Peckich hired as Bethel Park football coach
Phil Peckich has been promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach of the Bethel Park High School football team.
Phil Peckich
Bethel Park approved the hire of Philip Peckich, 31, as varsity football coach at its regular school board meeting held Jan. 24. He will received a stipend of $10,777 per year, which would supplement his income as a financier.
Peckich was promoted from offensive coordinator, where he served as an assistant to Brian DeLallo, who resigned in November because of health issues. It is the first head-coaching position for Peckich.
“I’m very excited,” said Peckich. “Bethel Park is a special place. While I’ve only been here a few years, I see the potential it can be and how strong the community supports football and all its other sports teams. Football is a community event and Friday nights are important in Bethel Park.”
Previous to his three seasons at BP, Peckich served five years as an assistant to Lou Cerro at his alma mater.
A Montour High School graduate, Peckich was a four-year varsity starter at defensive back and running back. In the fall of his senior year, he rushed for more than 1,300 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. He registered 62 tackles in 2009. During his sophomore season, the Spartans posted a 12-1 record and reached the WPIAL finals.
Peckich walked on and played for three different coaches at the University of Pittsburgh before completing his collegiate career at Robert Morris where he played for Joe Walton, who was an All-American at Pitt before playing and coaching in the NFL.
Peckich noted his exposure to a variety of coaches cultivated his own perspective and philosophy toward mentoring young adults.
“All experiences, even negative ones, enable us to learn,” he said. “Things aren’t always great but you get to see there are authentic people out there. My experiences shape the coach I am today.
“One of the benefits and hindsights from playing for and coaching with other coaches exposes you to different methods regarding developing players. My goal is to develop the (whole) person, student and athlete.”
While Peckich becomes the 15th coach in BP football history, he is only the third in 30 years. Prior to DeLallo’s four-year stint, Jeff Metheny coached the Black Hawks for 25 seasons before resigning in 2018.
The Black Hawks enjoyed a 10-2 season in 2022. They won a conference title and advanced to the semifinals of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.
Peckich plans to continue that winning trend. He noted that numbers are up. Last year, 87 players were listed on the roster.
“The immediate goal is to continue the growth of the program,” he said. “I believe in the short time that I have been here we have made strides. There is excitement throughout the programs and there are pieces in place that we can build upon and grow.”
While the team will graduate nearly two dozen seniors this June, including NCAA Division I recruit Gavin Moul (Delaware), BP returns a nucleus of players that contributed heavily to the offensive attack, which Peckich will continue to coordinate.
BP’s quarterback and leading scorer are both sophomores.
Tanner Pfeuffer completed 105 of 157 passes for 1418 yards and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for 10 more scores.
Ryan Petras was an all-state and all-Almanac performer not to mention co-offensive player of the year in the conference. He picked up 1,437 all-purposed yards and scored 17 touchdowns in 10 games before breaking his collar bone in the final regular season contest. He had 578 yards rushing on 89 carries for a 6.5-yard average and 578 yards receiving on 44 catches for a 13.1-yard average. He added 309 yards on 10 returns before teams stopped kicking to him.
Petras also started in the defensive secondary for the Black Hawks while sophomore Clancy Orie excelled at end on a defense that allowed 15.9 points per game. Orie was an all-conference honorable mention pick as were offensive tackles Jake Brown and Dylan Prindle, both of whom are juniors.
”One of the things I had the luxury to do under Lou (Cerro) as a coach and a player was to compete in a WPIAL championship game. That’s my long-range goal for these kids — win a conference title and win a WPIAL.”
Peckich noted when BP captured the Allegheny Six Conference last fall that it was only the seventh conference championship in school history. The Black Hawks have only one WPIAL title and that was in 2008.
”We want to bring the tradition back,” he said. “That’s where our goals are.”
While much of the current coaching staff will remain intact, Peckich will be searching for a defensive coordinator. DeLallo held that role in addition to his head coaching responsibilities. During his tenure, DeLallo posted a 22-19 record that featured three WPIAL playoff appearances.
A Kennedy Township resident, Peckich looks forward to the 2023 campaign, particularly when the Black Hawks battle Peters Township. That’s not just because rival coach TJ Plack and his family reside in the municipality but rather because Peckich’s girlfriend, Cassie Alderson, is from Peters Township.
Besides coaching football, Peckich enjoys spending time with his two dogs; a golden doodle named Maverick and an Old English sheep doodle called Ashton.