JEFFERSON TWP — Any coach enjoys winning — and Wess Brahler has done more than his share of it.

But there's something the Knoch High School cross country coach enjoys even more.

The process.

Brahler, 51, is in his 21st season as Knights' cross country coach. He coached the sport at his alma mater, Moniteau, for 11 years before that.

He realized his 500th overall dual match win as cross country coach earlier this season. That includes 160 wins at Moniteau. Brahler also owns 528 wins as a junior varsity/varsity high school basketball coach.

“I love both sports, but I've always been partial to running,” Brahler said. “I love the challenge and discipline of it.”

A 1988 Moniteau graduate, Brahler went on to compete in cross country and track at Slippery Rock University. The Moniteau cross country coaching job came open during his junior year at The Rock.

He applied for and got the job — and has been coaching ever since.

“I'd love to get to 40 years of coaching,” Brahler said. “I still have a passion for this. There's nothing like developing a runner and watching him or her realize success after so much work.

“Sure, wins are nice. But seeing the kids' dedication to the sport, watching them push themselves, set goals and reach them, that's what does it for me.”

Brahler has coached three individual district champions in Dan Smith (District 9, Moniteau), Mandi Moxie and Mike Formica (WPIAL, Knoch). He's sent 95 runners to the PIAA meet, produced seven state medalists, 26 WPIAL medalists and 19 District 9 medalists.

Gar Bercury was a longtime assistant coach under Brahler.

“For years, Knoch was in the same section with North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Butler ... it was like a David vs. Goliath thing,” Bercury said. “We went up against huge class sizes, tons of talented athletes.

“Wess always had our kids ready to compete. We always competed. Wess gets kids to buy into the process. He's a natural leader.

“We assistants could bounce ideas off him. He was always searching for new ideas, new ways to learn how to motivate and train kids,” Bercury added.

Brahler asked seventh-grade runners to run 20 to 24 miles on their own each week. He asks eighth-graders to do 30 miles, freshmen 30-35, sophomores 35-40, juniors 40 to 45 miles.

Seniors in his program run 50 miles a week.

“I like to get us in as many big Invites as I can,” Brahler said. “Dual meets are good, but when you've got 50 teams in a race together, that's competition.

“The cross country runner is a unique kid. They self-train and there's not a whole lot of glory or fanfare that comes with the sport. But there's a whole lot of satisfaction when you stay with it.”

Moxie is one of many of Brahler's runners that stayed with it, winning a WPIAL championship and becoming a PIAA medalist.

“Wess really pushes you as a runner, but he's very respectful at the same time,” Moxie said. “I'm not surprised he's still coaching after 32 years. He loves it so much.

“He gives you the resources to be successful. Wess is 100 percent supportive of his athletes. He just wants to see us get better. He makes you believe in his process and the results are there.”

Brahler organizes team-bonding events as well, such as bonfires and ultimate frisbee matches.

“His teams become families,” said Moxie, a 2016 Knoch graduate. “That's how it was with my team when I was there. We ate lunch together. We practiced together after school. We did things together outside of school.

“Everybody on the team pushes each other in a positive way. I loved the atmosphere. I loved being around it.

“He got in my head to push me. You had fire in your eyes when you were closing out a race for him. I'll never forget that,” Moxie added.

Brahler begins summer conditioning with his cross country runners in June. The season wraps up in November.

“That's the process with him,” Bercury said. “It's not about the wins and losses. It's getting the kids to do the things that allows them to reach their peak is what excites him.”

Brahler agreed.

“It's a big commitment,” he admitted of the six-month process. “But it's worth every step along the way.

“Coaching 40 years is on my bucket list. I don't feel like I'm close to done yet. Helping, coaching and training kids is a pretty rewarding thing.”