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Ron
Sciarro's childhood dream to wear the orange and black of
Beaver Falls not only came to fruition, but Ron became one
of the Fighting Tigers all-time greats on the diamond and
the gridiron. In the 1960s, he earned seven varsity letters:
three in football, three in baseball, and one in basketball.
In
Ron's junior year, led by Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer
Joe Smartz, the Tigers defeated
Bethel Park 7-0 at Forbes Field and claimed the WPIAL
Baseball Championship. Ron hurled a one-hitter in the game
and finished the season 9-0 with a 0.11 ERA. As a senior,
Ron quarterbacked the Tigers' 8-2 football team under Beaver
County Sports Hall of Famer Larry
Bruno and was selected to play in the Pennsylvania Big
33 Game.
Ron
graduated from Beaver Falls in 1970 and accepted a football
scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky, where he
played quarterback for the Wildcats for two seasons before
transferring to Slippery Rock University, where he would
finish his college playing days on the baseball diamond.
During his two seasons with the Rockets, Ron led a pitching
staff to the district championship in 1975 and was named to
the NAIS All-American team in 1974. Ron was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Pirates in 1973, but he decided to continue his
education.
Ron
began his football coaching career at Riverside High School
in 1977 as an assistant coach under his mentor, good friend,
and Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer
Karl Florie. The Panthers made
the WPIAL playoffs from 1981 to 1985, and the 1984 team
played in the WPIAL Championship Game, ironically against
Beaver Falls, falling by a point. The following season,
Riverside claimed the WPIAL title in a win over Swissvale in
1985.
Ron
took over as the head coach in 1987, compiling 60 wins, 27
losses, and 3 ties. The Fighting Panthers were among the
WPIAL Class AA's elite, making three consecutive trips to
the league title game between 1991 and 1993.
In
1995, Ron guided the Chartiers Valley High School Colts to
their first non-losing season in seven years. One year
later, the Colts had their first winning season in 17 years
and in 1997 made its first playoff appearance in 25 years.
Ron stepped away from head coaching in 1998, but returned to
Beaver Falls to assist Coach Ryan Matsook for two seasons.
Ron also served as a volunteer assistant, working with the
QBs at Geneva College. Surprisingly, in 2016, he returned to
Riverside, and, in his first season back, the Fighting
Panthers went 9-3 and made the WPIAL Semi-Finals.
Ron and
his wife Barb have three children: Jason, Justin, and
Jenelle. |
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