Walter Karsonovich
Walter "Walt" Karsonovich is noted for his outstanding abilities as a player, coach and administrator. Karsonovich, athletic director at Sharpsville High School, began his sports career with Sharpsville where he shined at basketball and baseball. In his final basketball game in 1965, he scored 40 points against Grove City to break the school record held by Mercer County Hall of Fame president Lou Fortuna.
He was team captain and leading scorer with 355 points in his senior year. He played with the Pennsylvania All-Stars against the Ohio All-Stars.
He attended Alliance College on a basketball scholarship. He played for 3 years, but missed his senior year with an injury.
However, he server as coach of the freshman squad that season. He found his love of coaching which he later brought home to Sharpsville where he became head coach in 1974. In 10 years his teams won 136 games, second most wins in school history. His Blue Devils won back to back District 10 titles in 1975 and 1976, advancing in 1975 to the state quarterfinals before losing to the eventual state champion, Midland. He coached several All-Star teams and served on the staffs of several summer basketball camps. He received numerous "Coach of the Year" honors.
An outstanding pitcher in baseball, he received a tryout with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1965. He played in several leagues and pitched for the Youngstown AA League champion East Side Civics in 1967.
He has worked for more than 15 years as a football and basketball official on the high school level and has been picked to work several playoff games. Karsonovich has been athletic director at Sharpsville since 1985.