Vincentian hires T.J. Wiley to relaunch football program

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, June 7, 2018 | 11:55 AM

Eager to restart its football program, Vincentian Academy has hired veteran coach T.J. Wiley to lead the process.

The school announced his hire Thursday.

Wiley, who spent the past four seasons at Northgate, previously coached at Penn-Trafford and Deer Lakes. At Vincentian, Wiley takes over a football program that has faced challenges since its debut in 2012.

The Royals didn't have enough players to field a team last year.

“We love his energy,” principal Rita Canton said. “He is so passionate about football. To come into our program where in a sense he's rebuilding a program and have that kind of excitement for it, that's gratifying for us. … He's going full force. Wiley's excitement is contagious.”

Vincentian won't play a WPIAL schedule this fall, but school administrators hope to rejoin soon, Canton said. The team's plan is to play similar-sized schools and junior varsity games for the next year or two.

“Our kids haven't played in an entire year and some of them are going to be new to football,” Canton said, “so we kind of want to ease into it, not go up against anybody who would crush them, but give them a chance to play.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Vincentian Academy