Druga hired as Burgettstown football coach, again
Somewhere up there, the mother of Mark Druga is smiling.
Two years ago, Druga’s mother, who considered herself Burgettstown’s No. 1 fan, died. The work left behind on her estate was so overwhelming for Druga, that he felt he didn’t have enough time to take care of the estate and coach the Burgettstown football team so he resigned.
At Monday night’s Burgettstown School Board meeting, they got Druga to agree to return as football coach and used a unanimous vote to show how serious they were.
“I’m fortunate enough to be back,” said Druga in his usual gregarious voice. “After the season this year, Burgettstown decided to go in a different direction. The athletic director, Kevin Kreczowski, and principal, Brian Fadden, came to see me and just wanted to see if I was interested. I told them I would be depending on the situation. One thing led to another and (Monday night) I was fortunate enough to be hired back by the Burgettstown School Board.”
Druga said the biggest thing was “tying up all the lose ends to my mother’s estate.
“At the time when I resigned, I was dealing with recently losing her and the herculean task of dealing with her estate. Fortunately, I had time to do that and also got time to see my son’s junior high football games at Moon. I was a junior high assistant under Ryan Linn. It was a great time to get everything back in perspective.”
Druga replaces Greg Marshall, whose contract was opened at the end of this past football season. Marshall decided to not to reapply for the job. Burgettstown made the Class A playoffs in both years Marshall was head coach. Both times, the Blue Devils lost first-round games. The Blue Devils are coming off a 6-4 season that followed a 5-5 year.
“I thought Coach Marshall and his staff did a great job with the product they put on the field the past two years,” Druga said. “I feel confident these players can continue the growth.”
Druga spent six seasons with Burgettstown (2015-2020) and compiled a 38-21 record. He went 2-5 in the postseason. The Blue Devils made the WPIAL playoffs in five of his six seasons and won two conference championships.
Burgettstown was competing in Class 2A when Druga left but dropped to Class 1A the following year after Marshall took over.
“I wasn’t sure (they wanted me back),” said Druga. “When I left Burgettstown, it was my own decision. And in this day and age, you don’t always get (to make) that decision. Burgettstown is a great place and my staff and players did some fantastic things there so I had always hoped to return to coaching on the varsity level. I was fortunate enough to have enough goodwill built up in the community and with the administration that I was hopeful.”
Druga said that while some of the members of the coaching staff might change, his brother Rich will return. Rich Druga was coaching football in the West Allegheny school district.
“I know that he was talking to the administration about leaving and joining his little brother,” said Mark Druga. “They were saddened by his departure.”