Lack of eligible players shuts down Monessen’s football season

By: Jeremy Sellew
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 | 7:42 PM

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The Monessen football program will forfeit the remaining two games of the 2020 football season.

After forfeiting last week’s game with Carmichaels, the Greyhounds have also called off games against West Greene on Friday and California on Oct. 23.

Last week’s game was forfeited due to injuries and players being in concussion protocol. This week’s release from high school principal Eric Manko gave other reasons.

“The Monessen Greyhound Football Program regretfully has decided to forfeit our remaining two games … due to student-athlete ineligibility in regard to grades and attendance and lack of practice participation.”

Manko said it was a tough decision and not taken lightly between himself, coach Shane Swope, athletic director Gina Naccarato and superintendent Dr. Leanne Spazak.

Last-ditch efforts were made to encourage student athletes to attend practice and work on eligibility, but those efforts came up short.

“I went to practice and talked to the boys on Monday. I kind of gave them an ultimatum and told them what we needed to do,” Manko said. “When it came to Wednesday’s practice, we didn’t have the 13 players we needed. I give the young kids credit. They showed up. It shows me there is a future.”

In the release, Manko said there is empathy for the athletes who have shown commitment to the program.

Swope said the expectations for the program were made clear when he took the job in February but that some players obviously felt the rules didn’t apply to them.

“We have preached accountability. A lot of the young men we had this year thought they could dictate the terms, so to speak, that rules and regulations do not apply,” Swope said. “Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works. The standard and expectations were made very clear: One, be a good student. Two, be good to your family. And three, be a good teammate.

“I want all the young men we come in contact with to learn life lessons, be a positive role model in their community, make their families and school proud, go to college and come back with a degree to help the pave the way for the next generation. Along the way we play some football. It’s more than football. It has to be.”

“We feel bad for the student athletes who are committed to the sport and program and gave everything they had and showed great leadership in reaching out to administration for a second chance,” Manko wrote. “But we can’t continue to reward individuals with the opportunity to play on Friday nights who are not committed to the program.”

Manko mentioned how the city was built on hard-working attitudes and how that isn’t the impression that’s been cast by some players on the football team.

“We need (those) values to show their face again at practice and with player and community buy-in to be successful,” Manko wrote.

Football, like in other districts, is a driving force for revenues throughout a district’s athletic program. It also is a stage for band members and cheerleaders to show their skills.

“I feel bad for those kids, too,” Manko said. “Football is a major revenue source and a showcase for other school functions like homecoming, bonfires and senior night.

“Potentially losing football isn’t just about the players on the field, but school culture as a whole.”

Manko is asking for community support in helping to build the program back up.

“The young players were there. There’s definitely a future, but I told them they need to get their classmates involved in the program, and hopefully they can get them to be great teammates,” Manko said.

In the release, Manko mentioned how the program is a few solid seasons away from hitting the 700-win mark.

“We will get there with the help of all stakeholders involved,” he wrote. “There is no reason the Monessen Greyhound Football Program can’t rebuild a culture of winning and pride like Jeannette, Clairton or Rochester.

“We are begging those in the community, town and school to help us raise these young men up and build a program we can all be proud of and embrace where we are from, but it takes a village and not individuals. These young men need positive support and the opportunity to use football as a conduit to a better future through scholarships and all the other values that team sports instill on student athletes.”

Manko said he expects to hear from the WPIAL, which will undoubtedly want to know the expectations for the program going forward.

“I haven’t yet heard from (executive director) Amy (Scheunemann),” Manko said. “But my expectations are to try to gain interest and move forward. It’s going to take commitment from the entire community — parents, students and the city. We have young players who have shown their commitment, so I’m confident there’s a future for the program.”

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