Replacing a successful coach in any sport at any level is never easy.

There are always going to be rumblings that the previous coach's way was the best way, especially when the team doesn't seem to be living up to perceived standards.

When John Neff took over North Allegheny High School's cross country team, he stepped into an awkward situation. For starters he was replacing popular Jim LeDonne, who retired after the 2008 season. All LeDonne had done was guide the Tigers boys' team to four consecutive WPIAL Class AAA titles.

LeDonne's 2008 squad was highly ranked throughout the season by PennTrackXC.com, but finished a disappointing third at the PIAA championships.

Under Neff, North Allegheny got off to a slow start this season, finishing behind Baldwin at the Red, White & Blue Invitational and losing the Section 3 title to rival North Hills. There was grumbling that Neff, who had guided the North Allegheny boys' track team to a WPIAL title last spring, didn't know what he was doing.

Neff believed in his training methods, stayed the course and was rewarded at the WPIAL championships Oct. 29 and the PIAA meet Nov. 7. The North Allegheny boys won the WPIAL Class AAA title for a fifth consecutive year and then surprised everyone by finishing second to West Chester Henderson at the PIAA championships in Hershey.

"It's nice to be rewarded and to have what you're doing reaffirmed," Neff said. "I thought we could go out there [Hershey] and do well. The guys had run well at the WPIAL championships and I thought it would continue."

There were times during the PIAA race when Neff was unsure how the Tigers were doing. He was trying to keep an eye out for La Salle College High runners, who placed third, while yelling encouragement to his guys.

"The one thing I've learned about going to the [PIAA] meet is that [how a team is doing in team points] is never as bad as you think it is," he said. "There are a lot of runners mixed in who aren't on any [contending] teams and you've got to account for that.

"It was easy to spot the La Salle runners because they had on bright yellow jerseys. After a while, I thought we had a shot to be on the victory platform."

Junior Ryan Gil finished third overall for North Allegheny and senior Eric Balaban was 38. Neff said he thought senior Jay Cadwallader did a nice job of placing 44th overall and had as much to do with North Allegheny's success in Hershey as anyone.

Gil and Cadwallader plan to run in the Footlocker Northeast Regional event Nov. 28 at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park, N.Y.

"Jay has come on and gotten his confidence and wants to show that he's a good runner," Neff said. "All of the guys did a nice job at the [PIAA] championships and they all contributed. They were flying afterward."

It was an outstanding finish for a North Allegheny team that was not ranked much of the season.

The North Allegheny girls also got into the act by placing fourth at the PIAA meet, the best finish of any WPIAL team. Freshman Alex Gambill paced the girls' squad, which did not have a senior in its top seven.

"I think the girls could be outstanding the next couple of years," Neff said. "What they did was outstanding."

The fact North Allegheny finished the season strong should come as no surprise to those who know Neff. He has always pushed himself to bigger and better things and expects the same from the athletes he coaches.

WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley hired Neff as the cross country coach at Butler Area High School when O'Malley was the athletic director there. He liked Neff's passion for the sport and the way he related to the runners.

"He was at Quaker Valley at the time and applied for the job at Butler," O'Malley said. "I asked him about the travel and he said he just wanted the job and it didn't make any difference. He was all full of vinegar and did a nice job."

Neff was living in Sewickley at the time and would drive an hour to Butler for practice after school and then an hour home.

"I spent a lot of time in the car and I didn't break even [financiall], even though gasoline prices weren't as high then as they are now," Neff said.

From there, Neff landed the job coaching the track squad at North Allegheny. There was one school year where he coached the Butler cross country team in the fall and the track team at North Allegheny in the spring.

"That was something, working for Butler and North Allegheny at about the same time," he said with a laugh.

After that, he went to North Allegheny as LeDonne's assistant for cross country. A physics teacher in the high school, Neff is relaxing and getting a chance to have dinner with his family, although he was quick to point out that practice for indoor track gets underway Dec. 4.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.