Returning to the Titans is an invigorating prospect for the once and future West Mifflin Area High School football coach, Ray Braszo.

A Homestead native, Braszo has spent his entire coaching career at two neighboring Mon Valley schools: Steel Valley and West Mifflin. So he didn't have to ask for directions when he was hired last month to be the Titans' new football coach.

Braszo was an assistant to George Novak, now the head coach and athletic director at Woodland Hills, for eight years with the Ironmen before he became West Mifflin's head coach in 1988, a job he held for 17 years.

He spent the past four seasons with the Ironmen before seizing the opportunity to coach the Titans yet again when three-year coach Tim Brennan decided to return to his home state of Idaho where he will continue to coach high school football.

Braszo has had much success at both schools.

He went 26-14 at Steel Valley, qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs three times and finishing 10-1 in 2007. In his first tenure at West Mifflin that ended in '05, Braszo was 100-76-3, and his Titans played in two WPIAL Class AAA championship games.

The schools are less than 3 miles apart, but they do not usually play each other in football. West Mifflin competes in Class AAA; Steel Valley is a Class AA school.

Braszo relishes the opportunity to coach at West Mifflin, but he said his decision to leave Steel Valley wasn't an easy one. "I was given the opportunity to go back [to West Mifflin]," said Braszo, who coached Steel Valley to a 6-4 season last fall.

His 2007 Ironmen team won 10 in a row before falling to Beaver Falls, 30-3, in the WPIAL quarterfinals

"West Mifflin showed interest in me, and it's a bigger program with a good feeder system," said Braszo, who also was hired to teach physical education at West Mifflin. "Leaving a school is never an easy decision, and I've had to do it twice. But I thought this would be the best decision for me."

Braszo, 56, has lifelong roots in the Steel Valley area, graduating from the last class at Homestead High (which became part of the Steel Valley merger) in 1971 before attending Rhode Island, where he played football and earned an education degree in '75.

About 40 athletes were in West Mifflin's weight room recently as offseason conditioning has started. Braszo believes that getting to know his team won't take long. And it won't take him very long to put a staff together, he said. He'll rely on them to help him assess the players' skills.

"Some of my [assistant] coaches played for me [at West Mifflin], and I'm getting a lot of help from them," he said. "They're able to tell me what these guys can do and where they can play."

Because some of his athletes will participate in spring sports, the numbers in the weight room could drop off. But he's satisfied that a sound base has been established.

Braszo doesn't believe he'll have to spend much time talking about his football philosophy with his coaching staff before he and his assistants pass the information along to the players.

"A lot of these guys played for me, and they know what's expected," he said. "We'll be able to put forth the effort to help the players."

The Titans will use a mix of power football and the option on offense, while Braszo's base defense is a 4-4.

"We haven't used the shotgun much," he said about the popular spread offense that lines the quarterback up 5 to 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage with a multitude of wide receivers.

"I'd have to see what kind of centers I have before we'd think about that."

Braszo, who has lived in Latrobe for the past 11 years, appreciates the facilities his team enjoys at West Mifflin.

"It's probably the nicest stadium in the WPIAL," he said. "A lot of playoff games are held there."

Braszo said he's ready for whatever challenge faces him.

"I'm sure there will be pressure going in," he said. "Coaches put a lot of pressure on themselves to do well. We're going to do the best that we can."

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