Frank Varischetti, the mastermind behind all-state quarterback Derek Buganza, the Class AA Player of the Year in Pennsylvania and the all-time leading passer in Pennsylvania high school history, is moving 10 miles down the road to take over the football program at
DuBois.
Varischetti, the head coach at Brockway the last four seasons, oversaw the transition from a Wing-T, wishbone attack to a spread formation at the school where the football field is named after his grandfather. The result was a record-setting career for Buganza, who passed for 9,752 career yards. In the four seasons, Brockway went 30-16 including 12-1 this season and won the 2010 District 9 Class AA title.
"It's probably one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life with the family ties, playing here (at Brockway) and living here (in Brockway) to leave," Varischetti, whose grandfather has the football field at Brockway named after him, told the DuBois Courier-Express. "But It wasn't a difficult decision to accept the position (at DuBois). I've already gotten a few texts from friends and players that are happy for me. So that feels very good."
Varischetti takes over a DuBois team that went 4-6 last season and hasn't had a winning mark since going 8-2 in 2005.
"This town (DuBois) is hungry for success," Varischetti told the Courier-Express. "I feel the program is a sleeping giant. They have great facilities, I know a lot of their kids with their friendship with the kids from Brockway and I feel with my type of offense we can be successful."
MIKE LeDONNE NAMED FOOTBALL COACH AT FORWARD (ELIZABETH)Mike LeDonne has been named the new head football coach at
Forward (Elizabeth). He inherits a team that was 0-9 last season, but that's nothing new for LeDonne, who took over an 0-10 team at South Allegheny in 2006 and helped the Gladiators go 4-6 the next season. He then spent two years as the defensive coordinator at Clairton, helping the Bears to WPIAL Class A titles in 2008 and 2009 and the PIAA Class A title in 2009.
He was the defensive coordinator at McKeesport last season. This is LeDonne's second stint with the Warriors, where he played in the late 1970s. He was the head coach at E-F from 2000-02 and his 2000 team went 6-5, the last time the Warriors had a winning record. In his three seasons at E-F he was 13-17.
