WPIAL champion coach, retired no more, takes over strong Bishop Canevin team

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Friday. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Serra Catholic preview will be published later this week.

Rod Steele gave up coaching last winter, but a job opening at Bishop Canevin made him reconsider his plans for Friday nights in the fall.

His life as an ex-coach lasted about three months.

“I had retired,” said Steele, yet he was officially introduced as Bishop Canevin’s coach in early June. “Toward the end of May they reached out to me and said, ‘Coach, are you officially retired or are you open to conversation?’”

It was a good talk for all involved.

Steele is a two-time WPIAL champion coach, and his dominant 2016 Steel Valley team won a state title with 15 consecutive mercy rule wins. He won more than 100 games at Steel Valley and West Mifflin combined.

But he said there was another side of him beyond football that made the Bishop Canevin job a good fit — his Catholic faith. The small school in East Carnegie is part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

“My faith is a big part of me and a side that many people don’t know,” said Steele, who served as a Central Catholic assistant under Art Walker and Terry Totten. “I came up through the Diocese myself. For eight years, I went to Catholic grade school. I’m a regular at St. Therese. Coach (George) Novak and I used to attend Friday mass on game days.”

He’ll soon have busy Fridays again.

Steele replaces Rich Johnson, who resigned in May after five seasons at Bishop Canevin. The Crusaders went 49-12 under Johnson, won a WPIAL Class A title in 2021 and reached the semifinals last year.

The Crusaders bring back a good number of starters from that team, including a couple of first-team all-conference players in senior wide receiver/defensive back Damar Olds and two-way tackle Charles Butler, a junior.

Also returning was leading rusher Myontae Motts, a junior running back who scored a team-high 18 touchdowns. Olds, who made a team-high 47 catches, was second in scoring with 13 TDs.

The team has skill position depth and a strong linebacking unit that include junior West Virginia commit Minikon Johnson, an all-conference honorable mention pick last year.

Junior wide receiver Justin Melvin earned second-team all-conference honors a year ago. In the backfield, senior Ka’Vere Holeman, freshman Neuval Bone and sophomore Dominic Cisnero are expected to contribute, Steele said.

Butler, a 6-foot-6, 330-pound left tackle, is one of three returning starters on the offensive line. Right tackle Mar Vessels (5-11, 240) and center J.J. Phillips (5-7, 215) are also back. Both are seniors.

“They have some experience back,” Steele said.

What the team lacks is experience at quarterback. Kole Olszewski graduated after passing for 2,288 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. A leading candidate to replace him, junior Brady Wagner, was ruled ineligible for the season by the WPIAL after transferring from Mt. Lebanon.

Knowing Wagner’s eligibility was in question, Steele used multiple players at quarterback throughout the summer, including freshman Ronnell Massie, Melvin and Olds.

“We have to make sure that the kids understand you have a next-guy-up mentality,” Steele said entering camp. “So, those guys are competing.”

The defense is bolstered by an experienced group of linebackers led by juniors Chris Smith, Noah Steele and Johnson, who committed to the Mountaineers in June. Junior Alex Kirk and senior Thomas Coates bring experience to the secondary.

Steele said the summer was an acclimation period for both coaches and players as they got to know one another. To speed up the process, he tried to keep the team busy, including trips to passing camps at Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia and Washington & Jefferson.

“We tried to get them as active as we could,” Steele said. “They wanted to play. With the changeover, we just didn’t want the kids to miss out on opportunities.”

One key reason Steele stepped away from coaching after last season was to have his Saturdays free. His son, Rico, is a redshirt freshman offensive lineman at Kent State, and Steele wants to watch the Golden Flashes this fall.

As a Class A school, Bishop Canevin doesn’t field a junior varsity team. That meant Steele could coach throughout week and be free on Saturdays to travel to Ohio, an arrangement he said school administrators were good with.

So, his short-lived retirement was over.

“I had time to talk it over with my wife and kids, and they were supportive,” Steele said. “I think if a place is willing to work with you, that’s what’s important.”

Bishop Canevin

Coach: Rod Steele

2024 record: 9-3, 5-1 in the Class A Black Hills Conference

All-time record: 350-292-12

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.30 Seton-LaSalle, 7

9.5 at Steel Valley, 7

9.12 Laurel, 7

9.19 Cornell*, 7

9.26 at Chartiers-Houston*, 7

10.3 Serra Catholic*, 7

10.10 at Fort Cherry*, 7

10.17 at Monessen*, 7

10.25 Burgettstown*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Kole Olszewski*

138-254, 2,288 yards, 22 TDs

Rushing: Myontae Mott

130-978 yards, 18 TDs

Receiving: Damar Olds

47-867 yards, 13 TDs

FAST FACTS

• Bishop Canevin has reached at least the WPIAL semifinals in four consecutive seasons.

• Returning players Damar Olds (WR), Charles Butler (OL) and Leo Shorthouse (K) earned first-team all-conference honors. Mar Vessels (OL) and Justin Melvin (WR) made the second team. Minikon Johnson (LB) was honorable mention.

• Olds and Butler both have college offers from Akron and Kent State. Butler also lists Toledo and Sacramento State.

• Bishop Canevin plays home games at Dormont Memorial Stadium. Keystone Oaks and Seton LaSalle also call the stadium home.

• The Crusaders won WPIAL titles in 1990 and 2021.

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: Bishop Canevin