Al Weston

Date

December 29, 2017

Category

Al graduated from Plymouth High School in 1963. In football he was a starting running back and defensive back for three years. Track season saw Al participating in the 100-yard dash, 200-yard dash and 180-yeard low hurdles. Earning his college degree from Bloomsburg University in 1967, he became a teacher at Hanover Area High School. He continued to teach at Hanover for 34 years.  Over those same 34 years,  Al became a highly successful coach. He coached 107 varsity teams over 44 years and led numerous student athletes to state championships in four different sports  including girls and boys track and field, girls cross country and boys golf. Football was his first coaching assignment as Junior High coach from 1976 thru 1978. His interest in golf led him to become the head golf coach in 1981. Under his guidance, the golf team won three district titles in six years and were runner-ups twice for the title. The 1983 Hanover Area Golf Team is considered by many to be the finest golf team in the district history. Three out of the seven district golfers that year who participated in the state meet were from Hanover. Members of that team were Ted Tryba, Art Brunn, Jr., Peter Korba, Bill Sailus, Kevin Kaminski and Joe Gill. The season concluded with Ted Tryba winning the state championship. Al’s track and field coaching started with boys in 1984 and girls in 1987. In 2001 the boys 1600-meter relay team won the state title, the only local 1600 meter relay team to win the state title. Hanover Area Girls Track has won six individual state championships and a second place team title. The head of the pack was Julia Laiuvara (inducted as a hall member in 2006). Lauivara won the 300-meter hurdle championship at the state meet four years in a row. The Hanover Area Girls won five district II championships. One of the highlights of the track and field program at Hanover was winning the Sportsmanship Award given by the Wyoming Valley Track Officials three out of the last four years. The Hanover Area Girls Cross Country team has won four district titles with the 1998 team being the crown jewel. Not only did they win the state championship, but Theresa Dennis won the individual state title. This team was selected in 2000 by the Time Leader as the best girls high school sports team in any sport in Wyoming Valley for the previous fifty years. In all, Coach Weston coached eleven PIAA state championships and earned twelve district titles in four different sports. A resident of Plymouth, he is married to the former JoAnn Champi. The Westons have two daughters: Lis McGee and Daisha Medvetz, both teachers in Pocono Mountain. They also have four grandchildren: Kori and Kami McGee and Weston and Jenna Medvetz. Al continues to coach today. He has been a tremendous role model and influence to many students and athletes and continues to impact young athletes today. He is still active at Hanover Area School District as head track/field coach and enjoys every minute of it. (2020)