One of the most successful WPIAL football coaches over the last decade and a half is coming home.
The North Hills school board voted Thursday evening to hire Eric Kasperowicz as their new head football coach.
“It’s incredibly humbling and emotional, honestly,” Kasperowicz said. “North Hills shaped me, not just as a football player, but as a person. To now come back and lead this program is something I don’t take lightly. I’m grateful for the trust the district has put in me, and I’m excited to build something that reflects the pride, toughness and tradition of this community.”
Kasperowicz was a quarterback and safety at North Hills from 1990-1993, throwing for 5,500 yards and rushing for 1,369 yards.
In his senior year, he passed for 2,781 yards and ran for 837 yards in leading the Indians to their most recent WPIAL championship and their only PIAA state title.
He had 20 career interceptions as a defensive back for the Indians. He played on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker in college at Pitt.
It didn’t take long for Kasperowicz to prove himself as one of the top coaches in the WPIAL.
In eight years as head coach at Pine-Richland, Kasperowicz was 85-18, helping the Rams win four WPIAL championships in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2020, as well as two PIAA crowns in 2017 and 2020.
After he was stunningly let go by Pine-Richland following the 2020 season, he was hired to take over the Mars program before the 2022 season.
In four year, the Fightin’ Planets were 30-16 with four playoff berths and a conference championship.
“I’ve been very fortunate to coach at two outstanding places in Pine-Richland and Mars, and I truly loved my time at both,” Kasperowicz said. “But when your alma mater calls, a place that helped shape who you are, that’s different. North Hills will always be home. To have the opportunity to give back to the same program that gave me so much makes this incredibly special. So yes, in many ways, this is a dream job.”
While coaching at Pine-Richland and Mars, Kasperowicz has always been a teacher at North Hills, so now he can teach and coach at the same school.
“It’s a huge advantage,” Kasperowicz admitted. “Being in the building every day allows me to build stronger relationships with our players, teachers, and counselors. I can stay connected to our athletes academically and emotionally, not just on Friday nights. That alignment helps us hold kids accountable, support them when they need it and create a true 24-7 culture of excellence, not just a football program, but a complete student-athlete experience.”
Kasperowicz takes over for Pat Carey, who decided not to return after coaching the Indians for 12 years before taking the 2025 season off for health reasons. Brody Zangaro was the interim head coach for North Hills this past season.
In other coaching news, Dan Bradley was a unanimous hire by the Ambridge school board to be the Bridgers’ next head coach following the resignation of Sherman McBride.
Bradley coached at Ambridge for two years in 2014 and 2015.
Bradley has helped turn around several programs.
He led Sto-Rox to the WPIAL football finals twice, and he took OLSH to the playoffs in each of his six seasons as Chargers head coach, including a district championship run in 2018.
His latest reclamation project came in his four years at Ellwood City.
The Wolverines had a 25-game losing streak when Bradley was hired in early 2022. Since then, Ellwood City reached the playoffs in all four years as the team went 27-15 and won the 2024 MAC conference title with a 10-1 record.
Bradley resigned as Ellwood City football coach after this season because a new job meant a 90-minute commute each day to practice.
“Reducing travel time to an unforeseen career change,” Bradley said. “It was too late to step down before the season.”
Bradley is also the current head basketball coach at Ellwood City, which he will walk away from after this season.
Ambridge finished last in the Class 4A Parkway Conference this past season with a 1-9 overall record.