It’s strange, the way things can work out — particularly in the coaching realm.

George Trew and Brittni Grenninger are prime examples.

Trew was an assistant softball coach at Seneca Valley in the late 1990s when the Raiders won the WPIAL championship under coach Greg Hayward.

Hayward had a successful stint with that program and stepped down shortly after winning that district title. Trew, his assistant coach for seven years, took over.

They say you never want to be the guy to replace the guy who experienced ample success in that position before you.

Trew did exactly that, coaching SV softball for 21 years, rarely had a losing season, guided the team back to the WPIAL title game twice and won 250 games.

His 250th win came in the final game he coached — a 1-0 victory over Fox Chapel. Short of winning a league championship, can a send-off work out any better?

Grenninger’s coaching journey is becoming a fascinating one.

A standout soccer player at Karns City, scoring 194 goals and assisting on 100 others during her high school career, she never intended to get into coaching the sport.

When the opportunity came to coach the Freeport girls soccer team, Grenninger jumped at it and the Yellowjackets became consistent winners in her six years at the helm. When her contract was not renewed despite that success, she returned to Karns City.

Able to coach with her father — KC boys soccer coach Jim Grenninger — last year, she helped the Gremlins win the District 9 championship and upset a strong Bedford team in the PIAA playoffs.

When her father retired from coaching, Grenninger was going to assume the reins of the KC boys team.

Then the North Catholic girls soccer head coachinmg position opened up. Grenninger now finds herself at the helm of a two-time defending WPIAL championship team and a state finalist from a year ago.

Like Trew, Grenninger is very passionate about the sport she coaches.

Like Trew, that passion has been rewarded.

Trew was accorded a memorable farewell. Grenninger has been presented with a golden opportunity.

It is sad that not all coaching stories — particularly at the high school level — have happy endings like these two have.

Coaching at that level is a tough deal these days.

It requires more than just passion for the sport. It requires patience, dedication and a thick skin. Most of all, it requires being a quality person who enjoys the personal satisfaction of working with kids.

George Trew and Brittni Grenninger check all of those boxes.

Congratulations to the former on closing out a brilliant career.

Congratulations to the latter for continuing to build one.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle