BUTLER TWP — From Aliquippa to Burrell to Fox Chapel — all in a day’s work for Don Geibel.

“The guy is non-stop,” Butler High School wrestling coach Scott Stoner said of his junior high coach.

Geibel has been the junior high wrestling coach at Butler for eight years. He was recently named Section 3-AAA Junior High Coach of the Year for the fourth time and was named WPIAL junior High Coach of the Year a couple of seasons ago.

Last week, his Saturday began coaching some Butler kids at an elementary tournament in Aliquippa. He then did some coaching at an open tournament at Burrell High School before finishing the day at the Section 3-AAA section finals at Fox Chapel.

“I remember how important my coaches were to me,” Geibel said. “They were there for me when I was a wrestler and I want to be there for all of these kids.”

A Butler graduate, Geibel never stepped on to a wrestling mat until his sophomore year. He reached the PIAA Tournament as a senior.

“Basketball wasn’t working out for me and I had a few friends on the wrestling team who talked me into trying it,” Geibel said.

He’s been passionate about it ever since.

“We were losing the Parkers (Tim and Jason) to graduation and needed a kid in the lighter weight class,” Stoner recalled. “Donnie was a little scrappy kid and I put him on the scale as a freshman. He came out for the team the following year.”

Geibel wound up wrestling at Gannon and Edinboro in college. Shortly after he accepted a position as a nuclear medicine technician at Butler Memorial Hospital, the junior high wrestling coaching position opened up at Butler.

Geibel has been at it ever since. He secured his 100th junior high coaching victory late this season and led four wrestlers — Caleb Baxter (25-0), Scotty Dietrich (23-4), Zack Hunka (22-8) and Hank Finan (20-8) — to 20-win seasons this year.

“The only high school coaching job I would take on is Butler’s and Scott’s going to be at that for a while,” Geibel said. “I wouldn’t even consider going anyplace else.

“I’m comfortable here. I love the people I work with and there’s something to be said for coming back to your alma mater.”

Stoner appreciates such loyalty as well.

“It’s cool to work with a guy as passionate about this sport as I am,” Stoner said. “Some guys get involved in wrestling and simply can’t let it go. Donnie and I are two of those guys.

“When it’s someone you’ve coached, you’ve helped develop, and he returns to the program with his kind of fire ... It’s special.”

How passionate is Geibel about wrestling?

He once rolled around the mat with current junior Will Bortmas, despite having an IV strapped to his arm.

“I’ll never forget that,” Bortmas said. “I was in seventh grade and needed to cut weight. Coach Geibel did some drills with me despite wearing that IV and a fanny pack.”

“I had been in the hospital with a bad infection and had to wear that thing,” Geibel recalled, smiling. “Will had to work out to cut weight and there was no one around, so I rolled around the mat with him for a while.”

Connor Foust, a sophomore 113-pounder who has 50 varsity wins already, credits Geibel with hastening his development on the mat.

“He’s tireless when it comes to doing drills. He’s rough on you,” Foust said. “But it’s worth it. In terms of style, he prepares you for this level.

“The success I’ve had so far, I owe plenty to him.”

The 100 wins aren’t important to Geibel. Feeding polished wrestlers to the high school program?

Different story.

Bortmas knows the answer to that question: “The guy wrestled me with an IV. What more needs to be said?”