John Trivonovich just wasn't meant for retirement. University High's line coach, known to the Hawks as "Coach T, " grew up playing football in Masontown, Pa.

Trivonvich, a first-generation

American whose father was from Serbia, taught himself the game in the backyard, turning himself into a pretty good lineman.

"It was a different world at that time," Trivonovich said. "They didn't have midget leagues and all that then. We became a man quick. They put you right in with the bulls. My freshman year, I was a varsity player. I got beaten up."

He became so good that he played for four years at the University of California at San Diego, where he was an all-American.

When he returned home, he headed right to the local football fields, where he became a guidance counselor and took up coaching at various positions for the next 33 years.

After a career with plenty of wins and championships, he decided he'd had enough.

That lasted about one season.

Trivonvich received a call from UHS head coach John Kelley with an offer to come coach the H aw k s ' linemen.

"I was sitting around at home and getting bored," Trivonvich recalled. "My family said, 'Please, get out of our hair.' I'm one of those people who has to do things. I'm not a house pet. I decided to come up and coach for a couple years. I've been here since."

That was 22 years ago.

"I enjoy John Kelley," Trivonvich explained, grinning. "I get yelled at more than anyone else, but I still like him a lot. I was comfortable here, and so I stayed. I love football. That's been my life since I was about 10. And I enjoy helping the kids progress, watching them mature."

Now 80 years old and in his 55th year coaching high school football, Trivonvich is preparing his UHS linemen for their biggest test of the season Friday.

The No. 7-ranked Hawks (8-1) will face crosstown rival No. 9 Morgantown High (8-1) in the Mohawk Bowl, at Mylan Pharmaceuticals Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

MHS makes its offensive game plan well-known: Run.

That is, run behind a physical, aggressive offensive line that av- erages 245 pounds and has three members with Division I college scholarship offers. Those three players are also part of an equally formidable defensive line.

The Hawks lack the Mohigans' size. Plus, in the past two games, UHS has had as many as three starting linemen out with injuries. Left guard Nick Fisher is out for the season with a torn ACL.

"Right now, we have to make sure we can play certain guys in certain places because of our injuries, but we have some tremendous kids here," Trivonovich said. "They are actually my kids. [Coach Kelley] doesn't know that, but they are."

But Kelley knows Trivonvich, a former Marine, knows a thing or two about coaching linemen. He believes if anyone can get the Hawks motivated to face MHS's monsters, it's Trivonovich.

"He's as knowledgeable as they come, but the biggest thing is, I've never met a man who can motivate people like him. He can motivate dead people," Kelley cracked with a smile. "Linemen just love him. He's endeared to them. He's all growling and snarling and hard work, but he loves all of them."

UHS senior offensive lineman Jeff Headley said Trivonvich knows how to find just the right balance between fun and business.

"Oh, he's a treat," Headley said, laughing. "He's funny. Every day he has something new. But he knows all the tricks. He knows everything. And he doesn't let you slack or get away with anything. He is old school. One hundred percent all the time, or yo u 're not going to play. You get the best of both worlds."

Trivonvich admits it's going to be tough to match up to MHS in the trenches, then again, he's never been one to back down.

"We 'll try our best, and do our best, and compete," he said. "That's why you play the game. You never know what can happen. I've seen the worst teams in the world beat the best on any given day.

"The shape of a football is strange. It hits the ground and you never know where it's gonna go. It bounces here, it bounces there, you just have to play the game."

(c)2013 The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.)

Visit The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.) at www.dominionpost.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

(c) The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.