A WORD WITH VAUGHN DONMOYER

Bellefonte coach talks this week’s game against Tyrone

Bellefonte coach Vaughn Donmoyer took a circuitous route to his position as head coach of the Bellefonte Red Raiders. While he has spent a coaching career spanning more than two decades in Centre County, most of that time was spent on the staff of the Raiders’ biggest rival, Bald Eagle Area.

Donmoyer began his career at BEA as a member of Curt Heverly’s staff, and he remained in Wingate until 2012, when he began coaching the junior high team at Bellefonte for Shannon Manning, who later would guide the varsity team to District 6 championships in 2017 and 2019.

The coach returned to BEA in 2018 to work as an assistant under current Eagles coach Jesse Nagle, but when the coaching position at Bellefonte came open in 2021, Donmoyer knew the time was right to make a career move. Already a teacher at Bellefonte, he took over the varsity program and has gone 2-11 in the time since. Donmoyer is the 28th head football coach in Bellefonte history.

A 2000 graduate of Millersville University, Donmoyer played football in high school for Tri-Valley in Schuylkill County. He is a technology teacher at Bellefonte and lives in the borough.

We had a chance to talk to Donmoyer in the days leading up to this week’s game against Tyrone, and the coach spoke about his team’s grueling 0-3 start, coaching at rival schools, and keeping his players focused during a tough stretch of the season.

O&B: You’re probably not off to the start you would like, but especially in the first and third games (two shutouts), what can you say about the way your offense performed?