St. Joseph has a new man in charge of its athletic department.

Tim Ackerman, 50, began work last week as athletic director after the resignation of Chris Oshnock last month.

“I'm glad to have it,” Ackerman said. “It just kind of came out of nowhere, and it was very fortuitous. I wasn't looking for it — it just kind of happened.”

Ackerman, the top assistant for St. Joseph's girls basketball team, said Oshnock's resignation took him by surprise “because I thought he was going to grow old in that office.”

Since taking the new position, Ackerman began working on organizing the school's basketball summer league and getting up to speed on his responsibilities.

“That's not the ideal way, to come in during the middle of the season, but it's OK,” he said. “The school's been very supportive with pointing me in the direction where I need to get information, getting me all the coaches' contact information and things like that.”

Contacting one coach shouldn't be much of an issue — Ackerman's wife, Sally, is the girls basketball coach.

Hire up?

Springdale could have a new football coach in two weeks. The school district has narrowed the field and will recommend a candidate for the May 15 board meeting, athletic director Ray Davis said Monday.

Davis did not identify the candidate.

Springdale has labored to replace former coach Dave Leasure, who resigned in November after five seasons. The board voted Feb. 13 to hire former Wilkinsburg coach Mike Fulmore, but later Fulmore said the job wasn't a good fit and resigned.

The Dynamos went 31-22 under Leasure and reached the playoffs four times in five seasons.

Kicks with Rick

Highlands' girls soccer team will look to extend its WPIAL playoff streak to three seasons under a new coach.

Rick Tamburri was hired in March to replace Mark Duffield, who resigned after five seasons with the Golden Rams.

It marks Tamburri's first high school coaching job, but he has extensive experience at the club level and worked previously with Duffield.

“He came recommended from Mark,” Highlands athletic director Chuck Debor said. “Mark did a nice job here, and if he's going to recommend somebody, I'm going to look at him.”

Duffield led Highlands to the playoffs each of the past two seasons. The Golden Rams recorded their first WPIAL playoff victory in 2015, knocking off Montour, and advanced to the WPIAL Class AA semifinals last season.

Tumble high

For the second consecutive year, St. Joseph sophomore Abbie Pierson qualified for the U.S. National Junior Olympic Gymnastics Championships, which take place Sunday in Indianapolis.

A New Kensington resident and Level 10 gymnast, Pierson trains at Gymkhana Gymnastics in Monroeville. She is a two-time national qualifier and will be one of seven girls representing Region 7 Junior F Division.

Playoff payoff

Two Alle-Kiski Valley baseball teams punched their tickets to the WPIAL playoffs last week.

Class AAA No. 4 Deer Lakes (11-3, 9-1), the Section 1-3A leader, returns to the postseason after a one-year absence. Burrell (7-5, 5-2) qualified for the 19th time in the past 20 seasons.

Talking Tursky

Chuck Tursky amassed more than 500 victories in his wrestling coaching career, most in WPIAL history, so his judgement perhaps shouldn't be questioned.

Except when it comes to pizza toppings.

Turns out that Tursky, who led Kiski Area to 459 victories and a pair of WPIAL championships in 29 years with the Cavaliers, prefers anchovies on his pie.

“I somehow acquired a taste for it,” Tursky said. “I like fish, but I don't know. That's my go-to pizza, and then there's some people where I don't even try to order it (when I'm with them), not because I don't like it but because I know they're going to make such a fuss over it.”

Tursky frequently dines with Chris Heater, his longtime assistant at Kiski Area, and their wives, with Capri in Harrison a common spot. Heater, now Kiski Area's coach, doesn't share the same topping tastes.

“Usually he gets those on the side or if he gets a pizza by himself, he gets the anchovies because nobody likes them,” Heater said.

Added Tursky, now Heater's assistant: “I have to actually put the plate of pizza with anchovies on another table so it doesn't get close to the other food.

“You can't hide that smell.”

Chris Harlan contributed. Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

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