Highway to Heinz begins Friday for five local clubs
Mike Krenn rushed for a touchdown and threw for another in leading Upper St. Clair to victory, 49-14, against Mt. Lebanon.
Marcus Galie powered his way to three touchdowns against Mt. Lebanon. The senior is Upper St. Clair’s No. 2 rusher and third-leading receiver.
After nine weeks of football, five area teams extended their seasons into the postseason. While South Fayette is accustomed to long playoff runs, having won seven more games in 2013 to capture its first state championship in the sport, Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, Seton-La Salle and Mt. Lebanon are also preparing for a prolonged stay in the WPIAL tournament, which commences with first-round action Oct. 31. Here is a synopsis of the team’s final tune-ups and how they shape up heading into their first playoff contests, which all kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
SOUTH FAYETTE
As the defending WPIAL Class AA champions, the Lions are seeded No. 1 ahead of undefeated Aliquippa, whom they defeated in last year’s final, 34-28, at Heinz Field. South Fayette will host Waynesburg Central (6-3), the No. 4 seed out of the Interstate Conference.
“Having home field advantage is a nice way to send our seniors off. We get to enjoy Halloween night at home,” said Joe Rossi. The South Fayette coach added that the tournament is going to be a good one because in Class AA there are a lot of 6-3 teams like the Raiders, and no 5-4 or 4-5 clubs.
“Highlands and Washington are undefeated,” he noted. “There are good football teams. Seton-La Salle has a tremendous team and they’ll have [Danzel] McKinley-Lewis. And, the Quips will be there,” Rossi assured. “They score points and make things happen.”
While the Quips have racked up 466 points and surrendered only 92, the Lions follow closely with 419 points for and 103 against. The Lions, likewise, are 9-0, and coming off their 25th victory in a row, a 40-21 decision against Quaker Valley.
Of the triumph, Rossi said that it was good to be in a close game. “It was a great challenge and prepared us for the playoffs ahead,” he said.
In the victory, the Lions’ defense faced Dane Jackson. The Pitt recruit scored all three of the Quakers’ touchdowns on rushes of 11, 27 and six yards.
Brett Brumbaugh and his receivers, as well as Hunter Hayes, however, were no match for the Quakers. Brumbaugh completed 22 of 36 aerials for 252 yards and touchdowns to Nick Ponikvar, Ryan Schmider and Logan Sharp. Hayes rushed for 213 yards and one score. J.J. Walker tacked on the other touchdown.
Brumbaugh finished the regular season as one of two quarterbacks in the WPIAL to throw for over 2,000 yards. He has completed 125 of 201 attempts for 2,104 yards and 26 TDs. Hayes has rushed for 935 yards and 17 scores. Sharp and Ponikvar are Brumbaugh’s top receivers with more than 500 yards each and 16 combined scores.
Dan Trimbur, who assumed the kicking duties when Brian Coyne suffered a soccer-season-ending injury in the summer, has also filled in for the injured Roman Denson. Denson, who has a team-high five interceptions, is expected to return to the line-up should the Lions reach the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
Andrew Gedrys is another player that has stepped up and helped the Lions. The sophomore is second on the team in sacks behind Jeremy Carter. Schmider ranks behind Denson in interceptions and behind Walker in tackles.
As the Lions head into the postseason, Rossi says the thing he finds positive about his club is its improvement. The Lions have continued to get better each game.
“We knew when the season opened, we would not look the 2013 team, but this team has gotten better and better every game to the point that we are a dangerous football team. We have had people step up when guys have gone down, especially big contributors like Denson. Trimbur and all the receivers have done a great job filling in. Gedrys has done well. When one person is out, we have had people step up. That’s where our program is right now.”
As defending district and state champion, the Lions know they have a target on their back this playoff season. They are ready to respond.
“It’s a different feel when you are the champion,” Rossi agreed. “They respect all the teams they play though. The kids are playing hard and working hard. They are not giving up.”
Bethel Park
The Hawks enter the WPIAL Quad-A playoffs as the No. 3 seed out of the Southeastern Conference with a 5-2 record. Bethel Park is 6-3 overall. The Hawks closed out the regular season with a 26-13 win against Baldwin, which lost its bid for the wild card to Connellsville.
Levi Metheny did not play against the Highlanders due to a lower leg injury. The junior, who has completed 78 of 135 passes for 958 yards and eight touchdowns, however, is expected to play when the Hawks travel to Mansion Park to face Altoona, the No. 3 seed out of the Foothills Conference with a 7-2 overall record.
Alex Minton leads the ground game. He rolled up 170 yards and two touchdowns against the Highlanders. Terron Muprhy raced 86 yards for another score and Spencer Hayes hauled in a 24-yard scoring strike from Cole Rogers. Minton has rushed for 1,149 yards this season.
Besides Metheny and Minton, the Hawks have 40 some additional reasons why they may experience success in the postseason. With 275 points, they rank seventh in Quad-A in scoring and fifth in defense.
“We have a good tailback and we have a good quarterback. We have a very balanced offense,” Metheny said. “We have scored a lot of points but, while we’ve given up the big plays sometimes, generally, we have played well overall defensively.
“Our turnover ratio is in our favor. We hope that holds out and our special teams have played well. We have put ourselves in good field position to win games.”
Since starting the season with a 41-0 loss to Central and a last-second defeat to Woodland Hills, 33-31, the Hawks have won six of their last seven games. The secret to their success have been simple, says Metheny.
“We have good kids and we have improved with every game,” he said. “The thing I like about this teams is how well they play together and how hard they work. Plus, we have had great leadership.
“I think if we continue to have that then we can do well in the playoffs. We have to come out work hard and take care of the football. We do that then I think we can play with anybody.”
Upper St. Clair
Thanks to a 49-14 victory over Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair improved its playoff positioning. The Panthers finished fourth in the Southeastern Conference with a 4-3 record. Overall, though they are 4-5 and Lebo is 5-4, the Panthers draw the No. 4 seed out of the conference because of head-to-head competition.
For Panther fans, the finish is a good omen. The last time Upper St. Clair ended the regular season in a similar spot, the Panthers captured the WPIAL Quad-A championship in 1988. When asked if history could repeat itself, Jim Render, who coached that 1988 club as well as five other district champions, replied, “I’m not a prediction maker. I just try to prepare.”
The Panthers prepare to play North Allegheny (7-2). The Tigers, who finished third in the Northern Eight Conference behind undefeated Pine-Richland and Central Catholic, defeated USC, 31-14, back on Sept. 19.
The onus of formulating a game plan falls not just on Render. He relies on his assistant coaches. His defensive coordinator, John Trovato, did not let him down as he devised the scheme that beat the Blue Devils and their no-huddle offense.
“I told John that was one of his finest hours. The kids did a marvelous job in practice, simulating what Mt. Lebanon does at a rapid pace. We had two offensive rapid-fire huddles in preparation for them. I thought the coaches had a great game plan and the kids executed.”
“The second thing,” Render continued. “I wanted our kids to attack. Be physical. And, I thought they did that.”
USC’s offensive attack begins with veterans such as Mike Krenn and Marcus Galie. They dominated against Lebo.
Galie powered his way to three touchdowns. He rushed for 108 yards. He also caught two passes for 36 yards. On the year, Galie ranks second in rushing with 321 yards and seven scores and third in receiving with 12 grabs for 173 yards and three more scores.
“Marcus is a marvelous player,” Render said of his captain. “Effort-wise and talent-wise, he stands out.”
Krenn stood out against Lebo because he threw for a 22-yard touchdown to Connor Brennan and he caught a 32-yard scoring strike from Dan Trocano. Krenn has 11 receptions for 163 yards this season.
“Mike is one of the fastest kids I’ve ever coached,” said Render. “He wants the ball. Sometime he ad libs and it helps him.”
Trocano has helped engineer the offense. He has completed 67 of 105 passes for 1,062 yards and nine scores. Doug Wagner with 25 catches for 407 yards and Andrew Bartusiak with 16 grabs for 227 yards are his top targets.
Thomas Vissman spearheads the ground game, which also has benefited from the running of Kevin Chrissis, who scored a 15-yard touchdown against Lebo. Vissman ran for 67 yards against the Blue Devils. The sophomore has gained 855 yards on 136 carries this fall. He has scored six times.
Defensively, Sean Parker picked off a Lebo pass and returned the interception 41 yards for a touchdown. Gunnar Lund and Yuya Kaneko recovered fumbles. Jesse Slinger leads the team in tackles. The senior is also a valuable asset as a punter, averaging 35 yards.
The Panthers are on the upswing. After a 1-4 start, they have won three of their last four games. They lost to Montour, 27-17, on Oct. 17. On the last play of the game, the Spartans intercepted a pass and returned it for a 95-yard touchdown. The Panthers also lost earlier in the season to Bethel Park, 21-14, in the final two minutes of play.
“We’ve had a tough year and some tough losses,” said Render. “Our record would be a lot better if we had those two minutes back. But I like the way this team is playing right now. I feel better going into the postseason with a good win than a bad loss.”
Mt. Lebanon
The Blue Devils are the only area team heading into the playoffs on the down side, having lost three straight, including last week’s 49-14 debacle against rival Upper St. Clair. In the loss, Lebo muffed two punts for turnovers that resulted in scores. The Blue Devils were penalized nine times for 117 yards, 70 less than their total offensive output for the game. So, Lebo’s playoff strategy is simple.
“To experience success, we have got to play better and stop hurting ourselves,” said head coach Mike Melynk, noting Lebo’s -11 turnover margin in its last three losses.
Melynk, however, is heartened by his players’ resilience. “I like the fact that we continue to play hard and work in practice. The kids have kept an excellent attitude. There isn’t any finger-pointing or blaming.”
One can point to Eddie Jenkins, Joey Stabile and Nick Tommasi for some share in Lebo’s success this season. A junior, Jenkins rushed for 113 yards against the Panthers. He completed seven of 18 passes for 49 yards. He is 83 of 148 for 1,096 yards passing this season. He has tossed 12 TD aerials. Stabile rushed for two scored against USC. He is the team’s top ground gainer. Tommasi leads the squad in receptions with 37 for 507 yards.
The Blue Devils enter the playoffs with a 5-4 overall mark. They finished 4-3 in the conference, but because of the loss to USC, they drew the No. 5 seed out of the division and travel to McKeesport in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers are 8-1 overall and runners-up to Penn-Trafford in the Foothills Conference. They feature Khaleke Hudson. The tailback has rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 24 scores this season.
As for a prediction to the tournament, Melynk said that he is the worst prognosticator, but added that the same teams are there year after year for a reason. “Players, coaching and tradition,” he said.
Seton-La Salle
The Rebels defeated Keystone Oaks, 20-7, to finish 8-1 overall and as the No. 2 seed out of Century Conference behind South Fayette, whom they lost to, 41-14, in week eight.
In the win against the Golden Eagles, who finished 3-6 overall, Tyler Perone passed for 149 yards. One of his six completions went for a 67-yard scoring strike to Paris Ford.
Rick Mellick and Liam Sweeney rushed for three and 12-yard scores. Mellick finished with 142 yards rushing.
Perone and Mellick are a potent 1-2 punch for the Rebels. Perone ranks among the WPIAL’s top passers with 121 completions for 1,618 yards and 21 scores. In addition to Ford and Dequay Broadwater, Danzel McKlinley-Lewis is Perone’s primary target. The Toledo recruit ranks in the Top 10 of the WPIAL with 35 receptions for 444 yards.
Seton-La Salle will play McGuffey (7-2) at Chartiers Valley Stadium in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. The Highlanders, who finished behind Washington (9-0) and Mount Pleasant (7-2) in the Interstate Conference, boast 1,000-yard rusher James Duchi.