Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Jeannette names new boys, girls soccer coaches

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, June 28, 2025 | 5:10 PM

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The Jeannette boys and girls soccer teams will be under new leadership this fall.

Jayhawks alum Luke Brummett takes over the boys team, while a veteran coach in the county, Derek Cuthbert, is now in charge of the girls.

Brummett, 25, replaces Steve Pons, who resigned after two seasons.

Brummett, a 2018 Jeannette graduate, played goalkeeper for the Jayhawks before playing college soccer at Pitt-Greensburg, Westmoreland County Community College and Carlow. He was an assistant to Pons last season.

“It is definitely one of the best feelings coming from a native born and raised in Jeannette,” Brummett said. “I have always wanted to become a coach. Watching coaches like Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool, Pep Guardiola of Man City and Bob Lilley of the Riverhounds turn average teams into powerhouses was something I wanted to do but thought I would have to wait years before a team trusted me to take the helm.”

Cuthbert, 60, spent the last two seasons at Greensburg Central Catholic. He previously led the Penn-Trafford girls and won a WPIAL 3A championship with the Warriors in 2003.

He has coached for three decades.

“I am most looking forward to the challenge of changing the mentality,” Cuthbert said.

Cuthbert was confronted with low roster numbers at GCC, something Jeannette also has endured. He replaces Billy Bryant, who stepped down after four seasons.

Jeannette athletic director Adrian Batts said 16 girls have signed up for the team.

Gesinski decommits

Rising senior Morgan Gesinski of Mt. Pleasant is parting ways with Mercyhurst before ever stepping foot in a classroom there.

Gesinski, who verbally committed in December, announced she is heading elsewhere after two coaches who recruited her exited the program.

Rich Wall left to become the head coach at Youngstown State, while assistant Kayla McNamara joined the staff at Robert Morris.

Gesinski, an all-state forward, said she will look to join another Division I program. She had a WPIAL regular season-leading 36 goals last season and has 97 goals in her career.

Moe time

The 4th Annual Moe Rosensteel Memorial Kickoff Classic to open the WPIAL soccer season this fall is set.

There will be four games Aug. 23 at Ringgold’s Joe Montana Stadium.

Two teams from Westmoreland County will play in the showcase.

The first game features Franklin Regional vs. Thomas Jefferson (girls) at 10 a.m., followed by North Catholic vs. Latrobe (girls) at noon, Elizabeth Forward vs. Ringgold (boys) at 2 p.m., and Allderdice vs. Ringgold (girls) at 4.

Czajkowski places

Norwin junior Annie Czajkowski qualified for the finals at the New Balance Nationals in the mile and two-mile races at The Track in Boston.

She finished 81st in the two mile in 10 minutes, 58.33 seconds, and she came in 102nd in the mile (5:03.54).

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

Tags: Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin