Courtesy photograph Mark Moschella is Blair County's all-time wins chief.
Editor's Observe: That is the fifth in a collection on the Blair County Sports activities Corridor of Fame Class of 2024:
Mark Moschella coached over 750 video games at Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic Excessive Faculty, successful 13 district titles, reaching 13 PIAA last fours and 9 state championship video games whereas successful 4 state titles.
His 603 wins over 26 years is an all-time document in Blair County and was an enormous motive why he was chosen to the Blair County Sports activities Corridor of Fame Class of 2024.
“My buddy Tony Labriola as soon as informed me,” Moschella mentioned not too long ago, “You don't have a basketball workforce, you’ve gotten a basketball program.”
Moschella's dynasty with the Girl Marauders lasted from 1991 to 2018 and featured many star gamers akin to Kelly Adams, Michelle Taddei, Elaine Colyer, Ann Sral, Kori Sisto, Angela Greaser, Mary Forr, Alli Williams, the primary workforce from Altoona Mirror. , Christine Conrad, Rachel Rea, Halee Adams, Kayla Bates and Lili Benzel.
His groups went 25 seasons with no shedding document and amassed over 30 wins in 4 totally different seasons.
“We stayed stable for a few years,” Moschella mentioned. “That's as a result of I had lots of nice folks from highschool by faculty.”
Though his CV now appears like that of somebody who was born to educate, Moschella hasn't precisely taken the traditional path to teaching supremacy.
Moschella grew up in Altoona and graduated from Bishop Guilfoyle in 1972 after taking part in basketball within the native parish league and junior excessive. After graduating from Robert Morris Faculty, he returned to Blair County to work within the insurance coverage business and returned to basketball as a PIAA official.
Moschella has refereed for greater than 15 years and has labored a PIAA boys basketball sport as an alternate. Throughout that point, he started teaching a gaggle of fourth-grade ladies that included his daughter, Nikki, and continued to maneuver up with them to the junior stage.
After three years as BG Excessive Faculty's head coach, she joined varsity coach John Frederick's employees as an assistant and was a part of the Girl Marauders' 1990-91 state championship workforce.
When Frederick resigned after the season, Moschella utilized for a job and was employed as head coach by athletic director Pete Mitchell.
“The very first thing I did after I was named head coach was drive as much as (former BG participant and buddy) Invoice Adams and knock on his door,” Moschella mentioned. “I had a lot respect for him as coach of St. Mary's within the parish league and I requested him to return with me.”
Adams joined Moschella and remained as a senior assistant for many of Moschella's profession, together with Wealthy Consiglio and Pat Callahan.
The primary season, nevertheless, proved to be an enormous take a look at for the brand new teaching employees. With 10 seniors graduating from the earlier state championship workforce, BG returns simply two skilled gamers in Gina Myers and Jade Consiglio, and each suffered knee accidents.
Moshella, nevertheless, was capable of produce a 19-11 season and construct a basis for future success.
“It took a yr to get everybody on board,” he mentioned. “We by no means regarded again or too far. No matter was in entrance of us, that's what we targeted on as a gaggle.”
Moschella instilled in his gamers what he referred to as “the 5 priorities” of their program. These had been, so as: 1. God. 2. Household. three. Educational employees. Four. The basketball workforce. 5. Good social life.
“Profitable a state championship was a aim, however not a precedence,” mentioned Moschella, who has coached in a low-key method that has resulted in simply three technical fouls — by his depend — referred to as towards him in 26 video games. its seasons.
“(Moschella) actually taught us learn how to run offense and play protection with coronary heart, however these weren't an important issues he taught us,” mentioned Mary (Forr) Szoch, who later performed at Notre Dame. “The a lot greater classes I realized from Coach Mo had been about accountability, onerous work, humility, and most significantly, love for my teammates. Coach led by instance. He by no means swore or belittled a participant, at all times targeted on the positives and beloved every of us as if we had been his personal youngsters.”
Moschella received a state championship in simply his second season as a head coach, main the 1992-93 workforce led by Taddei, Kelly Adams and Liz Runk to a 30-1 document and a 52-26 victory over Lourdes Regional within the PIAA last. .
The subsequent two seasons, with Colyer and his daughter Nikki main the best way, BG returned to the state finals in Hershey however fell brief at Lourdes Regional and Merion Mercy.
The 1994–95 season produced one in all Moschella's finest wins. After transferring as much as Class 2A, BG confronted three-time champion Cranberry within the PIAA semifinals at IUP.
“It was a packed enviornment with over three,000 folks and so many (Cranberry) followers had been carrying '4-peat' T-shirts,” Moschella mentioned. “The ambiance was unbelievable. It was so loud there that we had to make use of playing cards to sign the video games to the gamers.”
BG received an enormous sport from Kim Ratzesberger and received the competition, 51-42.
The schedule Guilfoyle confronted through the common season — recurrently assembly groups like Altoona, Hollidaysburg and State Faculty within the Mid-Alleghenies Convention after which taking part in robust within the Mountain League and Laurel Highlands Athletic Convention — ready the Girl Marauders for the runs postseason.
“There weren't many breaths,” Moschella mentioned. “By the point the playoffs got here round, with the schedule we had, there was nothing we hadn't seen.”
The success continued with one other state last look in 1999, led by Kristen Toomey and Sral, ending second at Nativity BVM. Moschella took the 2001-02 season off teaching, however bounced again and led BG again to the state finals in 2004 with Greaser and Lindsey Sissler, falling to Delone Catholic.
On the time, Moschella was 1-Four in state last video games.
“After a loss within the state finals, I might go to the locker room in entrance of the workforce and clarify to them how fortunate they had been to be one of many few groups that had the chance to carry their gymnasium luggage by them. the doorways and compete in a state last,” Moschella mentioned. “I assumed that was the form of perspective that wanted to be given — 50 % of groups in state championship video games lose.”
With a brand new group of gamers, Moschella's success reached its highest heights within the interval 2006-2011. In these 5 seasons, BG went 147-Eight, received 5 district titles and reached the state finals 4 occasions.
The 2006-07 Forr-Ashley Helsel-Courtney Carroll workforce set a BG document with 31 wins and defeated North Catholic, 43-38, within the state last at Penn State College. Two years later, with Williams and Rea main the cost, BG defeated Nativity BVM, 49-27, for its third state title below Moschella.
Williams, Halee Adams and Kaleigh Floyd helped BG go 30-Zero in 2009-10 and win back-to-back state titles with a 49-29 win over Northern Cambria. After Williams graduated, BG returned to the finals in 2011 with Halee Adams, Kelsey Livoti and Elyssa Ehredt, however misplaced to Steelton-Highspire, 73-60.
“I've been keen to study and adapt yearly,” Moschella mentioned. “With all of the totally different gamers with totally different talents, myself and my teaching employees would adapt to their strengths. The success of this system got here from the dedication the gamers made, the onerous work they put in and the best way they handled one another.”
Moschella stepped down after the 2017-18 season with a 603-166 profession mark in 26 years and was a six-time Altoona Mirror Coach of the Yr. He labored for 43 years as a vp of the Warren Gingrich Insurance coverage Company.
Moschella mentioned his teaching profession wouldn’t have been doable with out the help of his spouse of 47 years, Diane, and youngsters Mark and Nikki.
“I might have walked away if I didn't have their help,” he mentioned, additionally thanking the BG administration, which included a number of principals and athletic administrators throughout his tenure.
He additionally declined to speak about himself when requested what being inducted into the Corridor of Fame means to him.
“It's a tribute to everybody who was concerned in this system,” he mentioned.
Moschella's former gamers, nevertheless, would give him full credit score.
“Coach Mo knew the X's and Os of basketball higher than anyone, however that's not what made him nice,” (Forr) Szoch mentioned. “What made him nice was that he cared about every of his gamers far past the sport of basketball. Coach knew learn how to push every of us to grow to be the very best basketball participant we might be, however extra importantly, he knew learn how to assist us grow to be the very best individual we might be.”
Blair County Sports activities Corridor of Fame
When: Saturday, April 13
What: Blair County Sports activities Corridor of Fame 20th induction
Solid: Artie Fink Jr., Rachel Gehret, Mark Moschella, Tom Turchetta, Alli Williams
Inducted into the workforce: 2022 Hollidaysburg Little League workforce
Neighborhood Service Award Winner: Jim Price
Visitor Speaker: Julius Erving
Emcee: Bob Pompeani
Tickets: A restricted variety of tickets stay at $100 every. Name Kathy Millward at 814-312-4753 or e-mail kmillward@beardlegalgroup.com.