Manero guides North Penn to new heights

Kevin Manero considers himself a lucky man.

Not for the two PIAA state baseball titles he’s won in the last three years, but for the group of young men he coached to them. Sure, some names changed from the first group in 2013 to the most recent in 2015, but there was a core group of Knights that stayed together through the three years.

It was a special group that blended maturity, a strong work ethic and a genuine love for the game together to accomplish something special. For his part in leading this group to a state championship, Manero has been selected as the The Reporter/Montgomery News Baseball Coach of the Year.

“To see some of these guys that have worked so hard, they’ve put so much time in and they’re such great kids and respecters of the game and each other, so in addition to the fact they’re such good players, this was a group that you just wanted them to win,” Manero said. “They deserved it, they’re great kids on and off the field.”

Manero, who finished his 12th season with North Penn, third as the head coach, believed this team had the talent and ability to pursue another state title after missing out on the state playoffs in 2014. Injuries and roster turnover had left the Knights short of their goals in his second season, but knowing his core group well enough, Manero expected good things.

That didn’t mean there weren’t question marks. With Jared Melone, Anthony Cameron, Douglas Apple, Alex Peterson and Mason Nadeau in the fold, the offense looked potent, so it would be up to the pitching to keep pace.

“It was going to come down to whether our pitching was one year better,” Manero said. “It was 100 percent better than it was a year ago. We had guys go out there and throw a ton of strikes. We very rarely gave runs back when we scored, we had a lot of shutdown innings. We had pitchers getting after hitters and pitching to contact, we were much more efficient and much more aggressive.”

Senior James Witner emerged as the staff’s ace and was the winning pitcher in the state title game. He was backed up by seniors Kellen Williamson, Logan Leslie, Tyler Loux, Cameron and Collin Healey among others. Most of the staff had experience to draw on, so for them it was a matter of learning from the previous year.

Manero was mum on it leading into the season, but he felt the biggest question mark in a way regarded the pitching staff. North Penn lost its starting catcher and didn’t have an obvious heir apparent leading into the season, so the job went to sophomore Matt Marino. Melone said the older players were tough on Marino during the season, but it was because they believed he was capable of helping them to a state title.

Even as the youngest regular in the lineup, Marino more than filled the spot, he quickly gained the trust and respect of his pitchers.

“That’s where the stuff we do in the fall helps a lot, we were able to get the guys out on the field together,” Manero said. “There was a good relationship between him and the returning players. He looked around and saw the guys with the experience taking the lead and he did what they told him to do. He made some big plays and earned people’s respect.”

Melone cited Manero’s ability to push the players as a big reason for their success in 2015. The senior captain said his coach had the right balance of keeping it loose, but also driving home his message and keeping the Knights on track.

“Practices were fun, we laughed every day and worked hard,” Manero said. “They knew when to laugh and when to get down to business. Sometimes that’s a really tough line to draw for high school kids, but they knew when the time was to get to work and when to joke around.”

Like any good coach, Manero doesn’t do it alone. Between JV and varsity, his seven assistants do a lion’s share of work that often goes under the radar.

“We have a group of assistants that don’t get quotes in the newspaper or get the recognition and they deserve it,” Manero said. “They put so much time in through the calendar year. It takes a good group like that to be efficient at practice and the offseason as well as make the right decisions in close games. They really are an invaluable group of people that I as a head coach, I know I’m lucky to work with and our players are lucky to have.”

Not only was North Penn experienced, but the Knights benefitted from playing in the tough SOL Continental, where they were in a nearly season-long battle for first with Central Bucks East, Hatboro-Horsham and Pennridge. Even the teams near the middle and bottom of the conference gave North Penn a battle every time out, only adding more close-game experience to North Penn’s resume.

North Penn hit districts and found a next level. Manero pointed to the 14-6 win over Boyertown in the third round of districts and the 2-1 win over Pennsbury in the second round of states as key moments during the run. The games were two different animals, the first being North Penn’s best offensive show of the season while the latter was more of the pitching and defense formula that carried them for much of the year.

Still, it set the stage for the two most dramatic games of the year, a state semifinal against Shaler and then the state championship against Wyoming Valley West. In the Shaler game, a late sac fly by Jake Schuster tied the game to force extra innings where senior Mike Christy, who transferred over from Lansdale Catholic before the school year, launched a game-winning two-run home run.

“When you’ve been to the state final, you know how special that whole week is leading up to it, the days in between and the experience itself,” Manero said. “You know how great it is for the all guys involved. You want to win that semifinal game so badly because that’s where things take on a new life of their own because you know you’re playing for a state championship. When we beat Shaler, especially the way we beat them, that sort of sparked us all over again.”

The Knights won another tight affair in the state final, sitting through an hour-plus rain delay before an extra-inning run again made them state champions.

“To see them be able to raise up that trophy at the end, it’s good to see good things do happen to good people,” Manero said.