PITTSBURGH - Rick Shepas left Seneca Valley after the 1997 season for one of the most storied high school football coaching positions in the country.

At Massillon (Ohio) High School, he roamed the same sidelines that Paul Brown once roamed as he became just the second coach in school history to win 12 games in a season.

But Shepas had an ultimate goal that didn't include Massillon.

He wanted to coach in the college ranks, preferably at a Division III school.

Shepas got his wish.

After hired in the spring, he now is the coach at Waynesburg College It's a far cry from Massillon - or even Seneca Valley. But it's the place he always wanted to be.

"One of the reasons why I left Seneca Valley and now Massillon was for an opportunity like this," Shepas said. "I didn't start out as a (graduate assistant in college) and move my way up. I didn't go the traditional route."

Instead, Shepas went through the high school ranks to get into college coaching. It's not the A-to-B route many take to the job.

After setting receiving records and graduating from Youngstown State University, Shepas' first head coaching job came at Poland (Ohio) Seminary School in 1993.

He took over at Seneca Valley in 1996 and led the Raiders to the WPIAL semifinals in his second season. He also coached in the Big 33 Classic while at Seneca Valley.

"Boy, I tell you what, we had some great, tough kids at Seneca Valley," Shepas said. "My experience in the WPIAL was a great one."

His biggest test, though, was in Massillon, where football is more of a religion than a sport.

The pressure always was on to succeed, and Shepas took it all in stride.

He went 53-28 with the Tigers, leading the team to back-to-back regional championships in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, Massillon advanced to the state semifinals before losing.

"It's like no other coaching experience you can have at the high school level," Shepas said. "There's 75 years of history there. Paul Brown coached there. Earl Bruce coached there. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced."

That's what made leaving it behind all the more difficult.

"My family and I spent seven years there, so it was tough," Shepas said. "I still had two years left on my contract and we had a good football team coming back. The thought process was, do we wait two years for my contract to end, or be guided to the right situation? I believe I made a good family decision."

Shepas has three daughters age 15, 11 and 7.

"It affords me the opportunity to take the next step," Shepas said.

Shepas leaves high school coaching with a 97-35 record, seven coach of the year honors and four league titles. He also coached seven teams to the playoffs.

Now he begins anew, 0-0 as a college football coach.

The new beginning was an unexpected one.

Waynesburg College contacted him about the coaching vacancy that occurred when former coach Jeff Hand left to take over the program at Westminster College.

He was recommended for the job by Geneva College coach Geno DeMarco.

"This opportunity came entirely out of the blue for me," Shepas said. "I got a phone call and the process started."

Two weeks later, he was the coach.

Now he is given the task of trying to raise the Yellow Jackets from a middle-of-the-pack Presidents Athletic Conference team to contender for the league crown.

But he believes the tools are there to succeed.

"I'm blessed by this opportunity," Shepas said. "From when I was 24, just starting in coaching, I chose a path that would take me through the high school route to college coaching. I think I have put myself in the position I want to be in."