Greensburg Central Catholic names Marko Thomas head football coach

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, February 4, 2021 | 2:49 PM

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Marko Thomas does not think he has a coaching identity yet. No schematic traits or positions that have given him a reputation.

With just four years of head coaching experience, he thinks that might be an organic thing that happens as his career moves forward.

It could be a sidenote to what transpires at his new coaching stop: Greensburg Central Catholic.

Thomas, 40, was announced Thursday as the new coach of the Centurions, his second head coaching job. He was the head man at Connellsville for the last four seasons.

A former Penn-Trafford and Geneva football standout at wide receiver, Thomas replaces Bret Colbert, who was not retained after two seasons.

“I feel like I have grown a lot in four years,” Thomas said. “I don’t think I am known for anything in particular, but maybe that happens here at GCC. I’m still growing as a coach and person.”

A former offensive coordinator and receivers and defensive backs coach at various local programs including Penn-Trafford, Hempfield, Yough and Franklin Regional, Thomas could have gone back to Connellsville.

But he made the administration aware he was applying for the GCC job when it opened.

“I have been going back and forth about leaving Connellsville,” Thomas said. “They treated me like gold. They want to win, and there are a lot of good people there. But I am looking forward to what we can do (at GCC).”

Being closer to home — in Westmoreland County instead of Fayette — was a big plus for Thomas, who is a father of three young boys and owns a daycare center with his wife, Kerri.

Their three sons, Landon (11), Jaxon (8) and Nolan (5) are all active in various sports.

The family lives in the Penn-Trafford school district.

“I was getting to my kids’ baseball and football games late,” Marko Thomas said. “That wears on the family. It’ll be nice to be 10 or 15 minutes away (from GCC) instead of 40.”

Connellsville went 6-31 in his time there, playing in a tough Class 5A Big East Conference. The Falcons, who went 0-7 and allowed 48.1 points last season, did not make the playoffs in Thomas’s tenure.

In a season haunted by covid-19 shutdowns that caused postponements and cancellations, Thomas said it was a challenge to find continuity.

The same was true at GCC, but the Diocese of Greensburg decided to go in a different direction.

Colbert, the nephew of Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, had a record of 9-9, including 2-5 this past season. The Centurions, ranked No. 3 in Class A in the preseason, tied for sixth in the WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference.

“It seemed like a good fit for me,” Thomas said. “There is a lot of talent here.”

Thomas was the offensive coordinator at Yough and Connellsville. He also was was the quarterbacks coach for one year at Franklin Regional under longtime coach Greg Botta.

Thomas is a sixth grade teacher at Yough. He and his wife, a first grade teacher at Penn-Trafford, own Early Foundations, Inc., a preschool and daycare center near Harrison City.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.