Handyman: BVA grad Krepps was talented, versatile
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Aaron Krepps is shown during his football playing days at Washington & Jefferson, where he set several school records.
Submitted photo
Aaron Krepps is shown during his football playing days at Belle Vernon.
Submitted photo
Aaron Krepps is shown during his baseball playing days at Belle Vernon.
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Aaron Krepps is currently the head football coach at Bluffton University in Ohio.
Aaron Krepps was an outstanding two-sport athlete at Belle Vernon Area High School and later had an outstanding football career at Washington & Jefferson. He was so versatile that you could describe him as a Swiss army knife.
“That’s a very good description,” Krepps opined. “I like that because I was willing to do anything the coaches asked of me to help my team.”
Krepps was part of some tremendous Belle Vernon football squads.
In 1999 the Leopards posted a record of 11-1, capturing the Keystone Conference championship. In the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs they beat Pine-Richland, 55-12, and Elizabeth Forward, 28-0. The Leps fell in the championship game to West Allegheny 37-12.
In 2000 BVA had another outstanding season finishing 11-1 with another Keystone Conference title. In the WPIAL playoffs they dispatched Pine-Richland, 23-0, and Hampton, 38-9. West Allegheny beat the Leps, 24-7, in the semifinals.
In Krepps senior campaign in 2001 Belle Vernon finished with a record of 5-5.
“It was probably one of the best periods in our school’s history,” Krepps recalled. “I was very fortunate to be on some really good football teams. My sophomore year all I did was punt on that team. My junior year I played wide receiver and was our backup quarterback and played outside linebacker defensively and was the kickoff and punt returner and I handled the punting.”
In 2000, Krepps gained 994 yards as a runner, passer and pass receiver and had almost 900 yards as a kick and punt returner. He scored 15 touchdowns, including six punts for scores. The elusive Krepps also had six TD returns called back by penalties.
“It was a pretty good year,” Krepps deadpanned.
Krepps’ versatility served him well.
“It did, very much so,” Krepps stated. “I really enjoyed being that person on the team and pretty much everything I’ve done in sports it was a challenge to try and be good at everything. I loved it.”
The 6-foot, 185-pound Krepps moved to quarterback as a senior.
“Coach Dongilli left and Coach Cramer came in,” Krepps said. “I transitioned into full-time quarterback. I had actually played quarterback my whole life, my junior year was the only year I played receiver until college. I also moved back to safety and handled the punting and the special teams stuff.”
As a senior Krepps rushed for 531 yards on 97 carries (5.5 yards per attempt) and scored nine touchdowns. He completed 27 of 73 passes for 622 yards and three TDs. He averaged nearly 26 yards on nine kickoff returns and one TD and had a 24-yard average and scored a TD on 13 punt returns.
Krepps, a 2002 Belle Vernon graduate, was the Richard O. Dolfi scholar football award winner, a three-time Keystone Conference All Star, a Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 All Star, Associated Press Third Team All State as a junior, MVP of the North-South WPIAL Foothill’s Football Classic game, and winner of Westmoreland County John J. Driscoll scholar athlete award.
“I’m very proud,” Krepps offered. “Like I said it’s a testament to how fortunate I was to be in great programs with great athletes and have great coaches. All those individual honors stem from the team’s success and I was just fortunate enough get those honors.”
Krepps also excelled on the baseball diamond at Belle Vernon. He was a three-year starter for the Leps under head coach Jimmy Russell.
In his sophomore year the team finished 15-5 and lost to Ellwood City, 3-2, in second round of the WPIAL playoffs.
In Krepps’ junior year the team was 13-2 and won its first section championship since 1991 before losing to Mohawk, 14-3, in the first round of the playoffs to finish 13-3 overall.
In his senior year Belle Vernon finished 16-3 with another section championship and lost to Center Township, 8-0, in the second round of the playoffs.
Krepps had a .714 on base percentage as a senior and batted .463 during the regular season with a slugging percentage of .604. He also pitched 7.2 innings with a 1.83 ERA.
“I was a regular starter in right field as a sophomore and junior,” Krepps said. “Coach Russell moved me to second base. I was pretty much a middle infielder my whole life. Coach asked me to move and it was best for the team and that’s what I did. Whatever the team needed. I also threw a no-hitter that senior year against Monessen.”
After graduating from Belle Vernon, Krepps sifted through college recruiting offers.
“Interest was heavy early my junior year,” Krepps explained. “I was a football guy, I really enjoyed playing baseball, but my love was football. I knew I wanted to go play football in college. I didn’t handle the process real well and I ended up at Washington & Jefferson and I fell in love with the campus and the program, both academically and athletically.”
At W&J Krepps became one of the top offensive talents in Washington & Jefferson College football history.
Krepps, the 2004 Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Year, scored 49 touchdowns as a President and reached the end zone by four different methods. He caught 181 passes for 2,811 yards and 39 touchdowns, while also rushing for 363 yards and five scores. A dynamic returner, Krepps returned three punts for touchdowns and accumulated 1,439 kickoff return yards on 61 attempts, two of which resulted in touchdowns.
The three-time All-PAC performer he still owns school records for career punt returns (76), career punt return yards (1,123) and career yards per punt return (14.7 avg.).
In all, Krepps was responsible for 5,638 all-purpose yards. He earned All-America accolades during the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons.
W&J went 9-3 in Krepps’ freshman season of 2002 under coach John Banazak. Mike Siranni replaced Banazak and the Presidents went 9-2 in 2003, 12-1 in 2004 and 9-2 in 2005.
Krepps’ teams experienced tremendous success, claiming two conference championships and making three appearances in the NCAA playoffs. The 2004 squad remains one of the most successful teams in school history after winning its first 12 games during a run to the national quarterfinals. W&J defeated Bridgewater (55-48, OT) and Christopher Newport (24-14) in the first two rounds of the NCAA playoffs before falling to Mary Hardin Baylor, 52-16.
“I was very lucky again, I found a program that was strong in tradition and was around some great coaches,” Krepps stated. “I had a lot of great teammates and we had a lot of success. It was a heck of a ride there and I’m thankful I made the decision to go to W&J.”
Krepps was selected to represent Team USA in the All-American Aztec Bowl in 2005 and helped the American team defeat Mexico, 53-15, in Toluca, Mexico. After graduation, Krepps signed with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League where he played in two preseason games.
Once his playing days ended, Krepps moved on to coaching where he has experience at the high school level as well as all three NCAA divisions. He coached his alma mater Belle Vernon 2009-2013 (22-28).
“I tried the CFL and came out of there and knew I loved football,” Krepps said. “When the playing career ended I dove into coaching and here I am almost 16-17 years later still doing it.”
Krepps was the running backs coach at Alderson Broaddus University (W.Va.), and held coaching positions at Adrian College (Mich.), at his prep alma mater, Belle Vernon High School and as a graduate assistant at Eastern Michigan.
After two seasons as an assistant at Ohio Northern University he joined the staff at NCAA Division III Bluffton University (Ohio) and served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Beavers. He is now entering his fourth season as head coach at Bluffton. His three-year record there is 9-19 overall and 8-14 in Heartland Conference play.
Krepps was inducted into the W&J Hall of Fame in 2018.
“It probably is the icing on the cake,” Krepps said. “It was awesome and a very humbling experience.”
Krepps, 37, resides in Bluffton with his wife of six years, Lauren, and their two daughters, Harlow, 3, and Karson, 6 months.
“It’s been a great ride,” Krepps offered. “Athletics, you never no where it is going to take you, especially in coaching, but I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way and all the great mentors and teammates I’ve had in the past. They have all helped shape and build me into the coach I am today.”