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Former WU grappler leads local high school

By Dj Main for The Yellow Jacket 4 min read

Garett Johnston, an assistant coach in 2013 and recent Waynesburg graduate, was thrust into the head coaching job this year as former head coach Jeff Havelka left to take the assistant coaching job at Waynesburg.

“We wrestled well as a team,” said Johnston. “We only had 11 wrestlers to work with and they did a great job.”

“Garett has a great resume here, not only as a teacher but as a coach,” said Kesneck. “There was no hesitation at all that he was going to be our first option going forward.” 

Almost immediately out of college, Johnston got a full-time teaching position at Chartiers-Houston as a high school math teacher, where he teaches two levels of algebra courses. 

As a tandem in 2013, Havelka and Johnston led the Buccaneers to a 7-10 record, a third-place finish in the section and an appearance in the WPIAL team playoffs. 

While at Waynesburg, Johnston wrestled under 2014 PAC Coach of the Year Ron Headlee and John Yates, who turned the program around from being bottom-dwellers in the PAC, into conference champions four out of the last five seasons, including back-to-back titles.

“There is absolute faith in what Garett brings to this program,” said Kesneck. “The community is behind him 100 percent in the way that he is taking this program. His hard work and dedication are two things that give us complete confidence that he is the right man for this position.”

“I am excited for this new opportunity,” said Johnston, “Growing up, I always thought that I would like to see myself as a head coach and I am excited that Chartiers-Houston has given me that opportunity.”

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