Mifflin County’s Roger Herto steps away from bench after 31 years
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LEWISTOWN -- In an unexpected development, Mifflin County girls basketball coach Roger Herto announced his retirement from coaching on Sunday evening, ending a career of 30-plus seasons.
Herto, who guided the Huskies program to 89 victories in eight seasons and took the team within minutes of its first District 6 Class 6A title in March decided that it was time to step away from the game after a grueling season that put Mifflin County through the wringer.
Mifflin County battled early COVID-19 disruptions and dealt with a slew of injuries in the team's first season in the Mid-Penn Keystone on the way to a special season, finishing the year 10-10 with the school's first girls basketball playoff victory with a win over State College in the D6 semifinals.
Herto holds multiple positions at Mifflin County High School as both a media teacher and the head of the school's MCTV channel. He said that he plans to continue working with his media students in a larger capacity and is stepping away to focus on that, while spending more of his free time with his wife.
"I've worn several hats in the district for years, but I'm not getting any younger and I just feel like I don't have enough time anymore to give both things all the attention that they need and deserve," Herto said. "I told people close to me several times this year that something's got to go. Girls basketball and the media department have been real passions of mine. I now plan on focusing my last six or seven years with the district solely on the media department and MCTV. I still have several goals to achieve with our students in that area. On the home front, my wife has lived the life of a coach's wife for 30-plus years. Only spouses of coaches know what I'm talking about. She's sacrificed a lot and is now looking forward to more trips to the beach."
Herto recalled the stress of dealing with COVID-19 throughout the basketball season and the seemingly never-ending seesaw of whether the PIAA would even allow a winter sports season to take place in 2021.
"I thought I had seen mostly everything over my time, but then came the virus and all the girls had to deal with this past season," Herto said. "Would we play? Wouldn't we play? Shutdowns, and then eventually being able to play, but with masks. We lost players due to the virus and contact tracing from time to time and shuffled our lineup on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. But through it all the girls never complained, never wavered, they just kept going. I was really proud of this year's team. They stuck together, played hard, and fought to the very end."
Herto compiled a career record of 435-336 in 31 seasons at the varsity level, including 19 years at Indian Valley, two seasons at Kishacoquillas and Bellefonte before spending his final eight years with the Huskies' program. Herto also amassed 236 victories as a junior high coach and another 45 as a JV coach.
When his coaching career began in 1985, the game of basketball looked a lot different than it does today, but his ability to adapt to current trends and evolve with the sport helped Herto have a long and successful career. Some of his fondest memories included the old Indian Valley-Lewistown rivalry and the way that the town came out in droves to watch the two rivals square off.
"When I started at Kish back in 1985, there was no 3-point line, and the girls and boys were using the same size basketball," Herto said. "No one was coming to watch the girls play, and it took a while to get things started. But then Wendee Booher came along at Chief Logan, and the girls game started to get some attention and everything changed. Then followed the Lewistown and Indian Valley years when girls basketball wasn't just a game, it was an event and the toughest ticket in town. The Lewistown girl's run was tremendous, and our 2001 season at Indian Valley ended in the Final Four. They were special years, no doubt."
His favorite memories at Mifflin County included the magical run that the 2017-18 team went on as the Huskies had their most successful season since joining the Mid-Penn and came within a possession of advancing to the District 6 title game.
"During the eight years at Mifflin County, obviously the 2017-18 season where we went 17-6 was the most successful in terms of wins and losses," Herto said. "We finished second in the Commonwealth Division that year. My only regrets at Mifflin County were injuries that didn't let us compete at 100 percent. That year (17-18) Rylie Rittenhouse suffered an injury that held her back for much of that season, and the multitude of injuries the past three seasons no doubt kept us from what would have been our best years."
Herto said that above all else, he will miss the players and friends he has made over the years through the sport. The relationships formed through coaching are special bonds, and few coaches were prouder of the success that their former players found in life than Herto.
"I will mostly miss the people. I met some great people through basketball, and I coached with some wonderful assistants over the years," Herto said. "Good friends like Jon Corbin, Steve Schaaf, Jon Zimmerman, Sam Bray, and then former players also started coming back to help coach like Tish (Himes) Fultz, Angie (Holland) Deamer, Wendee Booher, and most notably Crystal (Allen) Weaver. Crystal was by my side for more than two decades, and I loved our time together. The late John Monsell and Ron Sprecher were great mentors in athletics for me, and I've never seen anyone care more and work harder than our current Athletic Director, Tish Maclay. Plus, three great scorekeepers who became even better friends in Willie Breon, Barry Reinard, and Bret Treaster. They didn't just keep score, they were part of the team, and the kids and I loved them being there."
Herto walks away with a strong core in place for next season with the return of two Mid-Penn All-Stars in Brianna Bodtorf and Marissa Gingrich. Herto said that he's excited to watch from the sidelines and cheer on his former players.
"I feel good about what's ahead for this team," Herto said. "Next year's group will feature a strong senior class with good experience, the league's top returning player in Marissa Gingrich, and the younger players coming up are bringing a lot of success too. The girls should be favored to contend for both the league and the district title. No one will be rooting for the Lady Huskies more than myself next season. Coaching these girls all of these years has been a great experience, and I've enjoyed my time, but it's time for me to move on."