Keystone Oaks coach gains honor
When Greg Perry left Seton-La Salle to coach his alma mater’s football team in 2014, his objective at Keystone Oaks was simple. Considering it a “great honor” and “responsibility” as well as source of “pride,” Perry planned to help as many young players “have as wonderful a high school football experience” as he had when he competed at KO in the late 1970s.
Some 37 years after he graduated from KO and matriculated to Pitt, Perry succeeded. The Golden Eagles had their best experience ever playing football. Thanks to Perry, within three years, KO enjoyed one of its best seasons.
The Golden Eagles ran the table, winning all seven games, captured the Allegheny Conference championship and reached the semifinals in the WPIAL playoffs for only the second time in school history. KO lost to eventual district and PIAA state champion, Beaver Falls, 28-21, and finished 9-2 overall.
Perry, who was one of eight children to attend KO, fashioned his success as he did at Seton-La Salle; around a standout quarterback. As the Rebels’ skipper, the Green Tree resident, who sent his two daughters to KO, developed the likes of former NFL signal caller Bruce Gradkowski, while compiling a 73-24 record that including four straight quarterfinal playoff berths and two WPIAL semifinal appearances. As the KO skipper, Perry coached Alex Smith to new heights as he shattered several school records for passing and led the WPIAL with 34 TDs and 3,061 yards.
“Coach Perry has been the secret to my success as well as the team’s,” said Smith. “He has put in countless hours of work. It has taken a lot of time and I am truly grateful. Because of him, I am the player I am today as are many of my teammates.”
Ironically, Perry is the mentor he is today because of his previous high school coach. When hired to take the position at KO three years ago, Perry noted the influence of legendary skipper John Durham. He said that he learned a lot from him.
“Coach Durham was all about effective time management and discipline and I was very much impacted by those lessons,” Perry said. “That’s even more important today as kids have so many things competing for their attention that if you are not concise with them and if you don’t make it fun, they’ll move onto something else and we can’t afford for that to happen.”
For his attention to his young charges and his leadership ability that re-established the Golden Eagles as a football power, Perry has been named the 2016 Almanac Coach of the Year.
By Eleanor Bailey