Metikosh earned way into BV Football Hall of Fame
Submitted photo
Mike Metikosh is shown during his playing days at Belle Vernon.
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Mike Metikosh (right) poses for a photo with fellow Belle Vernon Hall of Famers Craig Fayak (left) and Brett Berish (middle).
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Mike Metikosh poses with his two sons Ian and Chad along with daughter Maren (holding the 2023 WPIAL Class AAAA softball championship trophy she helped the Lady Leopards win) and wife Jennifer.
Mike Metikosh fashioned an outstanding athletic career during his days at Belle Vernon Area High School in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Metikosh started on his athletic journey at an early age.
鈥淚 got started young, just playing in the backyard with friends,鈥� Metikosh recalled, 鈥渦p in the projects in Marion Villa from second grade till about sixth or seventh grade in Arnold City. I grew up playing against some older friends of mine which made me faster. I played baseball in the backyard with my dad and I played Little League baseball.鈥�
Metikosh was part of an outstanding group of athletes at Bellmar Junior High School. At the same time another group was coming up at Rostraver Junior High School. These two groups would join forces at Belle Vernon and become the backbone of some outstanding teams for the Leopards, coinciding with the arrival of Bill Connors as head football coach in 1985.
鈥�(We joined up) As sophomores before we moved up to the varsity,鈥� Metikosh said. 鈥淚n junior high we had an undefeated team at Bellmar and on our other side at Rostraver Junior High they were undefeated, but we wound up beating those guys. We knew we were going to have one heck of a team as we got older. We kind of knew we were going to have a pretty good team.鈥�
During his three years on the varsity at BVA Metikosh was on teams that went 7-3 in 1987, 7-4 in 1988 and 10-2 in 1989. The Leopards were Big Nine Conference co-champions with Brownsville the latter two years.
Belle Vernon was defeated at home in the playoffs by Blackhawk, 28-7, in 1988.
鈥淎s a sophomore I played mostly on the kickoff team.鈥� Metikosh stated. 鈥淎s a junior I played cornerback on defense. I was a running back all the way up through junior high and in 10th grade I got a lot of touches as a running back. We had our sophomore games and our JV games and I still recall being one of the only sophomores along with Craig Fayak and Joe Rudolph being called up by Coach Connors. He said I want you to run with the first group and that鈥檚 probably my most memorable moment.鈥�
During Metikosh鈥檚 senior campaign in 1989 the Leopards posted a section record of 9-1, losing only to Brownsville by one point. In the WPIAL playoffs the Leopards defeated Highlands, 12-0. The victory represented the Leopards鈥� first playoff victory in nine years.
鈥淚 started on defense as a junior and then also played running back as a senior and got the bulk of the carries,鈥� Metikosh said. 鈥淲e had a lot of talented backs when I was a sophomore and a junior. I had a heck of an offensive line as a senior.鈥�
Metikosh had a monster season at running back as a senior. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound runner ran for 1,262 yards.
Connors remarked that Metikosh, 鈥渋s a heckuva of a running back.鈥�
Against Aliquippa in the Class AAA WPIAL semifinals, BVA lost 14-7 in a heartbreaking battle of dominant defenses. Led by an outstanding senior class, the Leps recorded five shutouts and led the Big Nine in defense, while the offense went over the 30-point mark four times and finished second in the conference in total offense.
鈥淭he Aliquippa fans were on us when we walked on the field,鈥� Metikosh recalled. 鈥淚 still remember our first drive we marched it down the field and punched it in and it was 7-0. Those fans from Aliquippa changed their tune.
鈥淭wo big plays beat us. We were winning 7-0 at half and in the beginning of the third quarter I ran the ball and got tackled and as I got up I felt my ankle and there was something wrong. After that I couldn鈥檛 run on it and that was it for me. We had to start throwing the ball. They had two big plays, a touchdown pass to a big tight end and then in the fourth quarter they had a big run that setup the winning touchdown.鈥�
In Belle Vernon鈥檚 senior class, the guys that Metikosh played with and against in junior high 鈥� Fayak, Jon Vitale (5-10, 200), Rudolph (6-3, 220), Joe Rotolo (6-2, 165), Darren Walters (6-1, 240), Dale Haney (5-6, 168), Dan Kovatch, (6-1, 160) 鈥� were named along with him to the All-Big Nine Conference team.
鈥淲e were loaded,鈥� Metikosh stated. 鈥淲e had Fayak as our quarterback, but we had two other kids that transferred. John Daniels went to Trinity and played college ball at Dayton. We had Chuck Kelly who went to Geibel. Any of those three could have started anywhere in the WPIAL. We had three great quarterbacks. We had a very talented group.鈥�
Metikosh was pleased with the awards he received, but is pretty humble about it.
鈥淢y wife Jennifer likes to call me Al Bundy,鈥� Metikosk laughed. 鈥淲e got an Al Bundy framed jersey in our game room with his signature.鈥�
Metikosh was a four-year member of the BVA baseball squad and played center field.
鈥淲e were in a competitive section with Connellsville and Laurel Highlands,鈥� Metikosh said. 鈥淲e beat Connellsville a couple of times my senior year. We had another great group of athletes from my senior class. We had a transfer, Dan Kordich, from Frazier who came over to help pitch. We had Bill Stewart. Daryl Hixenbaugh was our coach. Our senior year Latrobe beat us in the WPIAL playoffs. Fayette County Hall of Famer Bobby Locke helped coach us at Belle Vernon.鈥�
When Metikosh graduated from Belle Vernon in 1990 he had some scholarship offers.
鈥淢y buddy Dan Kovatch and I visited Cal U together, that was my only local offer,鈥� Metikosh said.
鈥淚 remember getting offers from Division-II schools,鈥� Metikosh explained. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 end up going to play football and I played baseball. When I chose my school Edinboro I was fishing with my dad and I got a phone call from an assistant football coach at Edinboro. He knew I was enrolled and he wanted me to go to football camp. I was out of shape and I wasn鈥檛 ready and I went to camp for about a week and I didn鈥檛 feel like playing anymore. I tried out for baseball and made it.鈥�
Metikosh earned his spot on the Edinboro baseball team.
鈥淚 met a buddy, Jason Sharp, at orientation and he told me he was going to play baseball,鈥� Metikosh explained. 鈥淚 asked about baseball tryouts and they were the next day and I got my schedule the next day and ran out on the field the next day and the guys were already warmed up and they wanted to see arm strength from center field to home plate. I didn鈥檛 warm up and I was throwing BBs from center. Coach John Radovich noticed, and I made the team.
鈥淲e were competitive at Edinboro in baseball. Our biggest rivals were Cal U and IUP and Slippery Rock. I did play against Rick Krivada from Cal U who pitched for the Orioles.鈥�
Metikosh graduated from Edinboro in 1994 and embarked on a teaching and coaching career.
鈥淚 was a substitute teacher at Frazier and Belle Vernon and in 1995 I was an assistant ninth grade coach at Frazier,鈥� Metikosh stated. 鈥淚 was ninth grade coach (under) Jimmy Trent 1997 through 2000 and then went to Waldorf, Maryland and I was at Westlake High School for a year. I moved to Virginia from 2001 to 2008 and taught over there at North Stafford and then Mount View. As defensive coordinator at North Stafford in 2004 we lost in the state championship game at Richmond.
鈥淲hen I moved back in the fall of 2008 I went to work in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Between 2008 and 2009 I coached with Lloyd Price at Ringgold. I remain teaching in Pittsburgh Public Schools to this day. Aaron Krepps and Brett Berish asked me to volunteer at Belle Vernon in 2010 and 2011. I now keep stats for Belle Vernon.鈥�
Metikosh, 51, resides in Belle Vernon with his wife Jennifer. They were married in 2002 and have three children, Chad, 20, Maren, 18, and Ian, 11.
In 2003 Metikosh was inducted into the Belle Vernon Football Hall of Fame.
Looking back, Metikosh says it has been a nice ride.
鈥淚 tell kids if I wasn鈥檛 in athletics I鈥檇 probably be getting into trouble,鈥� Metikosh offered. 鈥淵ou learn life lessons in athletics.鈥�