Bellwood-Antis School District has a long history of memorializing their most influential faculty and alumni.
There’s the Richard Bower auditorium, Myers Elementary, and the William Sitman Middle School on the academic side. In the realm of athletics, both John Hayes and Julie Rosenborough have pieces of Memorial Stadium named in their honor.
The problem for current B-A football coach Nick Lovrich at this point is they’re running out of places on their campus to rename. But that’s the direction his career as a multi-sport coach is headed.
Lovrich took over the Blue Devils football program in 2018 following Hayes’s retirement, but he’s been on the staff since the late 1990s. He’s won 60 games so far and has posted a pair of 10-win seasons.
Away from the gridiron, he’s among the top track and field coaches in the region, with four District 6 championships to his credit. Last spring he surpassed the 300-win mark in his 26th season.
With a resume like that, you can be sure Lovrich has just about seen it all, which is why game’s like last week’s 28-26 loss to Central don’t necessarily phase him. B-A gave up two pick-sixes on their first two possessions, turned the ball over three times in the first half, missed two PATs, and still had a shot at beating the unblemished Dragons.
That kind of loss would send a lot of coaches reeling, but the steady Lovrich took it in stride as one game in a much larger season. He moved on, and that stoic demeanor that has led B-A to so much success during his tenure.
If there’s one thing missing, it’s a District championship, something the Devils haven’t been able to lay hold of since 2012, but if ever there was a season that could change, it’s this one, with B-A fielding its most experienced and athletically talented team in years.
Should they get that done in the 2A field that includes the likes of Richland, Bald Eagle Area, and Mount Union, you’d have to think Lovrich would be worthy of at least getting his name above the locker room.
But more than likely he would turn it down.
Orange and Black spoke to Lovrich in the days leading up to the 3-1 Devils’ matchup with Tyrone in the annual Backyard Brawl at Memorial Stadium, and he talked about the challenges of playing in the Laurel Highlands, his team’s resilience, and a strong senior class that has been unshakeable.
ORANGE AND BLACK: Both you and Tyrone could legitimately say you should be 4-0 entering this game, and both of you lost close ones to Central. How do you view this game? Is it as evenly matched as it may seem?
LOVRICH: Definitely. First of all, anytime you have the Backyard Brawl, it’s always going to be close. There haven’t been too many blowouts in the history of the series. You can throw the records away because both teams really get up for this game. I think our offense has done really well. We’ve moved the ball. Even in our loss, we had 380 total yards of total offense. We’ve been able to mix it up with some different people, which helps. Tyrone has made some big plays. They’ve been in more defensive struggles, but they’ve made some big plays with the guys they have. They have a big play offense.
ORANGE AND BLACK: You don’t normally think a team would need extra motivation in the Backyard Brawl, but does your team feel that coming off a loss?
LOVRICH: We want to right the ship. Last week was a tough loss for us. We were right in the game and had a chance, but just didn’t come up with the win. Anytime you come off a loss, you want to do better the next week. It just so happens that our biggest rival is our next game, so that just adds some more incentive.
ORANGE AND BLACK: If anyone can bounce back from a loss like that, it seems like your team is built for it. You have a senior group that’s been there and done that, experienced big wins and some losses. How do you feel about leaning on that group in a situation like this?
LOVRICH: Friday showed a lot about their character. We got down 21-6, and not one person’s head went down. No one was complaining or pointing fingers. They stuck together. It says a lot about the brotherhood we’ve been talking about all year. So I feel really comfortable with that. Our guys realize we made a couple mistakes, but we had a chance to win the football game, and we left everything out there. There was no drop in effort or attitude. Some of that experience you talked about has a lot to do with it.
ORANGE AND BLACK: There’s been no shortage of adversity with this group. You lost Alex McCartney and Chase Plummer for the entire season when they were sophomores. Last season you lost Bradyn Partner for some games. And now, quarterback Brendan McNelis was having a nice season, and you have to switch everything up. (McNelis suffered a broken clavicle two games ago.) What’s that experience been like where over the last three seasons, there has always been something.
LOVRICH: That speaks to the mental capacity our kids have. They’re able to think about this play, this game, and not worry about what happened in the past. We’ve had some unfortunate things happen, but we’ve been able to overcome it because guys have had their roles expanded and they’ve owned that role. It takes preparation during the course of the week. Our younger kids have done a good job helping us, and that’s making us better for the future.
ORANGE AND BLACK: From the outside, this game seems like a really good matchup because Tyrone has a great run defense and you guys are a running team. But your defense is pretty good, too. What do you like about your defense heading into this game?
LOVRICH: Our defense is pretty fast, and I think that’s a big advantage for us. Our linebackers are fast, and when you talk about fast defensive linemen, you have Ethan Shawley on one side who’s a 5.0 guy, runs the 300 hurdles, was on our 1600 relay. So he’s got a motor that runs, kind of like what Kyler Suhoney is for Tyrone. Thad Norton moves well. And even our interior guys like Bryson Hescox and Caden Grager – they have a very good five- to 10-yard burst. Having that speed really helps us.
ORANGE AND BLACK: When you get to Week 5, you have to start thinking about playoff positioning. Where does this game factor into that, and are you there yet? Is that something you’re even considering now?
LOVRICH: Double-A has so many good teams. It’s really too early to tell. The chips will fall into place. In the Laurel Highlands, every week is a big game. Everybody’s good. If you look ahead to five weeks from now, you could be looking at the wrong place because you’re focusing on the future when you need to take it one game at a time.
ORANGE AND BLACK: The East, especially Section 1, is so tough, and you guys almost find yourself in a position like Tyrone last week where they practically had to win because so many tough games were coming up. Do you like playing in the Laurel Highlands? You would think it has to make you better for the playoffs.
LOVRICH: It does make you battle tested. Sometimes the attrition of having battles every week gets to you. Our guys are used to playing four quarters where other schools may get to rest their guys, which helps them stay healthier. Having battles every week can be a good and bad thing. When you look at our schedule, everybody is good. There are no patsies. Every game is a big game.
