By Michael Boytim

mboytim@altoonamirror.com

ROARING SPRING — Central hired Northern Bedford graduate Blake Over to be its next high school girls basketball coach Monday evening.

Over served as an assistant under Courteney Lingafelt last season, but Lingafelt informed the school she was stepping down in August after coaching the team in the Blair Regional YMCA Summer League.

“We’re very optimistic about him taking the girls basketball program over,” Central athletic director Stacy Kuster said. “Unfortunately, that program has gone through several coaches as my tenure as AD, and we’re hoping to get someone in there consistently. We owe some stability to the girls.”

Over, a biology teacher at Central, was hired at a salary of $4,459.

“I got to know the girls last year,” Over said. “I got to learn kind of what they are good at, what they aren’t and what they like to do and their play styles. I built a relationship with them. I also teach some of them, so I know them well. I think last year, being the assistant, I got to watch and observe. That prepared me for stepping in and taking this position.”

He also competed in track and field at Saint Francis and is the current coach of the Scarlet Dragons’ track team.

“Blake did fantastic things,” Kuster said. “He turned our track program around. We went from taking one or two kids to the state meet to filling three vans last year with qualifiers. He’s made tremendous strides with that program, and we hope he can do the same thing with our girls basketball program.”

The Lady Dragons went just 5-17 last year and were 4-18 the year before that.

Over is hoping to turn that around just like he did the track and field program.

“That’s definitely the goal,” Over said. “I don’t ever want to do anything halfway. As soon as I found out the position was open, before I was even interviewed, I was doing research on what plays we should do and dove into it so I could come in right away and work hard. They have had a couple rough years, and the goal is to turn things around.”

In addition to hiring Over, the board also voted to sponsor a girls wrestling program. Girls wrestling will begin its first official season in the PIAA this winter.

Mirror news writer Rachel Foor contributed to this story