6 West Allegheny 181.31, 5A, D7, 10-3
There wasn’t much that leaped out at you about West Allegheny last year in terms of statistics/personnel except their ability to win the close games. Here they really excelled, evidenced by the 36-35 overtime win against Bethel Park, the 14-13 win against Woodland Hills, the 29-26 win at Baldwin and the 7-0 victory at Moon to close out the regular season. This continued into the postseason with another one point win over Woody, taking it 14-13. So despite an inconsequential regular season ending at 7-2, they caught fire in the postseason with one of the biggest upsets of the season defeating previously undefeated and seemingly invincible Gateway 42-28 in the WPIAL semifinal. The Gators came into that one 12-0 averaging 50ppg, allowing 4. Anyone looking to pick a fight outside Monroeville could argue those stats came against a weak slate of teams. West A certainly appeared much better! The following week saw them lose to the eventual 5A champ Penn Hills 28-18. For 2019, they return quarterback Kam Kruze (6-2, 200, sr), who completed 61% of passes for 1593 yards. His Td/Pick ratio was a decent 19/4. Leading rushed Dante Flati graduates with his 925 yards but his younger brother Nico is back after running for 509 yards on 80 carries as a soph. Most of the receivers graduated including TE/LB Mateo Vandamia (28/355), Drevon Baldwin (22/378) and Kyle Guilfoil (19/272), maybe a bit under rated as a group. Running back Dante Flati also snagged 18 for 220 yards so it’s a hole to fill. RG Dan Wojtowicz (6-2, 230, sr) and RT Mike Baker (5-11, 240, sr) return. The line graduated four starters in LG/DT Logan Rossi (6-2, 275), C Trent Stallings (6-1, 205), LT Vinny Staub (6-1, 225) and TE/DE Vandamia (6-1, 235). Rossi was the closest thing to having a typical 5A/6A lineman as they fell short again putting WPAIL sized lineman on the field. This has been an issue for a few years now. A glance at the roster says that problem may be coming to an end with a number of impressive lineman in the sophomore and junior classes. The D could be susceptible up the gut with NG Nick Faulk (5-10, 200), DT Rossi and both ILBs Ike Longstreth (6-1, 195) and Ian McBain (60. 195) gone, along with the safeties. A look at tackles shows many back with experience, especially at Linebacker.
With a fair core here and a returning quality quarterback being pushed by last year’s freshman Gavin Miller (6-1, 180) along with Nico Flati totting the ball, the Indians should enter the season in good shape.
7 Gateway 181.00, 5A, D7, 12-1
Gateway’s record setting offense (48-7 year ending average score) purred along the first twelve games of the year scoring 50ppg while allowing 4ppg against a schedule where six of their first ten opponents had a combined record of 12 and 50. The remaining seven had a record of 45-25. This included Mt. Lebanon (6-6), Penn Trafford (9-3), North Hills (7-5), Franklin Regional (7-4) twice and McKeesport (9-3) before the 42-28 loss to West Allegheny in the district semifinal where West A scored 14 unanswered 4th quarter points to ice it. This was done by an inconsistent Indian offense that had trouble off and on all season scoring points, ending the year with a 26ppg average, their worst in seven years. That’s not to take anything from Gateway, feeling you could line up Peters Township, West Allegheny and Gateway with Penn Hills and pretty much pull a name out of a hat to decide the issue. The HUGE difference between all of them was Penn Hills consistency and ability to win the close games throughout the season They won the WPIAL beating McKeesport 34-7, Peters Township 22-14 and West Allegheny 28-18 before moving onto States where they edged Archbishop Wood 20-13 and Manheim Central 36-31. At 16-0, no other big school showed that consistency except St. Joseph’s Prep 13-0. At the small school level, Southern Columbia at 16-0 and Farrell at 15-0 showed it in spades.
Back to the Gators; the offense at 48ppg and D at 7ppg is their best for the last 20 years I have records for. Bottom line, the 2018 season was an incredible response to graduating record setting quarterback Brady Walker. Remember, it was Walker who finished #1 in the WPIAL ahead of Pine Richland’s Phil Jurkovec by completing 299 of 470 passes for 4657 yards; a PA state single season record. That’s 64% with a 45/0 Td/Pick ratio while rushing for 736 yards. His 8816 career yards are #2 in WPIAL history. Jurkovec ended the season with 3969 yards at 73% with a 39/6 ratio while rushing for 1211 yards. Entering the coming season, Gateway again graduates an outstanding dual threat quarterback in Brendan Majocha who threw for 2179 yards at 66% with a Td/Pick ratio of 33/2 while rushing for 807 yards. Qb Bryson Veanzio may factor in as a senior, transferring in last year after starting his freshman and sophomore seasons at Kiski. Courtney Jackson also graduates with 1080 yards in receptions on 49 passes along with Jeremiah Josephs 243 yards. Both were key in the secondary, especially Joseph with 57 tackles. Returning are most of their primary rushers led by Derrick Davis (6-0, 175, jr) who was outstanding as a sophomore rushing for 1205 yards. The O-Line lost Bryce Washington, Tomi Woodson and Amir Wahid but return TE Tui Faumuina-Brown. The D should be a force with the return of all four linebackers and both defensive ends. Key to both sides of the ball will be the quarterback position, a few lineman and the play of RB/LB/S Derrick Davis who is being recruited by everyone including Notre Dame, OSU, Syracuse, Pitt, Michigan, Texas AM and many others. The schedule this year is interesting with Albert Gallatin dropping out of the WPIAL to go independent, leaving many teams with a vacancy. Gateway filled theirs with a trip to Ohio Oct 11th to play the storied Tigers of Massillon (Washington High). Massillon is Massillon (87-34 last decade), big, physical and athletic coming off a 14-1 season where they lost in the Div-2 final to Archbishop Hoban (15-0) 42-28. And good luck going into Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on a Friday night with anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 attending. Check out the stadium and big screen in Massillon’s home game last season against always powerful East St. Louis at the link below. Coach Don Holl is in his fourth year with a 33-8 record. As a Naval Academy graduate he has a powerful resume to start, enhanced by his efforts a Seneca Valley (2009-2014) where he rebuilt a dormant program (34-63 previous 10) to respectability at 37-35. Before that he was at Cathedral Prep (2005-2008) leading them to a 36-14 record. He was the third head coach at Gateway (hired in 2016) since Terry Smith’s retirement in 2013.
8 Seneca Valley 177.02, 6A, D7, 9-4
Head Coach Ron Butschle’s returned for his second stint at the helm of Seneca Valley in 2017 after leading the program to a 14-33 record from 2004 to 2008. Don Holl took over in 2009, turning them around with a 37-35 record the next six years until leaving for philosophical reasons (hated Plato?), taking the head coaching position at Gateway. All that sounds less than positive given their return to Coach Butschle with his lackluster record. But they did had their moments last year going 9-4 following a 3-6 outing the year before. And he was the O/C from 2016 through 2017. They began last year 4-2 with narrow losses to Pitt CC 20-16 and North Allegheny 10-6 before finishing 3-1. The regular season included wins against quirky teams like McDowell (7-5) 30-6, Mount Lebanon (6-6) 17-14, even Woodland Hills (5-7) 24-7. Woody got it together after a 0-4 start with two 1-pt losses to powerful West Allegheny (10-3), the 5A WPIAL runner-up to Penn Hills. So they had some skill, just not enough with the offense coming up short in support of a stellar defense that was one of the best in the classification allowing 12ppg. Too bad it didn’t have support from a vanilla offense that ended the season averaging 20ppg, leaving the defense on the field far too long. Still, they only allowed a total of 153 points while holding ten opponents to 14 or less, five to 7 or less that includes three shutouts. In the postseason they pulled a mild upset beating Pitt CC 15-14 to avenge a 20-14 regular season loss then stunned top seeded North Allegheny 31-14 in the semifinal. In fact, they tore NA up, rushing for 231 yards behind an outstanding O-Line. Senior Jake Mineweaser rushed for 144 on 27 carries. That was their best all-around team performance of the season followed by an almost predictable fall the following week against Pine Richland where they were trounced 34-7.
Last year’s team had a great O-Line and a decent quarterback in Gabe Lawson (6-2-190, jr) who threw for 1331 yards at 52% with a Td/Pick ratio of 12 to 8. He’s back. His receivers and many lineman have graduated, losing Jake Mclean’s 590 yards, Luke Smith’s 358 and TE Jake Stebbins’s (6-2, 220, 1st team All-Conference) 429 yards on 28 receptions. McLean and Smith had 31 and 26 receptions respectively. Running back Jake Mineweaser is also gone after rushing for 536 yards after 93 carries. Matt Stranger (6-0, 190, sr) is back after rushing for 568 yards on 159 carries. David Tkatch (6-2, 265) is a BIG loss at Guard although Josh Kaltenberger (6-5, 270, sr) is back at Center. Marcus Might (6-6, 280) is another loss at Tackle. Tristan Price (6-4, 280) and Alex Cessese (6-3, 270) have also graduated. DT Tyler Proctor (6-0, 250, 43 stops) is gone plus DE Drew Robertson (6-2, 285, 35 tackles), 1st Team linebacker Saige Ley (6-2, 220, 29 stops, 4 sacks), Jake Stebbins (LB/TE, 93 tackles, 5 sacks) and a talented secondary, losing Brennan Hayes, Josh McLean and Ryan Kristobak. They’ll enter the new season with an experienced quarterback and running back with a lot of holes on the line and big gaps in the D. Last year’s team was big and physical, coming up short in the backfield but a pounder on D and along the O-Line. Returning starter and 2nd Team All-Conference Josh Kaltenberger (6-, 270, sr) will help stabilize things with needed development of seniors David Beahm (6-1, 225), Kyle McAlpine (6-0, 255), Christian DeBiase (6-8, 245) and Kevin Meeder (6-5, 275).
9 Farrell 173.72, 1A, D10, 15-0
Fielding their best team ever, the Steelers fulfilled Coach Jarrett Samuels preseason expectations by winning another state title while going unscathed through 15 games. They’ve been on an incredible run the last few years going back to 2015 where their 14-2 team lost to Bishop Guilfoyle in the final 35-0. In 2016 (10-4), they lost in the 1A semifinal to Clairton 24-6 who then lost to Guilfoyle. And in 2017 (11-3), they lost again in the 1A semifinal, this time to Jeannette 17-6 who went on to win the title. Clairton, Jeannette, Guilfoyle, Farrell; talk about small school western royalty! Throw in Aliquippa and Wilmington and you’re pretty much there. Last year’s team did it with special talent in the form of quarterback Kyi Wright (6-3, 240, Pitt), who threw for 1746 yards while rushing for 719, wide out Jourdan Townsend (5-11, 185, Deleware) who had 1302 yards in receptions and running back Christian Lewis (6-0, 185, Albany) who ran for 2470 yards on 209 carries. Throw in a massive 6A sized line and a talented defense with speed to see they were a juggernaut of historic proportions, averaging a record setting 52ppg while allowing 8. Thirteen were mercy ruled. You have to go back to the 08-09 teams (12-3, 14-1) who lost to Tom Nola’s great Clairton teams 24-21 in the state semifinal and again in 2009 13-7 to find something that resembles last year’s edition. No one was touching Nola and his Bears who won four straight 1A titles from 2009-2012, going 15-1, 16-0, 16-0, 16-0. All that prevented a five year run was Steelton Highspire’s high flying Rollers (16-0) who beat them 35-16 in 2008. Rollers! Last year’s team was freaky with their speed but especially with their size. The OL/DL were Gary Hopson (6-0, 302), Melvin Hopson (6-3, 296), Gary Satterwhite (6-2, 285), Brian Hilton (6-2, 290), Kobe Hilton (6-4, 275), Dashon Sims (5-11, 265) and NG Vincent Purdie (5-9, 265). Sims, K. Hilton and Purdie graduated. Behind that was LB Tymir Green (5-11, 220, 94 tackles, Hocking Comm Coll, OH) and LB/QB Kyi Wright (6-3, 240, 99 stops) who both graduated. Most of the secondary also graduated. But they played an army of people with all those blow-outs, returning many with considerable pt including 636 tackles. Replacing Qb Wright, RB Lewis and WR Townsend is improbable but the defense looks to again be close to impenetrable. Melvin (6-0, 302) and Gary Hopson (6-3, 296) are back on the lines with Brian Hilton (6-2, 290) and Gary Satterwhite (6-2, 285). Jaden Harrison returns after rushing for 748 yards. Coach Samuels has them on the same page in his 12th season at 116-32, striving for their 6th trip to the finals. They won state titles in 1995, 1996 and last year with runner up silver medals in 1990 and 2015.
10 Peters Township 170.33, 6A, D7, 10-3
Don’t look now but there may be a new player on the block seeing how Coach T.J Plack turned everything around at Peters Township from the numbers coming out, performance on the field, winning a conference title, making the playoffs and setting a record with a 10 win season. Coach has turned the culture around from a historic losing program to one that looks and plays like a winner. When he arrived in 2016, they had but two winning teams the last 17 seasons. After back-to-back 2-7 outings, they went 4-6 his first year. That got little attention until noticing the offense ramped up 10ppg (15 to 25) with a defense that improved by 3 points a game (34-31 yield). They also upset Pine Richland 32-27. These advents marked an unmistakable if modest turnaround. The following year witnessed their first winning season since 2009’s 5-4 team and their third since 2003’s 8-3 team, going 7-4 with a narrow 27-20 first round loss to Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the postseason. Much of that success can be attributed to a substantial upgrade of a defense that improved from 31ppg to 19ppg. Last year’s team improved even more dramatically on offense, scoring 32ppg from 23 the year before. The D also showed significant improvement dropping to 16ppg yield from 19, showing striking performance upgrades on both sides of the line. Since taking over Coach Plack’s offense improved from 15 a game in 2014 to 32 last year, with the defense improved from 2015’s 34ppg to last year’s 16. About his background, it’s solid, as head coach at South Fayette (2002 to 2006, 30-18), O/C at Peters Twp (2007-2010), Bethel Park (2011-2013) and another assistantship at Ringgold (2014-2015), before taking the helm at PT in 2016. So it’s been a strong progression, capped by last year’s co-championship with West Allegheny in the 5A Allegheny-8. Seeings how they beat West A 42-28, you can say with real conviction they were the Allegheny-8 champ last year. This was their first title since 1975, 43 years ago! About the season; the conference loss was at Upper St. Clair (8-3) 16-14 on a safety when the punter’s knee touched the ground on a low snap! That was the second game where they showed great character coming back from a 16-0 deficit. From there they defeated a strong slate including Woodland Hills (5-7), West Allegheny (10-3) and North Hills (6-5). Then came next door neighbor (6 miles west) and rival Canon McMillan (4-6) who stunned them 35-26. Rivalries! Sophomore Qb Logan Pfeuffer had one of his best games, completing 22 of 28 for 304 yards with 2 Tds. But they had no answer for C-Mac’s Josh O’Hara who gashed then for 212 yards rushing. Thereon they ripped off six straight wins including a good Penn Trafford (9-3, loaded for 2019!) team in the 2nd round 38-35 before falling to Penn Hills (16-0) in the WPIAL final 22-14. While last year’s team entered the season with 7 starters on both sides, this year’s looks to rebuild the lines that were a team strength with four returning. Gone are Allegheny-8 1st Teamers center Shane O’Connell (5-10, 210) and guard Ian Chaudhari (5-10, 230), while OL/DT Logan Clark (6-4, 230) made 1st team at DT. OT Rob Corrado (6-3, 290) made 2nd Team. But, they return last year’s standout sophomore quarterback Logan Pfeuffer (6-2, 175), who threw for 2045 yards at 61% with a 24/6 ratio, along with Ryan Magiske’s 1085 rush yards and Adrian Williams’s 404 yards. Top receiver, Jake Casilli (6-1, 175, sr) also 1st Team All-Allegheny, is back after catching 47 passes for 877 yards. Senior Aiden McCall (5-9, 160) and a standout sophomore from last year in Corban Hondru (6-1, 220, jr) also return after snagging 32 throws for 425 yards combined. Hondru also exceled at ILB where he made 1st team All-Allegheny. DE Zach Magnotti (5-11, 200, sr) and DB Aiden McCall, both seniors are back. The Secondary returns three; McCall, Casilli and Williams. The loss of four returning line starters is difficult to manage but the bodies are there if the roster means anything showing juniors Grant Nelson (6-3, 285, jr), Austin McKinnon (6-0, 220), Demetri Mesogitis (5-11, 265), Tyler Messman (6-2, 250), Seth Hickman (6-1, 220) and Dylan Wente (6-11, 225). They had a lot of athletes last year. Nothing like Penn Hills but they had guys with agility who could motor and most of them return. Look for another exciting race in the Allegheny-8 with 7 of 9 starting quarterbacks returning, notably, Peters Twp and West Allegheny with Bethel also returning quality parts with a Qb. USC is the wildcard with Coach Render gone (406-141-6) and how long can Woodland Hills stay in the funk of the last two years going 6-5 and 5-7 last year, their first losing season since 2008. If Coach Plack’s resume and last three years at Peters Township are any indication, look for this team to continue their upward trajectory.
There wasn’t much that leaped out at you about West Allegheny last year in terms of statistics/personnel except their ability to win the close games. Here they really excelled, evidenced by the 36-35 overtime win against Bethel Park, the 14-13 win against Woodland Hills, the 29-26 win at Baldwin and the 7-0 victory at Moon to close out the regular season. This continued into the postseason with another one point win over Woody, taking it 14-13. So despite an inconsequential regular season ending at 7-2, they caught fire in the postseason with one of the biggest upsets of the season defeating previously undefeated and seemingly invincible Gateway 42-28 in the WPIAL semifinal. The Gators came into that one 12-0 averaging 50ppg, allowing 4. Anyone looking to pick a fight outside Monroeville could argue those stats came against a weak slate of teams. West A certainly appeared much better! The following week saw them lose to the eventual 5A champ Penn Hills 28-18. For 2019, they return quarterback Kam Kruze (6-2, 200, sr), who completed 61% of passes for 1593 yards. His Td/Pick ratio was a decent 19/4. Leading rushed Dante Flati graduates with his 925 yards but his younger brother Nico is back after running for 509 yards on 80 carries as a soph. Most of the receivers graduated including TE/LB Mateo Vandamia (28/355), Drevon Baldwin (22/378) and Kyle Guilfoil (19/272), maybe a bit under rated as a group. Running back Dante Flati also snagged 18 for 220 yards so it’s a hole to fill. RG Dan Wojtowicz (6-2, 230, sr) and RT Mike Baker (5-11, 240, sr) return. The line graduated four starters in LG/DT Logan Rossi (6-2, 275), C Trent Stallings (6-1, 205), LT Vinny Staub (6-1, 225) and TE/DE Vandamia (6-1, 235). Rossi was the closest thing to having a typical 5A/6A lineman as they fell short again putting WPAIL sized lineman on the field. This has been an issue for a few years now. A glance at the roster says that problem may be coming to an end with a number of impressive lineman in the sophomore and junior classes. The D could be susceptible up the gut with NG Nick Faulk (5-10, 200), DT Rossi and both ILBs Ike Longstreth (6-1, 195) and Ian McBain (60. 195) gone, along with the safeties. A look at tackles shows many back with experience, especially at Linebacker.
With a fair core here and a returning quality quarterback being pushed by last year’s freshman Gavin Miller (6-1, 180) along with Nico Flati totting the ball, the Indians should enter the season in good shape.
7 Gateway 181.00, 5A, D7, 12-1
Gateway’s record setting offense (48-7 year ending average score) purred along the first twelve games of the year scoring 50ppg while allowing 4ppg against a schedule where six of their first ten opponents had a combined record of 12 and 50. The remaining seven had a record of 45-25. This included Mt. Lebanon (6-6), Penn Trafford (9-3), North Hills (7-5), Franklin Regional (7-4) twice and McKeesport (9-3) before the 42-28 loss to West Allegheny in the district semifinal where West A scored 14 unanswered 4th quarter points to ice it. This was done by an inconsistent Indian offense that had trouble off and on all season scoring points, ending the year with a 26ppg average, their worst in seven years. That’s not to take anything from Gateway, feeling you could line up Peters Township, West Allegheny and Gateway with Penn Hills and pretty much pull a name out of a hat to decide the issue. The HUGE difference between all of them was Penn Hills consistency and ability to win the close games throughout the season They won the WPIAL beating McKeesport 34-7, Peters Township 22-14 and West Allegheny 28-18 before moving onto States where they edged Archbishop Wood 20-13 and Manheim Central 36-31. At 16-0, no other big school showed that consistency except St. Joseph’s Prep 13-0. At the small school level, Southern Columbia at 16-0 and Farrell at 15-0 showed it in spades.
Back to the Gators; the offense at 48ppg and D at 7ppg is their best for the last 20 years I have records for. Bottom line, the 2018 season was an incredible response to graduating record setting quarterback Brady Walker. Remember, it was Walker who finished #1 in the WPIAL ahead of Pine Richland’s Phil Jurkovec by completing 299 of 470 passes for 4657 yards; a PA state single season record. That’s 64% with a 45/0 Td/Pick ratio while rushing for 736 yards. His 8816 career yards are #2 in WPIAL history. Jurkovec ended the season with 3969 yards at 73% with a 39/6 ratio while rushing for 1211 yards. Entering the coming season, Gateway again graduates an outstanding dual threat quarterback in Brendan Majocha who threw for 2179 yards at 66% with a Td/Pick ratio of 33/2 while rushing for 807 yards. Qb Bryson Veanzio may factor in as a senior, transferring in last year after starting his freshman and sophomore seasons at Kiski. Courtney Jackson also graduates with 1080 yards in receptions on 49 passes along with Jeremiah Josephs 243 yards. Both were key in the secondary, especially Joseph with 57 tackles. Returning are most of their primary rushers led by Derrick Davis (6-0, 175, jr) who was outstanding as a sophomore rushing for 1205 yards. The O-Line lost Bryce Washington, Tomi Woodson and Amir Wahid but return TE Tui Faumuina-Brown. The D should be a force with the return of all four linebackers and both defensive ends. Key to both sides of the ball will be the quarterback position, a few lineman and the play of RB/LB/S Derrick Davis who is being recruited by everyone including Notre Dame, OSU, Syracuse, Pitt, Michigan, Texas AM and many others. The schedule this year is interesting with Albert Gallatin dropping out of the WPIAL to go independent, leaving many teams with a vacancy. Gateway filled theirs with a trip to Ohio Oct 11th to play the storied Tigers of Massillon (Washington High). Massillon is Massillon (87-34 last decade), big, physical and athletic coming off a 14-1 season where they lost in the Div-2 final to Archbishop Hoban (15-0) 42-28. And good luck going into Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on a Friday night with anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 attending. Check out the stadium and big screen in Massillon’s home game last season against always powerful East St. Louis at the link below. Coach Don Holl is in his fourth year with a 33-8 record. As a Naval Academy graduate he has a powerful resume to start, enhanced by his efforts a Seneca Valley (2009-2014) where he rebuilt a dormant program (34-63 previous 10) to respectability at 37-35. Before that he was at Cathedral Prep (2005-2008) leading them to a 36-14 record. He was the third head coach at Gateway (hired in 2016) since Terry Smith’s retirement in 2013.
8 Seneca Valley 177.02, 6A, D7, 9-4
Head Coach Ron Butschle’s returned for his second stint at the helm of Seneca Valley in 2017 after leading the program to a 14-33 record from 2004 to 2008. Don Holl took over in 2009, turning them around with a 37-35 record the next six years until leaving for philosophical reasons (hated Plato?), taking the head coaching position at Gateway. All that sounds less than positive given their return to Coach Butschle with his lackluster record. But they did had their moments last year going 9-4 following a 3-6 outing the year before. And he was the O/C from 2016 through 2017. They began last year 4-2 with narrow losses to Pitt CC 20-16 and North Allegheny 10-6 before finishing 3-1. The regular season included wins against quirky teams like McDowell (7-5) 30-6, Mount Lebanon (6-6) 17-14, even Woodland Hills (5-7) 24-7. Woody got it together after a 0-4 start with two 1-pt losses to powerful West Allegheny (10-3), the 5A WPIAL runner-up to Penn Hills. So they had some skill, just not enough with the offense coming up short in support of a stellar defense that was one of the best in the classification allowing 12ppg. Too bad it didn’t have support from a vanilla offense that ended the season averaging 20ppg, leaving the defense on the field far too long. Still, they only allowed a total of 153 points while holding ten opponents to 14 or less, five to 7 or less that includes three shutouts. In the postseason they pulled a mild upset beating Pitt CC 15-14 to avenge a 20-14 regular season loss then stunned top seeded North Allegheny 31-14 in the semifinal. In fact, they tore NA up, rushing for 231 yards behind an outstanding O-Line. Senior Jake Mineweaser rushed for 144 on 27 carries. That was their best all-around team performance of the season followed by an almost predictable fall the following week against Pine Richland where they were trounced 34-7.
Last year’s team had a great O-Line and a decent quarterback in Gabe Lawson (6-2-190, jr) who threw for 1331 yards at 52% with a Td/Pick ratio of 12 to 8. He’s back. His receivers and many lineman have graduated, losing Jake Mclean’s 590 yards, Luke Smith’s 358 and TE Jake Stebbins’s (6-2, 220, 1st team All-Conference) 429 yards on 28 receptions. McLean and Smith had 31 and 26 receptions respectively. Running back Jake Mineweaser is also gone after rushing for 536 yards after 93 carries. Matt Stranger (6-0, 190, sr) is back after rushing for 568 yards on 159 carries. David Tkatch (6-2, 265) is a BIG loss at Guard although Josh Kaltenberger (6-5, 270, sr) is back at Center. Marcus Might (6-6, 280) is another loss at Tackle. Tristan Price (6-4, 280) and Alex Cessese (6-3, 270) have also graduated. DT Tyler Proctor (6-0, 250, 43 stops) is gone plus DE Drew Robertson (6-2, 285, 35 tackles), 1st Team linebacker Saige Ley (6-2, 220, 29 stops, 4 sacks), Jake Stebbins (LB/TE, 93 tackles, 5 sacks) and a talented secondary, losing Brennan Hayes, Josh McLean and Ryan Kristobak. They’ll enter the new season with an experienced quarterback and running back with a lot of holes on the line and big gaps in the D. Last year’s team was big and physical, coming up short in the backfield but a pounder on D and along the O-Line. Returning starter and 2nd Team All-Conference Josh Kaltenberger (6-, 270, sr) will help stabilize things with needed development of seniors David Beahm (6-1, 225), Kyle McAlpine (6-0, 255), Christian DeBiase (6-8, 245) and Kevin Meeder (6-5, 275).
9 Farrell 173.72, 1A, D10, 15-0
Fielding their best team ever, the Steelers fulfilled Coach Jarrett Samuels preseason expectations by winning another state title while going unscathed through 15 games. They’ve been on an incredible run the last few years going back to 2015 where their 14-2 team lost to Bishop Guilfoyle in the final 35-0. In 2016 (10-4), they lost in the 1A semifinal to Clairton 24-6 who then lost to Guilfoyle. And in 2017 (11-3), they lost again in the 1A semifinal, this time to Jeannette 17-6 who went on to win the title. Clairton, Jeannette, Guilfoyle, Farrell; talk about small school western royalty! Throw in Aliquippa and Wilmington and you’re pretty much there. Last year’s team did it with special talent in the form of quarterback Kyi Wright (6-3, 240, Pitt), who threw for 1746 yards while rushing for 719, wide out Jourdan Townsend (5-11, 185, Deleware) who had 1302 yards in receptions and running back Christian Lewis (6-0, 185, Albany) who ran for 2470 yards on 209 carries. Throw in a massive 6A sized line and a talented defense with speed to see they were a juggernaut of historic proportions, averaging a record setting 52ppg while allowing 8. Thirteen were mercy ruled. You have to go back to the 08-09 teams (12-3, 14-1) who lost to Tom Nola’s great Clairton teams 24-21 in the state semifinal and again in 2009 13-7 to find something that resembles last year’s edition. No one was touching Nola and his Bears who won four straight 1A titles from 2009-2012, going 15-1, 16-0, 16-0, 16-0. All that prevented a five year run was Steelton Highspire’s high flying Rollers (16-0) who beat them 35-16 in 2008. Rollers! Last year’s team was freaky with their speed but especially with their size. The OL/DL were Gary Hopson (6-0, 302), Melvin Hopson (6-3, 296), Gary Satterwhite (6-2, 285), Brian Hilton (6-2, 290), Kobe Hilton (6-4, 275), Dashon Sims (5-11, 265) and NG Vincent Purdie (5-9, 265). Sims, K. Hilton and Purdie graduated. Behind that was LB Tymir Green (5-11, 220, 94 tackles, Hocking Comm Coll, OH) and LB/QB Kyi Wright (6-3, 240, 99 stops) who both graduated. Most of the secondary also graduated. But they played an army of people with all those blow-outs, returning many with considerable pt including 636 tackles. Replacing Qb Wright, RB Lewis and WR Townsend is improbable but the defense looks to again be close to impenetrable. Melvin (6-0, 302) and Gary Hopson (6-3, 296) are back on the lines with Brian Hilton (6-2, 290) and Gary Satterwhite (6-2, 285). Jaden Harrison returns after rushing for 748 yards. Coach Samuels has them on the same page in his 12th season at 116-32, striving for their 6th trip to the finals. They won state titles in 1995, 1996 and last year with runner up silver medals in 1990 and 2015.
10 Peters Township 170.33, 6A, D7, 10-3
Don’t look now but there may be a new player on the block seeing how Coach T.J Plack turned everything around at Peters Township from the numbers coming out, performance on the field, winning a conference title, making the playoffs and setting a record with a 10 win season. Coach has turned the culture around from a historic losing program to one that looks and plays like a winner. When he arrived in 2016, they had but two winning teams the last 17 seasons. After back-to-back 2-7 outings, they went 4-6 his first year. That got little attention until noticing the offense ramped up 10ppg (15 to 25) with a defense that improved by 3 points a game (34-31 yield). They also upset Pine Richland 32-27. These advents marked an unmistakable if modest turnaround. The following year witnessed their first winning season since 2009’s 5-4 team and their third since 2003’s 8-3 team, going 7-4 with a narrow 27-20 first round loss to Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the postseason. Much of that success can be attributed to a substantial upgrade of a defense that improved from 31ppg to 19ppg. Last year’s team improved even more dramatically on offense, scoring 32ppg from 23 the year before. The D also showed significant improvement dropping to 16ppg yield from 19, showing striking performance upgrades on both sides of the line. Since taking over Coach Plack’s offense improved from 15 a game in 2014 to 32 last year, with the defense improved from 2015’s 34ppg to last year’s 16. About his background, it’s solid, as head coach at South Fayette (2002 to 2006, 30-18), O/C at Peters Twp (2007-2010), Bethel Park (2011-2013) and another assistantship at Ringgold (2014-2015), before taking the helm at PT in 2016. So it’s been a strong progression, capped by last year’s co-championship with West Allegheny in the 5A Allegheny-8. Seeings how they beat West A 42-28, you can say with real conviction they were the Allegheny-8 champ last year. This was their first title since 1975, 43 years ago! About the season; the conference loss was at Upper St. Clair (8-3) 16-14 on a safety when the punter’s knee touched the ground on a low snap! That was the second game where they showed great character coming back from a 16-0 deficit. From there they defeated a strong slate including Woodland Hills (5-7), West Allegheny (10-3) and North Hills (6-5). Then came next door neighbor (6 miles west) and rival Canon McMillan (4-6) who stunned them 35-26. Rivalries! Sophomore Qb Logan Pfeuffer had one of his best games, completing 22 of 28 for 304 yards with 2 Tds. But they had no answer for C-Mac’s Josh O’Hara who gashed then for 212 yards rushing. Thereon they ripped off six straight wins including a good Penn Trafford (9-3, loaded for 2019!) team in the 2nd round 38-35 before falling to Penn Hills (16-0) in the WPIAL final 22-14. While last year’s team entered the season with 7 starters on both sides, this year’s looks to rebuild the lines that were a team strength with four returning. Gone are Allegheny-8 1st Teamers center Shane O’Connell (5-10, 210) and guard Ian Chaudhari (5-10, 230), while OL/DT Logan Clark (6-4, 230) made 1st team at DT. OT Rob Corrado (6-3, 290) made 2nd Team. But, they return last year’s standout sophomore quarterback Logan Pfeuffer (6-2, 175), who threw for 2045 yards at 61% with a 24/6 ratio, along with Ryan Magiske’s 1085 rush yards and Adrian Williams’s 404 yards. Top receiver, Jake Casilli (6-1, 175, sr) also 1st Team All-Allegheny, is back after catching 47 passes for 877 yards. Senior Aiden McCall (5-9, 160) and a standout sophomore from last year in Corban Hondru (6-1, 220, jr) also return after snagging 32 throws for 425 yards combined. Hondru also exceled at ILB where he made 1st team All-Allegheny. DE Zach Magnotti (5-11, 200, sr) and DB Aiden McCall, both seniors are back. The Secondary returns three; McCall, Casilli and Williams. The loss of four returning line starters is difficult to manage but the bodies are there if the roster means anything showing juniors Grant Nelson (6-3, 285, jr), Austin McKinnon (6-0, 220), Demetri Mesogitis (5-11, 265), Tyler Messman (6-2, 250), Seth Hickman (6-1, 220) and Dylan Wente (6-11, 225). They had a lot of athletes last year. Nothing like Penn Hills but they had guys with agility who could motor and most of them return. Look for another exciting race in the Allegheny-8 with 7 of 9 starting quarterbacks returning, notably, Peters Twp and West Allegheny with Bethel also returning quality parts with a Qb. USC is the wildcard with Coach Render gone (406-141-6) and how long can Woodland Hills stay in the funk of the last two years going 6-5 and 5-7 last year, their first losing season since 2008. If Coach Plack’s resume and last three years at Peters Township are any indication, look for this team to continue their upward trajectory.
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