Apr 16, 2019 3 min read

When Mike Doppelheuer was hired to coach the Belle Vernon wrestling team before the 2014-15 season, he knew it wouldn’t be a long-term job.

The father of two boys, Doppelheuer realized that the time would come where he would step away from coaching because of how active his two sons would be.

The time was right for Doppelheuer to resign as the Leopards’ coach, and the move was made official Monday night at the Belle Vernon School Board meeting. Doppelheuer stepped down after five successful seasons.

“At the end of last season, I debated back and forth if I was going to return,” Doppelheuer said. “I met with (athletic director) Matt Humbert and he asked me if I would do another year.

“I did, but if I have to choose between my family and my team, I would pick my kids every time and I felt the time was right to step away.

“My oldest son is going into seventh grade and my youngest is very active in the youth program,” Doppelheuer continued. “My two kids keep me at youth events year round and I want to spend more time with them.”

In Doppelheuer’s first season, the Leopards were the WPIAL runner-up to Franklin Regional in Class AAA team tournament and the result motivated the Leopards.

“We beat Franklin Regional at their regional (tournament) that year and that set the tone for the next year,” he said.

The highlight of Doppelheuer’s five-year run was the 2015-16 season. The Leopards steamrolled their way to the WPIAL Class AAA team championship, defeating their postseason opponents by a combined score of 220-45, and then finished third in the PIAA team tournament.

That team will be go down as one of the top public-school programs in the area, a thought that wasn’t lost on former Gannon wrestler and Belle Vernon volunteer coach AJ Sayles.

“Public schools are rarely as stacked as that team was,” he said. “That team was a once-in-a-generation type team that was groomed from the time they were little kids.”

The Leopards made four postseason appearances in Doppelheuer’s five seasons and had 21 section champions.

Zach Hartman won two WPIAL titles under Doppelheuer, and Derek Verklereen and Scott Joll each won a title. A total of 24 Belle Vernon wrestlers qualified for the PIAA tournament during Doppelheuer’s five years with 13 of them winning medals.

Doppleheuer said that while numbers are down in the program, the cupboard isn’t bare.

“The high school team doesn’t have quantity right now, but it has quality,” he said. “There are multiple guys who can be multi-time seed winners at states. The program just has to get the quantity back.”