Andrekovich

HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Bellwood-Antis School District wrestling coach convicted of failing to keep fellow coach Ryan Blazier from unsupervised contact with students in 2019 and 2020 has appealed an order denying his motion for acquittal to the state Superior Court.

Timothy Andrekovich, 61, was previously convicted on one felony count of endangering the welfare of children following a two-day jury trial in July 2025 and subsequently sentenced in August to three to 23 months in prison.

Senior Judge Richard A. Lewis of Dauphin County, who presided over both Andrekovich’s jury trial and sentencing, also ordered Andrekovich to pay a $2,500 fine and complete 200 hours of community service.

Andrekovich filed an appeal in September 2025 asking for either an acquittal in his case based on a lack of sufficient evidence or a new trial due to the verdict going against presented evidence.

After hearing arguments for and against the appeal, Lewis was to enter a ruling on the matter before his retirement at the end of 2025. When no ruling came, Blair County Clerk of Courts Robin G. Patton denied Andrekovich’s appeal “by operation of law.”

In paperwork filed Jan. 21, Andrekovich notified the court that he appealed Patton’s denial to the state Superior Court.

President Judge Wade A. Kagarise filed an opinion on the matter in paperwork dated Feb. 17. He wrote that claims made in Andrekovich’s appeal were “without merit” and that Andrekovich understood through his position as a teacher “his duty to protect the children on his wrestling team.”

Citing the Superior Court’s standard for reviewing presented evidence, Kagarise wrote that “a verdict is only against the weight of the evidence if it is so contrary to the evidence that it shocks one’s sense of justice.”

“Upon review of the record, this court must conclude that there is sufficient evidence that Andrekovich knowingly endangered a child,” Kagarise wrote, adding that testimony given during Andrekovich’s trial showed that Andrekovich knew Blazier “was engaging in wrestle-offs alone with children.”

Once a safety plan was implemented, the first juvenile victim told Andrekovich that he saw Blazier alone with another child, Kagarise wrote. Further testimony showed that Andrekovich knew Blazier had keys that allowed Blazier to access rooms in which to isolate himself with a child.

Despite being aware of these flaws in the safety plan implementation, Andrekovich “appears to have taken no actions to ensure the proper enforcement of the plan,” Kagarise wrote.

In regards to the jury’s verdict going against the weight of the evidence, Kagarise wrote that “there is nothing in the juvenile victim’s testimony to indicate that he was inaccurate in his recollection” of events. The victim’s testimony was also “consistent with both his mother’s and the record,” while the same could not be said of his three former teammates who “revealed on cross-examination to have issues with their testimonies,” Kagarise wrote.

Included in these issues were indications of possible bias, lack of information, not remembering “specific details about that time very well” and “one witness not remembering any statements he made to the police,” Kagarise wrote.

“As such, the verdict does not shock the court’s sense of justice and Andrekovich’s argument that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence is also without merit,” Kagarise wrote.

It remains unclear if Andrekovich has reported to the Blair County Prison to begin his sentence, as he has remained free on unsecured $50,000 bail pending the outcome of his appeal.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.