Schools

Meet Mark Washington: New Football Coach Says He's Ready for Fresh Start

Moon Area School District's new head coach said he's trying to build a sense of family on his team.

For Mark Washington, it's all about family.

"That's the kind of atmosphere I want in here, a family atmosphere," said the Moon Area School District’s new head varsity football coach, as he walked into a crowded weight room at the Moon Area High School field house during a June practice.

"I want that family to extend into the whole community, not just the high school," he said. "I expect big things from [the team] this year."

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That sense of family might be a work in progress. Parents in the district spoke out against Washington's when the school district first tapped the 42-year-old Aliquippa native as its new coach.

Parents at the Moon Area School Board meeting publicly expressed dismay at his hiring, saying they preferred a district faculty member or former assistant coach for the role.

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But Washington, who works at Precision Kidd Steel in West Aliquippa and owns a landscaping company, said he's already grown loyal to his new team and its community.

"You know, the kids and the parents have been great, and we've got a lot of supportive people," he said. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but everybody's getting to know me."

Not that Washington had time to dwell on the opposition to his hiring: One day after his official hiring he conducted his first team meeting at the high school.

"You've always got to have a plan," said Washington, who applied for the Moon coaching position in 2008 when former coach Jonathan Miller was ultimately hired. "Coming into this I had a plan."

Washington was an assistant varsity football coach for 15 years at Aliquippa. It's where he grew up and played high school football. It's where he raised his family and still lives today.

"Coming from a place with that winning legacy, you can almost take it for granted," said Washington. "You get used to it, but I want to have that here."

Washington has brought with him a team of assistant coaches close to his heart: He said he's either played or coached with every member of his staff, and he's betting that established relationship will translate into boosting the team's 3-6-0 overall record from last year.

He said former coach Miller, who resigned March 28, laid the ground work for a successful football program at Moon.

"I would have to thank him," Washington said. "He really had the kids out here lifting weights and preparing. He did a great job with the team."

After graduating from Aliquippa High School, Washington attended junior college in Oakland, CA. He briefly moved back to Western Pennsylvania to play football at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for one season before transferring to San Francisco State for one year and again returning to junior college.

He said fatherhood took priority over football and academia in those years. As a single father in his early 20s, he returned to Aliquippa with his two young daughters, whom he raised with the help of his mother and sister.

It's a background that has impacted his coaching style.

"I think it makes you more nurturing," Washington said. "You really have to let these kids know that you're there for them. They're kids, and the best part is watching a kid come into the season and by the end he's a mature young man."  

Washington won't make a specific prediction for the upcoming season, but he said his team knows his expectations are lofty.

"Last year they got sidetracked with a lot of injuries," he said. "This year we're really going to make sure that every kid is ready to get out there and play.

"You know I'm an optimist," he said. "With a little hard work and dedication, anything's possible."


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