Narrative
There were a slew of favorites entering the 2005 football season. North Penn brought back a wealth of experience and talent after a season cut short by off the field problems. Woodland Hills had a pair of NFL talents in their backfield and was ready to retake the WPIAL throne. Neshaminy brought back nearly everybody from a team that made a surprise run to the state final. And Bishop McDevitt was the no doubt most talented team in the state, featuring LeSean McCoy and his chase for the Pennsylvania career rushing record, plus four star other major college recruits on offense.
Lurking outside the preseason top ten was McKeesport. The 1994 state champions had been a consistent presence in the WPIAL playoffs, advancing to the final in 199, but had not reached the heights of the Brandon Short era. But they were a popular sleeper headed into the ‘05 season, thanks to an offense that lit up opponents in 2004 and brought back nearly everybody. The Tigers averaged 41 points per game, which head coach George Smith explained was because “we run through Danny.” Danny was Dan Kopolovich, the quarterback and triggerman for the no huddle wishbone. Smith said that Kopolovich was the best passer he had in his career, but was still a dangerous athlete and runner to command attention in the option. He threw for 765 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, while rushing for 955 and 15 scores. Also back was home run threat tailback Travis McBride, coming off of a 1,1117 yard, 20 touchdown junior year that had him weighing FBS offers before his senior season. Completing the backfield was fullback/linebacker Anthony Leonard, committed to West Virginia that summer, and provided the up the middle thump to complete the danger of the wishbone. The big concern was how they would reload along the offensive line.
Preseason camp also did a number on the Tigers. Leonard, tight end/defensive end Anthony Becoate, and cornerback Kamryn Keys all were dinged up during camp and were slated to miss the opener against North Hills. Jack McCurry’s bunch was the preseason #8 team in the state, featured all state caliber dual threat quarterback Ryan Lehemeier, and like McKeesport, anticipated competing against the WPIAL’s top teams.
North Hills came out in throwback jerseys, and looked like a 1980s McCurry powerhouse. The first half left McKeesport “shell shocked” according to Smith, and the Tigers found themselves in a 20-0 hole at the end of the first quarter. North Hills defenders commented that after watching film, they thought they knew what McKeesport was going to do on every play. Things settled down, and it was a much more manageable 13-7 in the final three quarters, but the big story was how the Indians suffocated one of the WPIAL’s best offenses. Kopolovich was bottled up for 49 yards on 17 carries, and only completed one pass on the night. McBride did run for 137, but 125 of those came on two long carries in the fourth quarter long after the outcome had been decided. Meanwhile, Lehmeier totaled 212 yards of offense in three quarters, threw a touchdown and ran for three. After an optimistic preseason, the Tigers were staring down the barrel of an ugly 0-1 start.
It didn’t look like things would get easier, as McKeesport faced Mount Lebanon the following week. The Blue Devils knocked off Baldwin in their opener, thought to be a strong division contender. But everything that went wrong for the Tigers in week one went right in week two. McKeesport scored on their first five possessions to take a 32-0 halftime lead. Travis McBride caught a seven yard TD from Kopolovich on their first drive, and also had 54 and 39 yard touchdown runs in the first half. He finished the night with 175 yards on just 11 carries, while Kopolovich looked every bit the quarterback Smith hyped in the preseason, going a perfect 6 for 6 for 130 yards and threw three touchdown passes. The Tigers ran for 365 yards, and outgained Mount Lebanon 495-142. It also helped that Anthony Leonard was back to anchor the Tiger defense, and give them a credible threat on the fullback dive.
The Mount Lebanon win started a six week stretch where McKeesport outscored their opposition 314-17. The only thing that could stop the Tigers offense was a lighting storm that cancelled their game with Highlands. The box scores looked remarkably similar in each blowout. The Tigers run for 439 in a 48-7 win over Trinity. They rumble for 420 yards against Plum, as Kopolovich scores four touchdowns and McBride runs for 142 yards on 12 carries and the defense holds the Mustangs to 56 yards of offense. Kopolovich ran for 129, threw two touchdowns, and ran for one, while McBride scored three times in a 61-0 win over Greater Latrobe. McBride and Kopolovich combined for five touchdowns in a 48-7 win over Kiski Area. Kopolovich threw four touchdown passes in a 55-0 rout of Fox Chapel.
The criticism of the McKeesport run was they blew out a series of teams that finished 31-36 and only Mount Lebanon would be a playoff team. Their division was amongst the weakest in the WPIAL, and it was not a shock McKeesport dominated that portion of their schedule. The real test would be their regular season finale with Gateway, which set up to decide the Quad Southwest Conference. The Gators were 7-2 and undefeated in division play. The previous week, the Gators dropped a tight 10-7 game to defending 3A champs Thomas Jefferson. Gateway entered the game on a 23 game division winning streak, and featured Aaron Smith, the leading passer in the WPIAL.
McKeesport announced they were for real against the Gators. It was a battle early, with both teams trading big blows in the first half. Kopolovich ran 55 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, then scored again in the second to take a 13-3. But Smith answered with an 81 yard touchdown strike to keep the Gators in it. But Kopolovich continued the game of HORSE with a 53 yard TD pass of his own to wideout Andre Boswell. At the half, Kopolovich had thrown for 86 yards and rushed for 88 and accounted for all three Tiger touchdowns. Smith threw a 25 yard touchdown in the third quarter, and it looked like a classic finish was coming up as they entered the fourth in a 20-17 ballgame.
That’s when McKeesport kicked things into overdrive. They started the quarter with a ten play scoring drive, with wingback Warren Waite scoring from eight yards out. After forcing a Gator punt, they slashed down the field again, with Travis McBride dashing in from 30. A Robert Doiley interception got the ball back almost immediately, and McBride found paydirt for the second time with a 23 yard TD. Anthony Leonard concluded the blitz with a 21 yard fullback dive for a TD, capping off a breathtaking 27 point fourth quarter. Four possession, four scores, all on the ground. The final was 47-17, with plenty of coaches taking notice in the next morning’s paper. Kopolovich ran for 185 yards, while McBride finished with 103. When asked if another team would want to see McKeesport in the playoffs, Dan Kopolovich smirked and said “Um, no comment.”
But before the playoffs, there was the pesky matter of the Highlands suspended game. Because they started before weather intervened, under WPIAL rules the game had to be played. The only date left for scheduling make-ups was three days before the WPIAL playoffs were set to begin. With McKeesport already clinched and Highlands a meager 2-6, the Tigers opted to play their JV and freshman team during the makeup. They lost 26-7, but the game had no effect on playoff seeding.
McKeesport qualified for the WPIAL playoffs as the #6 seed, despite being ranked #4 in the state thanks to their winning streak.. Above them were defending champ Pittsburgh Central Catholic at 1, Penn Hills at 2, lone regular season loss North Hills at 3, WOodland Hills at 4, and Upper St. Clair at 5. Elsewhere in the state, Neshaminy was the top ranked team, rolling through an undefeated year in District 1. Following behind was Bishop McDevitt, who had been rocked during week four, when all world running back LeSean McCoy experienced a compound ankle fracture against Harrisburg, ending his high school career. The Crusaders were still loaded, but were missing the brightest star in the state for their playoff run. Defending champ Pittsburgh Central Catholic was ranked third, and had found a major Eugene Jarvis replacement in Lamont Smith, who led the WPIAL in rushing. North Penn, the preseason #1 was ranked fifth after a regular season loss to Neshaminy. District 1 was also represented in the top ten by Downingtown East (an superstar quarterback Pat Devlin, who was closing in on 8,000 career passing yards and the PA record), Coatesville, and CB East. Out of District 11, one loss Liberty was the #10 team.
The opening round of the WPIAL playoff was more of the same, with McKeesport overwhelming eleventh seeded Shaler, 60-13. Travis McBride went wild, rushing for 301 yards on nine carries and scored four touchdowns. McKeesport ran for an astounding 546 yards on the day, and Kopolovich threw two touchdowns. That set up a quarterfinal date with North Hills and a chance to avenge their week one loss.
Most of the media coverage for the rematch noted the return of Anthony Leonard as an offensive and defensive force for the Tigers. And North Hills was keenly aware of the discipline they needed to play with on defense, as simple mistakes on assignments had turned into long McKeesport touchdowns the last few weeks. And McKeesport had to focus on stopping Lehmeier, who had thrown for over 1,377 yards and rushed for 862 and torched the Tigers in their first meeting.
After a scoreless first quarter, McKeesport came alive in the second - engineering a methodical, 10 play, 64 yard drive capped by a Leonard touchdown, then getting a quick strike TD with a 44 run by McBride and 29 yard Kopolovich touchdown run to take a 14-0 lead at halftime. When North Hills started to mount a comeback in the third quarter, driving all the way to the Tiger 38, McBride made a monster play, stripping a North Hills receiver and running 65 yards for a defensive touchdown to take an insurmountable 21-0 lead. After a North Hills touchdown, McBride added a 70 yard run to the 1, and Kopolovich dove in on the next play for a 28-7 win. The Tigers defense held Lehmeier to just 37 yards rushing on the night, and 102 passing. McBride was again the star, rushing for 122 yards on 12 carries, while Kopolivch rushed for 116 on 19 tries.
It would be another rematch for the Tigers in the semifinals. Mount Lebanon advanced to their first WPIAL final four since 2000 with a win over Trinity. Their matchup was a 39-3 laugher the first time around, and McKeesport was intent on making quick work of the Blue Devils again. The first half was a clinic, with the Tigers rushing for 342 yards, 17 first downs, and staking out a 29-0 lead at halftime. They scored on five straight possessions and both McBride (145 yards) and Kopolovich (115 yards) went over century mark before halftime. For good measure, Anthony Leonard added 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns. None played in the second half, as the mercy rule clock ran in the 39-18 win. The victory put McKeesport in their second WPIAL final since the Brandon Short title team.
Over at North Allegheny, Woodland Hills was busy breaking Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 28 game WPIAL winning streak. After losing 23-13 during the regular season, the Wolverines completely flipped the script on the Vikings, getting 235 yards from running back Marcel Farrish, bottling up 2,000 yard rusher Lamont Smith, and pushing around the normally dominant Vikings. It was the sixth final in the last ten years for George Novak’s Wolverines and was a testament to adjustments. Woodland Hills certainly had talent, with six FBS recruits on defense (though Notre Dame commit Darrin Walls had been limited for much of the season by a shoulder injury), but also had added a spark in the playoffs by moving receiver Vondre Griffin to quarterback, and taking advantage of his run/pass capabilities. But even with Griffin, the major attraction on offense was Farrish, who had 1,777 yards for the season following the PCC win.
Farrish got Woodland Hills on the board on their first possession, scoring a 20 yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. But from there, the McKeesport defense took over. Woodland Hills only gained 59 yard the rest of the game and picked up two more first downs. Anthony Leonard was all over the field, making 13 tackles, with three behind the line of scrimmage, a sack, and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, the wishbone offense was methodical for the rest of the first half. Travis McBride scored the first Tiger touchdown when Dan Kopolovich broke an option play, then pitched to McBride eight yards upfield as he was getting tackled. On the following drive, Kopolovich hit Anthony Becoate for a 30 yard completion, and McBride scored his second touchdown of the day to take a 12-7 lead. Leonard made his biggest play of a monster day with a minute left in the first half, when he stripped Farrish behind the line of scrimmage at the 40. Three plays later, McBride scored with 17 seconds left to put the Tigers up 19-7 at halftime. The defense would clamp down the rest of the second half, and McKeesport won their second WPIAL title since the 1950s. A week after his 235 yard effort, Farrish was held to 80 yards. The Tigers also bottled up quarterback Vondre Griffin for a negative two yard day, and he was just 3-10 passing. Kopolovich did not throw much, but was a perfect 3-3, completing a big pass on each touchdown drive.
The highlight game of the weekend happened in District 1, where the state’s top ranked team fell in the district semifinal when Downingtown East knocked off Neshaminy in an all time shootout. DTE’s Pat Devlin, who earlier in the year set the state passing record, threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 78 yards and a score in a 45-38 win. Devlin led DTE on a game winning drive in the final two minutes, carrying the ball on five six plays, including a one yard game winning QB sneak with 10 seconds remaining. That set up a District 1 final and state quarter with North Penn, who also used a late touchdown for a 19-16 win over CB East. Up in the District 2/4/11 subregional, Dan Persa ran for a 42 yard touchdown on the third play of the game and Liberty never looked back in a 42-7 win over Hazleton. Their quarterfinal opponent would be Frankford, a 14-13 winner over Northeast in the District 12 championship. Frankford quarterback Ryan Hardy scrambled for a two point conversion, breaking a tackle at the goal line and giving Frankford a one point win.
On the western half of the bracket, Bishop McDevitt survived a scare from Hempfield. The Crusaders turned the ball over three times, all leading to touchdowns, and nearly blew a ten point halftime lead. Hempfield scored what could have been the tying touchdown with four minutes left, but opted to go for two and the win, and threw an incomplete pass on the attempt, allowing McDevitt to escape with a 31-30 win. That set up a rematch with State College, who won their D3/6 semifinal over Central York 21-6, scoring twice in the fourth quarter to extend a 7-6 lead. State College lost to Bishop McDevitt 28-26 during the regular season.
McKeesport’s quarterfinal opponent was Erie Cathedral Prep, a 59-0 winner over Brashear to win the D8/10 subregional. The Ramblers came into the quarterfinal at 9-4 and were making their fifth state playoff appearance since 1998. It was a quick one.
McKeesport took a page out of the 1994 championship playbook, going no-huddle for the entirety of the game and their pace and execution crushed Erie Cathedral Prep. The Tigers scored on all four first half possessions to set up a running clock for the entire second half. Dan Kopolovich scored on the first three drives of the day, which covered 64, 60, and 60 yards. Kameryn Keys returned a pick a school record 90 yards for a touchdown. Travis McBride scored a pair of touchdowns to start the mercy rule clock. Kopolovich ran for 216 yards on just 15 carries, joining McBride in the 1,000 yard club for the year. McBride ran for 110 yards on 12 attempts, as the Tigers piled up 373 yards on the ground and 444 yards for the game. They also had three interceptions defensively.
In the east, North Penn ended the magical run of Pat Devlin and Downingtown East with a 55-20 win. The Knights rushing attack destroyed DTE, getting 242 yards from fullback Pete Stoll and they outscored the Cougars 35-7 in the second half. In the other quarterfinal, Fraknford opted to play their Thanksgiving Day rivalry with North Catholic, dropping a 12-0 decision on Turkey Dya, then got blasted 42-7 on Saturday by the Liberty Hurricanes. Liberty raced out to a 35-0 lead in the first half and held Frankford without a first down before the break, while Andrew Lee and Charles Irvin combined for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
In the other western quarterfinal, Bishop McDevitt led State College 17-0 early in the second half, but struggled with turnovers as State College and star quarterback Ben Ganter clawed their way back. State College cut the lead to 17-10 and was driving inside the Crusader 30, but was stuffed on fourth down, and McDevitt drove for a field goal to ice the game. Despite their close calls in the playoffs, Bishop McDevitt was ranked #6 nationally by the USA Today, even without LeSean McCoy, who was lost for the season to a major ankle injury. But even without Shady, the Crusaders were still loaded, averaging 6’4 310 pounds across their offensive line and featuring a slew of Division I prospects, led by quarterback Jeremy Ricker, wideout Aaron Berry, and two way lineman Jason Kanter. The Crusaders had been one of the major favorites to win gold in Hershey and would present the stiffest challenge of the year to McKeesport.
McKeesport got off to the best start imaginable in Altoona. After forcing a McDevitt punt, Dan Kopolovich broke an option play 75 yards for a touchdown on the Tigers second play of the game. Another McDevitt punt had McKeesport back in business, this time with a methodical drive deep into Crusader territory. But on fourth down from the 29, Anthony Leonard got stuffed up the middle and McDevitt took over. On the next snap, Jeremy Ricker hit Aaron Barry for a 71 yard touchdown, as the speedy Pitt recruit got behind the Tiger secondary. After forcing a McKeesport punt, Berry had three catches on the next drive, including a 31 yard touchdown to put the Crusaders up, though the extra point was hooked wide right and the lead was only 13-7.
That score would stand until the fourth quarter, though McKeesport repeatedly drove into Bishop McDevitt territory. Kopolovich threw incompletions on three different fourth downs in the second and third quarters as the Tigers could not take a lead. Things looked bleak again in the fourth, when a promising McKeesport drive ended up facing a fourth and three from the Crusader 23 yard line. The run heavy Tigers called for a pass again, with Kopolovich rolling out to his left after faking the dive on the option. But tailback Travis McBride leaked out on the opposite side, running a wheel route down the right sideline. Kopolovich planted and hit a wide open McBride across the field for a 23 yard touchdown. The extra point was good and McKeesport took a 14-13 lead with 9:50 left in the game. The Tigers played keep away for much of the fourth quarter, forcing a punt then burning clock down inside of three minutes before McDevitt got the ball for one final possession. The Crusaders drove into Tiger territory, but McBride played the hero, picking off a pass intended for Berry, and McKeesport upset the #6 team in the country and advanced to program’s second state final.
The option offense excelled in playing keep away from the powerful Crusaders. McKeesport ran 71 plays on the day, compared to just 36 for McDevitt, and they had a 33:54 to 14:06 advantage in time of possession. Kopolovich was brilliant, rushing for 170 yards on 29 carries in addition to throwing the winning score. But the star of the show was the Tiger defense, which held McDevitt to 23 yard rushing and just 174 yards of offense on the day. Aaron Berry, after catching five passes for 130 yards in the first half, had just two grabs for 20 yards after halftime. After the game, head coach George Smith was flabbergasted, saying repeatedly “who would have thought it” about his second Hershey trip in his career.
The other state semifinal was also a classic. The Liberty Hurricanes knocked off the North Penn Knights in a 14-12 battle. Liberty junior quarterback Dan Persa threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense held the high powered North Penn rushing attack to 160 yards on 40 attempts. But the two biggest plays of the game came on point after tries. In the first half, star Liberty safety Andrew Lee blocked a North Penn extra point - his seventh blocked kick of the year. Then, with seven minutes left, North Penn scored and had a chance to tie the game with a two point conversion. But Liberty defensive end Mike McClarin stuffed the two point try, and the Hurricanes were able to hold on for a 14-12 win.
Liberty was a new player on the state scene, rising for 5-5 in 2003 to a 23-3 run in ‘04 and ‘05 headed in to the state final. They were led by junior quarterback Dan Persa, who had thrown for 1,735 yards and 23 TDs and just two interceptions while rushing for 554 yards going into the state final. Tailback Charles Irvin had 1,062 yards and averaged over ten yards per carry. The Liberty defense had also carried the Hurricanes, allowing just 25 points during their playoff run. McClarin (Navy), Lee (Towson), linebacker Rich Jarnigan (Delaware), and cornerback Oscar Rivera (New Hampshire) were all Division I recruits. However, Liberty lost All State inside linebacker Andres Morales when he was ejected in the first half of the North Penn game. Morales, a 6’2 250 monster on the inside, had 149 tackles and 18 TFLs on the season and was their equivalent of Leonard, a bruising fullback and Division I linebacker. Liberty appealed to the state board, asking them to review video of the ejection (their argument was Morales did not throw the punch he was accused of), but the appeal was denied and the Hurricane linebacker was suspended for the state final.
All week, Liberty head coach Tim Moncman noted how tough the McKeesport offense was to prepare for, particularly with the athleticism of Kopolovich. He was not wrong. Liberty opened the game with a touchdown drive after a McKeesport fumble, with Persa finding wideout Brien Ruyek for a nine yard score to go up 7-0. McKeesport was stuffed on the next drive and Liberty had a chance to take a two score lead. But Travis McBride intercepted Persa near midfield, and returned the pick 52 yard for a touchdown (the first pick 6 six 4A finals history). That’s when Liberty self destructed. Persa threw another pick on the next drive, with Kamryn Keys stepping in front of pass and returning it to the Liberty 45. On the next play, Kopolovich faked out the entire stadium, and waltzed 45 yards for a touchdown. Then, after a Liberty field goal, Kopoloich threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to Anthny Becoate. Liberty flubbed the ensuing kickoff, and had to start the drive inside their own ten. Persa fumbled two plays later, and Koplovich scored to take a commanding 28-10 lead. For good measure, Keys picked off a pass and McKeesport scored again to go up 35-10 at halftime.
The second half was a party for the Tigers. They scored twice more, a Kopolovich 17 yard run and a Warren Waite 17 yard score, to complete a 49-10 decimation of Liberty. Kopolovich ran the option to perfection, finishing with 148 yards on 19 carries. Waite also went over the 100 yard mark, with 105 yards, taking over after McBride pulled his hamstring in the second quarter. The defense forced a record five turnovers and harrassed Persa into an 8 for 20 day throwing the football and more than doubled his season interception total in the nightmare performance. They also held 1,000 yard rusher Charles Irvin to 31 yards on 11 carries, more than eight yards below her per tote average. McKeesport outgained Liberty 449-158 and only punted once on the evening. Smith called it the Tigers best performance of the season and one of the best individual games his team has played in his career.
George Smith was the unanimous winner of the AP Coach of the Year award after McKeesport’s unexpectedly dominant run to the state title. Dan Kopolovich, Anthony Leonard, and Travis McBride were all first team AP All State selections and Robert Doiley joined them as an honorable mention pick on the PA Football News All State team. Anthony Leonard also won the inaugural PA Football News Defensive Player of the Year Award. Kopolovich was a final for the AP Player of the Year Award after accounting for 41 touchdowns (19 passing, 22 rushing), running for 1,443 yards, and intercepting five passes on defense, but lost out to record setting Downingtown East quarterback Pat Devlin. That winter, the McKeesport basketball team advanced to the state quarterfinals, led by Leonard, Kopolovich, McBride, Jon Wheaton, and Robert Doiley, who as an All State selection at point guard.
Anthony Leonard continued his football career with an excellent tenure at West Virginia. He was an All Big East linebacker, three year starter for the Mountaineers and played in four bowl games, including the 2007 Orange Bowl win over Clemson. Following WVU, Leonard signed a free agent deal with the New England Patriots. He is now the defensive line coach at IUP, where he is entering his third year. Kopolovich also had a significant college football career. After graduating as valedictorian of his class at McKeesport, he went on to Princeton, where he was a four year starter at safety for the Tigers. As a junior, he even pulled double duty, starting both ways as a safety and option quarterback following an injury to their starter. Travis McBride signed with Penn State after his electric senior season, where he was a reserve safety for two seasons before transferring to Cal (PA). Kamryn Keys returned for a stellar senior season, replacing Kopolovich at quarterback and was a Big 33 pick. He played football at Youngstown State, where he was an all conference running back for the Penguins. And Robert Doiley was a Division II All American cornerback for Slippery Rock.
George Smith became the second coach to win multiple state titles in the largest classification, and is one of six coaches to accomplish the feat. He resigned in protest after the 2010 season after a disagreement with the school board over lack of funding for facilities. He came back to coach McKeesport in 2014, and went 29-5 in his second Tiger tenure. He hung up his whistle for good in 2016 with a career record of 226-112-5 in 31 years on the McKeesport sideline. He produced five NFL players (Mike Logan, Brandon Short, Russell Stuvaints, Devon Simmons, and Brandon Jackson, with Khaleke Hudson likely to be drafted next April), sent over 70 players to Division I football programs, had 19 Big 33 picks, and was famously one of the great mentors in Pennsylvania high school football. The field at McKeesport was named in his honor in 2015. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
