BP’s Metheny switches to Mt. Lebanon sidelines
Mt. Lebanon added a wrinkle to its football rivalry with Bethel Park when Blue Devil field general Mike Collodi hired Jeff Metheny. The former Black Hawks coach has switched sidelines and is now Lebo’s quarterbacks coach.
“When I was looking for coaches, I heard through the grapevine that he was available,” Collodi said. “After I got his phone number, I reached out to him. We met once or twice and hit it right off. It clicked. It was the right fit.”
Collodi said it was a “no brainer” to add Metheny to his staff. He owns a 205-144 record in 33 seasons that included stops at Waynesburg Central and Hampton before landing at Bethel Park. As head coach of the Black Hawks, Metheny was 164-104 with a WPIAL title in 2008.
Though he resigned five years ago to watch his son, Levi, play at Albany and Murray State, Metheny provided enough background to power the Blue Devils to a 19-16 overtime win against the Black Hawks.
Collodi said Metheny’s knowledge contributed to the triumph even though he’s been removed from the BP program and was not familiar with the players.
“It really wasn’t specific to BP or inside info,” Collodi said, “but Jeff’s general knowledge of football is such an asset. Obviously, he knows the league and he knows how to win. He’s got a fiery personality. We are blest and fortunate to get him on staff. He’s such an asset.”
Metheny is of particular value to the Blue Devils because he was a quarterback at Glenville State University, where he is enshrined in the school’s Hall of Fame. Metheny also coached his son at Bethel Park. A two-year captain and Almanac MVP, Levi Metheny passed for 4,862 career yards and 45 career touchdowns while also excelling as a linebacker, a position he went on to play at Albany and Murray State while he earning an MBA before working for Dow Jones on Wall Street.
The Blue Devils employ a two-quarterback position. Michael Malone takes the majority of snaps and Patrick Smith provides a “change up” for Lebo.
“They are two very different types and they are doing very well under Jeff. He continues to watch and guide those guys. There is a lot of room for growth,” Collodi noted. “There’s none better to learn from than Jeff. He’s been doing this for 30-plus years.”
In the Lebo-BP football history, there have been many dramatic wins, including a 30-14 Blue Devils win in the 1980 WPIAL championship game. The game on Sept. 1 rivaled that of a year ago when Lebo lost in overtime to the Black Hawks. This year, however, the Blue Devils avenged that decision, beating BP, 19-16, on a game-ending touchdown pass from Malone to Noah Schaerli.
“Any time you win a rivalry game, especially in overtime, that gives you confidence,” Collodi said.
“The game was a testament to our resilience and belief in one another,” Collodii continued. “We never gave up. We responded to every turn of adversity.”
Lebo took the lead on a four-yard scoring run by Fred LaSota but BP went ahead, 7-6, when Ryan Petras returned a punt 48 yards into the end zone before the first half ended.
After a turnover-riddled third quarter, Lebo forged ahead, 13-7, on a Beckham Dee TD run of four yards but 53 seconds before regulation ended, Petras pulled in a 4-yard scoring strike from Tanner Pfeuffer. BP missed the extra point, forcing overtime.
After Kaden Wetzel kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, giving BP the lead, 16-13, Schaerli pulled in the game winner.
“We were down and out and then back in it. It’s hard not to get rattled in a game like that but we kept fighting and fighting,” Collodi said. “Bethel Park is a good program. A great rivalry game and that helps us.”
Lebo takes that momentum and energy from a contest against Moon on Sept. 8 into its biggest battle of the 2023 campaign when the Blue Devils welcome Central Catholic at 7 p.m. Sept. 15. The WPIAL Class 6A conference opener, has Lebo taking on the No. 1 team in the state and one featuring a multiple big-time college recruits.
“They are loaded. They have Division I guys all over the field,” Collodi said. “There is a buzz about them.”
While the Vikings feature four seniors headed to Power Five conference colleges in Cole Sullivan (Michigan), Ty Yuhas (Pitt), Pete Gonzalez and Anthony Speca (Penn State), Lebo has two academy commits in Connor Young (Navy) and Beckham Dee (Air Force). Additionally, the squad boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or better on a non-weighted scale and features Malone in the leadership position at quarterback. A senior and class president, Malone aspires to attend Notre Dame and study aerospace engineering.
“We have great kids of character and intelligence,” Collodi said. “It makes it easy to coach those types of kids who value education. We get more accomplished in practice because these kids are students of the game and their academics translates onto the field.”
The approach against Central Catholic is simple. While the goal is to “make a statement” against the Vikings, Collodi says the Blue Devils must “come out and play our style of ball. Win time of possession. Ground and pound. Win the special teams battle and always win the turnover battle. Create turnovers, too,” he added.