

Finding the right coach

When Marucco resigned in 2021 after eight seasons as coach, Latrobe began its search for his replacement.

Superintendent Mike Porembka, principal Jon Mains and athletic director Zac Heide discussed Prady, knowing his 10-year run of success as an assistant at Penn-Trafford had just seen him capture WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A championships.

He knew football. He was in the district.

They approached him about the job.

“He checked all the boxes,” Porembka said.

Prady thought about it and politely said … no.

The position was reopened, but Latrobe held out hope it could convince Prady to take the job.

“We had five applicants,” Heide said. “But the door was still open on the side.

“In Southwestern PA, one of the most daunting tasks is hiring a football coach. You want to get the right guy.”

In the meantime, Prady weighed the pros and cons. He was intrigued by the power of suggestion.

Becoming a head coach again wasn’t in his plans — he said he still would be working comfortably at Penn-Trafford had he not taken over at Latrobe — and he had not been a head coach since 2004 at Caroline County (Va.).

He felt some dread about a somewhat unsavory rebuild.

“I didn’t apply,” he said. “They came to me. I took a couple weeks, and they talked me into it. I got the OK from my wife (Liz Prady, an English teacher at Latrobe). She said, ‘Go do it. And don’t do it (halfway).’ She said, ‘I didn’t marry a loser. Don’t lose.’ ”

An assistant briefly at Latrobe in the mid-2000s with Pat Murray, Prady taking over as coach felt right.

“Now, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said.

Porembka had faith Prady would accept the position.

“He said, ‘If I do it, I want to do it my way,’ ” Porembka said. “He wanted accountability in his players and his coaches.

“He knows when to push and when to pull. He related to the kids so well.”

Prady is a Penn-Trafford alum and was an assistant with the Warriors for 10 years on coach John Ruane’s staff.

They won WPIAL and PIAA 5A championships in 2021.

With his experiences in Harrison City, Prady has a blueprint for building a winner.

“Boomer is a really good football guy,” Ruane said. “He knows how to treat other coaches and he’s building a culture of winning, with accountability.”

Prady often goes by “Boomer,” a nickname he was branded with when he was a toddler learning to walk. It stems from him always saying “Boom” when he fell on his behind.

Like Latrobe, though, he got back up and kept chugging along.

His job wasn’t appealing, and he didn’t take it for the money.

“I remember being at a graduation party a couple years ago and a lady came up to and said, “So, you’re the sucker who took the job?’ ” Prady said. “I said, ‘Yes, thanks for the support.’ Another guy at a gas station asked me, ‘Are you the new coach? Are you crazy?’

“I tell the kids about that, and they feed off that stuff. They were upset to hear it.”

Latrobe went 20-56 under Marucco with two one-and-done playoff trips.

Under Prady, the Wildcats are 15-9 with two postseason wins.

“Being in 4A definitely helped us some,” Heide said. “You look at some of the teams Jason had to play; that was a tall task to overcome.”

Former Latrobe coach Ray Reitz, who came from Jeannette where he won two WPIAL titles and a PIAA championship, said several factors go into winning.

Reitz, who guided Latrobe to the WPIAL playoffs in 2009, sees them with Prady and the Wildcats.

“When I coached, we were in 6A,” Reitz said of the Wildcats. “It’s a culture thing and getting the kids to believe they can win. You need a staff that will do a great job for you.”

Feather told Prady, “If we hire you, we’ll win with you.”

The right help

Prady said his assistant coaches play critical roles in preparing the players and getting them to believe their calls are the right ones.

“I have a great group of coaches who help to develop young men,” Prady said. “I have 11 coaches and seven are in the school. There’s a cop, a retired principal from Penn Hills, a nurse. We all have the same vision.”

You might call his staff “The Prady Bunch.”

His assistants are Lou Keyser (defensive coordinator), Tom McIntyre (offensive coordinator), Josh Hammack (offensive line), Bob Armstrong (tight ends), John Yester (receivers), Jesse Cramer (running backs), Eric Kostic (defensive line), Caleb Domenick (defensive line), Tom Wilkins (linebacker) and Bill Wisniewski (defensive backs).

Keyser has been on staff for 26 years.

“We couldn’t do what we’re doing without our coaches,” Prady said.

Change in attitude

Prady is a junior high math teacher at Latrobe, so he has encountered numerous players in class.

Something with them, though, didn’t add up.

He admits previous football team members were not always the friendliest people in the halls or in the classroom. He witnessed and heard about it.

“It was the way the kids acted,” Prady said. “They didn’t carry themselves well in school. That needed to change.

“They need to be good people who set examples and treat people right. Teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers: say hello to them. We’re not perfect by any means, but I have had teachers tell me they have seen a difference in the way they carry themselves.”

Wetzel said he is more aware of how he talks to people.

“I am,” he said. “It’s about being more respectful to people.”

Wetzel’s said his dad, Latrobe longtime boys basketball coach Brad Wetzel, already had instilled similar traits in him.

“He’d kick my butt if I didn’t (show respect),” Wetzel said.

If Latrobe is creating gentlemen, there are more of them.

Prady said he heard past summer workouts sometimes drew only 12 to 15 players, a dispiriting number compared to the 87 players the coach was preparing to take to camp.

The roster before Prady took over showed 43 names.

“If you’re not playing another sport, we want you to be here,” he said. “We’ve gone from 60 two years ago to 72 last year. This year, we had to order more uniforms. We only had 80 (uniforms).”

Prady said the spike in wins two years ago was the genesis of the increase in numbers.

“The kids are the best salespeople,” he said. “They got their buddies to come out. I didn’t guarantee them we’d win, but I said we’d do things differently. Now, I feel like we can be competitive in every game.”

Must-see TV

Proof that the City of Latrobe — and others — are behind the football team is in the clicks.

The bleachers are filling up and people who don’t travel to games are tuning in on their computers.

The Wildcats Network, a student-run service that streams and broadcasts Latrobe athletics, has seen a spike in views since the football team turned a corner.

Take September. In 2021, there were 2,393 views of Latrobe football games.

In ‘22, the total swelled to 5,283 for the month.

September of ‘23 really brought out the watchers as the network saw 14,893 views.

A regular-season game in ‘22 against Thomas Jefferson two years ago drew 7,000 views.

The high-water mark, to no surprise, was last year’s playoff game at Aliquippa when 8,012 tuned in.

“Everybody likes an underdog,” Prady said.

Porembka is a color commentator for WCNS 1480 and has been calling Latrobe football since 2016.

He used to work in the booth with the late Dow Carnahan, the longtime sports director and news anchor at WCNS. A play-by-play man for Latrobe football and basketball, Saint Vincent basketball and football and auto racing, Carnahan died unexpectedly in 2016 at 56.

Porembka, a former Wildcats assistant coach and a third-year superintendent, said he has been watching Latrobe play since 1997.

He said Carnahan would be enjoying the upturn of the program.

“I like to think he is smiling down and enjoying the resurgence,” Porembka said. “But he will not be truly happy until the ‘Cats win their second WPIAL title.”

Heide said ticket sales are up. While reserved seats are no longer sold at Memorial Stadium, overall ticket sales for home games went from 6,354 in 2022 to 7,051 last year.

The Wildcats had five home games both seasons.

And speaking of TV, Latrobe is scheduled to play two games in front of a regional audience on KDKA Plus. The games are Aug. 30 vs. Plum and Oct. 18 at Gateway, the latter a potential conference-deciding matchup in Week 8.

Prady is excited to see more people at games as they contribute to an atmosphere previous Wildcats teams have not experienced.

“We want to bring that pride back to Latrobe,” Prady said. “Who cares who the hell we play. Be ready to go, do it with discipline and play fast … and good things will happen.”

Taking notice

Other coaches in the county are beginning to point to Latrobe as an example of what can happen with renewed commitment and belief that a turnaround is possible.

“You want to implement your values and have everyone in the program speaking the same language,” Hempfield second-year coach Nick Keefer said.

“Latrobe has that. Same speech. Same language they all have learned. The kids all know the same answers, then, to the questions that arise all the time.”

Even alums are paying attention from across the country.

“It’s pretty cool seeing the team you just played on a couple years ago turn around,” said ex-Latrobe lineman Trent Holler, who is set to play this season at Memphis.

“The program got something started six years ago and keeps improving every season. I think the kids have really bought in from (coach) Prady. He is a certified winner. … He knows what it takes to win games at the end of the day.”

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Latrobe football coaches

Years Seasons Coach W L T Pct.

1928-41/1945-52 22 Ray V. Wild 115 63 13 .602

1956-68 13 Chuck Findley 73 44 5 .598

1977-86 10 Lew Hart 41 59 2 .402

1999-2008 10 Pat Murray 37 63 0 .370

1990-98 9 John Bainbridge 36 54 0 .400

2014-21 8 Jason Marucco 20 56 0 .263

2009-13 5 Ray Reitz 18 28 0 .391

1972-76 5 Joe Howard 16 29 1 .348

2022-current 2 Ron Prady 15 9 0 .625

1912-15 4 Wesley Abbott 14 17 4 .400

1925-27 3 E. Wilson Sanford 12 14 4 .400

1987-89 3 Ron Baldoneri 12 18 0 .400

1942-44 3 Mike Rizzo 11 12 1 .458

1922-23 2 Harry Papenfus 9 5 4 .500

1969-71 3 Dick Donati 9 17 1 .333

1924 1 Chester H. Wine 8 3 0 .727

1917 1 J.R. Buterbaugh 7 3 0 .700

1911 1 Carl McNeary 6 3 0 .667

1919-20 2 Paul W. Lane 6 7 3 .375

1916 1 Ray Seaman 4 4 0 .500

1921 1 Charles W. Ruffner 2 7 1 .200

1953-54 2 Mitch Barron 2 18 0 .100

1955 1 Gene Gibson 2 8 0 .200

1897 1 Harry Ryan 1 0 0 1.000

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Latrobe football playoff history

2023 At Aliquippa L 37-29; At West Allegheny W 39-7

2022 At Thomas Jefferson L 20-6; At Highlands W 28-21

2019 At Penn Hills L 56-17

2018 At Penn Hills L 55-7

2009 At North Allegheny L 47-0

2006 At Penn Hills L 34-6

2005 At Central Catholic L 40-7

2002 At Penn Hills L 42-7

2001 At Central Catholic L 40-7

1984 Vs. Aliquippa L 20-0

1982 At Upper St. Clair L 28-0

1980 At Gateway L 29-7

1968 Vs. Kiski Area (at Forbes Field) W 19-7

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

Tags: Latrobe