North Hills coach Sundo guides young team in final season

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 15, 2017 | 11:00 PM

For his final trick as head coach, Doug Sundo will perform the act of leading a group of freshmen and sophomores to victory on the North Hills cross country team.

Sundo is in his sixth season as the Indians' coach, but spent a total of 15 years coaching numerous sports at the high school and junior high level, including track and field and wrestling.

“It is bittersweet,” Sundo said. “At least I know I will be handing the reigns over to two coaches to carry on the North Hills tradition and pride. My eyes will still be glued to them. At this stage, I am set that I will retire. There is good, young blood, and it is time for them to step up and coach. I will always be around to help them out. I am going to move onto the next chapter.”

As of now, the two coaches he will be leaving the program with will be his assistant Mark Timko and his volunteer assistant Lacy Murray.

More than half of the athletes on the Indians' roster are underclassmen, and a vast majority of those were not even in the school district last year.

Thanks to a merger with St. Teresa Catholic School and St. Sebastian, Sundo was given an influx of young talent looking to make their mark.

“We picked up a lot of freshmen from the merger,” Sundo said. “They came over to the public school, and it is my gain. It was a nice influx of talent that came over. It is a welcomed surprise.”

The Indians' first big encounter was Sept. 9 when they competed in the Red, White and Blue Classic at Schenley Park.

For the boys, Joey Buehner was the top overall finisher for North Hills, placing 19th. Paige Lyden was the top finisher for the girls, crossing the line in 55th place.

Sundo knows his team is going to go through struggles this year, primarily because of being so young, but Buehner and Lyden are two bright spots he believes can qualify for the state championships.

“Joey and Paige are my two hopefuls that I can get qualified for the states,” Sundo said. “We are right there. We just need to make some tweaks.”

Other hopefuls include freshmen Andrew Groll and Ashley Ussack, who finished first and third, respectively, in a dual meet with Avonworth and Seton LaSalle.

Only time will tell if Sundo's final act will result in a success on the courses, but if you ask him, it already is.

“It has been a great ride,” Sundo said. “It is a very nice core group of kids. They want to learn and do the right things. I am happy with them. I know we are going to take our hits and get blown out in some races, but they are going to mature. I am excited to watch it. I never had a bad year with the kids. They make it fun.”

Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.

Tags: North Hills