HARRISBURG, PA — The former head varsity wrestling coach at Bellwood Antis School District was sentenced to prison this week after being found guilty of allowing a junior high coach, later convicted of child sexual assault, to remain in contact with students during an active abuse investigation.
Timothy Andrekovich, 59, was sentenced to 3 to 23 months in jail following his felony conviction for endangering the welfare of a child. He had served as the top wrestling coach for the district when he was made aware in late 2019 that junior high coach Ryan Blazier was under investigation for child sexual abuse.
Despite that knowledge, Andrekovich failed to enforce a “safety plan” designed to prevent further harm, and instead permitted Blazier to continue having unsupervised access to students. That failure, prosecutors said, directly contributed to the abuse of at least one victim while the investigation was still ongoing.
Blazier was later convicted of sexual assault and sentenced in June 2023 to decades in prison.
Attorney General Dave Sunday, who announced the sentencing Thursday, said Andrekovich’s lack of action represented a betrayal of his duty to protect students. During trial, the Attorney General’s office presented evidence that Andrekovich knew of the restrictions in place but did not implement or monitor them.
The court found that Andrekovich’s inaction enabled Blazier to continue working with minors despite credible allegations and an open investigation.
The case has sparked renewed concern about how school districts in Pennsylvania handle allegations of misconduct among staff, especially in athletic departments where direct student contact is frequent and often unsupervised.
Andrekovich’s sentence includes both jail time and potential parole, depending on behavior and further proceedings. He is currently being held in county custody.
