Gorman: Liotta has a point to prove

Shawn Liotta heard the second-guessing as soon as he left Clairton to become coach at Albert Gallatin.

Why would the architect of the highest-scoring offense in state history leave the two-time defending WPIAL Class A champions for a Class 4A program that never has had a winning season and is riding a 25-game losing streak?

“People think I'm nuts. They'd say, ‘You have to be kidding me. You can't win there,' ” Liotta said. “To me, that's just a challenge. It raises the level I have to be at as a coach and a competitor.”

Liotta, 36, was offensive coordinator at Clairton the past two seasons, calling plays when the Bears averaged 59.9 points per game and set a PIAA record with 958 points in 2014.

His “No Huddle No Mercy” offense drew national acclaim, thanks to videos made through his consulting business with the national trade publication American Football Monthly. Liotta hopes to prove it can translate to Albert Gallatin.

“I wanted to be a head coach again. I wanted to run my own program,” said Liotta, who commutes 80 minutes each way. “I was very thankful for the opportunity at Clairton, but I wanted to do my own thing, and I wanted to do it at a bigger school. I'm not afraid of a challenge.”

Liotta is willing to prove it, as he plans to start two freshmen, Domonick Lewellen at quarterback and Javan Davis at tailback, for the Colonials.

“We have to teach these kids how to win,” Liotta said. “We have to set expectations on how to get better. We're not letting little details slide. We're stressing the details, the fundamentals, all the things that will put us in a postion where we can eventually be successful.”

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.