NWPA Sports Awards: Sharpsville football coach Paul Piccirilli compiles decades of success

Paul Piccirilli didn't mind paying his dues and putting in the work as a football coach.

He observed and learned as much as he could from coaches Sam Liburdi, John Napotnik and Frank Robinson at Sharpsville and Frank Makarevich at Mercer, among others.

When Piccirilli finally got his chance after 16 years of hard work, he jumped at the opportunity to return to Sharpsville as the head football coach.

Three decades later, Piccirilli is one of the all-time winningest coaches in District 10 history and he is one of eight coaches in D-10 to win a state championship.

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As he enters his 45th season as a coach this fall, including his 29th as a head coach, Piccirilli's success makes him an easy choice for the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is part of the Northwestern Pennsylvania High School Sports Awards. Piccirilli will be honored on Monday during the awards show at the Warner Theater.

“The kids keep you young and that's the reason I keep coming back,” Piccirilli said. “I enjoy being around the team and the opportunity to form a team. I really like when we get a chance to help a player who isn't very good get better and make an average player become great.”

Piccirilli, 69, retired from working in his family's business about 10 years ago but can't seem to give up coaching. The Sharpsville graduate started when he was 24 years old as an assistant at Sharpsville. He lasted nine years before joining the Mercer staff.

After 16 years of being an assistant coach, the Sharpsville job opened up and he was hired in 1996.

Expectations weren't high at the time as the Blue Devils hadn't had a winning season since 1986.

It all changed under Piccirilli.

Sharpsville went 8-3 in 1996 and lost to Cambridge Springs in overtime in the District 10 Class 1A championship. The following year, Sharpsville won a state championship.

“The state team came out of nowhere,” Piccirilli said. “We just started peaking at the right time. The turning point was when we lost in overtime to Wilmington, which was ranked as the No. 1 team in the state in Class 2A. We had a chance to win that game and although we didn't win it, we gained a lot of confidence.”

Sharpsville lost to Wilmington 13-7 in overtime in late September. The Blue Devils responded with 10 straight wins to finish 14-1 on the season. Among the 10 straight wins was a 14-7 win over Cambridge Springs for the D-10 Class 1A title, a 17-15 win over Bellwood-Antis in the PIAA quarterfinals and a 14-7 win over Riverside in the state final.

“We raised our level two or three notches after the Wilmington game and things ballooned from there,” Piccirilli said. “I remember playing Riverside in the state final and they were absolutely loaded. They were on the 2-yard line going in to score and fumbled the ball. We recovered and won the game. God was on our side that day.”

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One of the best to do it

In 28 years, Piccirilli has a record of 234-95, including five region championships and eight District 10 championships. Piccirilli has had just five losing seasons in 28 years and his 234 wins rank fourth in D-10 history. He is just one win behind longtime Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli and nine wins behind longtime Sharon coach Jim Wildman.

“Without a doubt, the state team sticks out and it was one of the most phenomenal feelings I've ever had as a coach,” Piccirilli said. “Every coach wants to win state, but for me, I love having a team that isn't expected to do much and to have a winning season or at least stay in every game. A state championship is the ultimate goal but there are many other goals that can be attained as well.”

Last season: D-10 2A finals set: Sharpsville edges Mercyhurst Prep; Farrell routs Seneca in semifinals

The merger

Three years ago, Sharpsville rival West Middlesex did not have enough players for a team. The school went looking for a program to merge with as a co-op to make sure the kids who wanted to play had a chance to play.

After being turned down by several schools, West Middlesex turned to its rival. Sharpsville said yes despite moving up to Class 3A with the move. It meant no playoffs for one year because of the change of classification mid-cycle.

The Blue Devils sacrificed the postseason with a pretty good team to make sure the West Middlesex kids weren't left without a team.

“One of my coaching highlights is combining with West Middlesex. Those kids came over and we all got along right away,” Piccirilli said. “It looked rough on the outside, especially moving up a class, but to make sure those kids could play football was invaluable. We've really become one community and one program in three years.”

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: NWPA 2024 Lifetime Achievement honor set for Sharpsville's Piccirilli