West Mifflin QB Fulmore, WR Lighty, C Devaughn, and others bring multisport skills to track
“I try to look at all the other sports, and I look for the best athletes,” said West Mifflin head track coach Mike Mazzarese. He’d been asked to explain how his team scores so many points across meets.
“I go into gym classes and I talk to gym teachers,” Mazzarese said. “Then I get the cooperation of the football coach, basketball coach, etc to encourage the athletes to run track.”
The results speak loudly. West Mifflin’s starting quarterback Derrick Fulmore registered a 44-5 in the triple jump and won the event at the March 31 South Hills Classic invitational. “Derrick is the starting quarterback on the football team, and he’s a starter on the basketball team,” Mazzarese explained. “He came into track season already in shape, and it’s been able to translate into early results.”
Mazzarese also explained that at practice, Fulmore is surrounded by many of his football and basketball teammates. They compete with each other as they practice and enter meets. The in-house competition keeps West Mifflin track athletes on a high level. (It also keeps them having fun.)
“I have two very good sprinters,” Mazzarese added when asked about other things going well on the track right now. “One is a 100-200 meter runner, Jimmy Wheeler. He’s a tenth-grader; I’m pretty excited about him.” Mazzarese added that senior Darius Lighty (listed on the West Mifflin football roster as a wide receiver) is very fast in the 200 and 400-meter events.
“The girls are pretty well rounded group,” said Mazzarese. “I’ll have a good girls’ 4x800 relay and a good 4x400 relay. I have a very good thrower – Deilona Devaughn.” Devaughn recently broke a school throwing record, and is also well known as a 5’10” center for the West Mifflin basketball team.
“We’re a Triple-A school, so it’s hard for us to compete against the large schools,” said Mazzarese. “I have to really try to recruit year in and year out.”
Alongside a highly experienced coaching staff and all the best from all of West Mifflin’s sports, Mazzarese’s formula appears to be working.
The Titans’ next competition will be a Section 7-AAA showdown with the strong program at Trinity. The meet will happen either today or tomorrow (weather permitting).
“I go into gym classes and I talk to gym teachers,” Mazzarese said. “Then I get the cooperation of the football coach, basketball coach, etc to encourage the athletes to run track.”
The results speak loudly. West Mifflin’s starting quarterback Derrick Fulmore registered a 44-5 in the triple jump and won the event at the March 31 South Hills Classic invitational. “Derrick is the starting quarterback on the football team, and he’s a starter on the basketball team,” Mazzarese explained. “He came into track season already in shape, and it’s been able to translate into early results.”
Mazzarese also explained that at practice, Fulmore is surrounded by many of his football and basketball teammates. They compete with each other as they practice and enter meets. The in-house competition keeps West Mifflin track athletes on a high level. (It also keeps them having fun.)
“I have two very good sprinters,” Mazzarese added when asked about other things going well on the track right now. “One is a 100-200 meter runner, Jimmy Wheeler. He’s a tenth-grader; I’m pretty excited about him.” Mazzarese added that senior Darius Lighty (listed on the West Mifflin football roster as a wide receiver) is very fast in the 200 and 400-meter events.
“The girls are pretty well rounded group,” said Mazzarese. “I’ll have a good girls’ 4x800 relay and a good 4x400 relay. I have a very good thrower – Deilona Devaughn.” Devaughn recently broke a school throwing record, and is also well known as a 5’10” center for the West Mifflin basketball team.
“We’re a Triple-A school, so it’s hard for us to compete against the large schools,” said Mazzarese. “I have to really try to recruit year in and year out.”
Alongside a highly experienced coaching staff and all the best from all of West Mifflin’s sports, Mazzarese’s formula appears to be working.
The Titans’ next competition will be a Section 7-AAA showdown with the strong program at Trinity. The meet will happen either today or tomorrow (weather permitting).
track