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Mt. Lebanon leads list of local teams kicking off the season

By Eleanor Bailey 5 min read
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When the PIAA mandated six classifications for high school football, the WPIAL underwent a radical realignment.

In addition to creating new divisions and conferences, the WPIAL also revised its schedule. Practice officially started Aug. 15, and the first scrimmage date was designated as Aug. 20. However, for the first time, teams had the option of scheduling a second scrimmage or actually playing a game on Aug. 26. Sixty teams opted to play and the high school football season officially kicks off Friday with as many as 30 games.

Among the area teams participating in “real” games are Mt. Lebanon, South Fayette, Chartiers Valley, Peters Township, Canon-McMillan and Chartiers-Houston.

The Blue Devils are “excited” to kick off the 2016 campaign at 7 p.m. at Fox Chapel.

“It takes so much preparation for the season that we are glad it is an actual game instead of scrimmage,” Lebo skipper Mike Melnyk said. “A common coaching axiom is you make your most improvement from game No. 1 to No. 2, so we may get a step ahead in that way.”

Lebo will get its first look at an open offense and a 3-4 defense, as the Foxes utilize those formations. And while the Blue Devils are expected to dominate the Southeastern Conference in Class 6-A, the Foxes will compete in the Allegheny Nine in Class 5-A with former Lebo rivals Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills and Baldwin. Regardless of classification, Melnyk anticipates a good game.

“Everyone is 0-0, so optimism is high and no one is sure how they will react in a game until Friday night. We need to concentrate on performing the way we are capable and let everything else take care of itself.”

The Blue Devils took care of business against West Allegheny during their first scrimmage last week.

“I thought our defense was very sound,” Melnyk said. ” Our playmakers made a few plays, but we limited our offense to concentrate on working on some things.”

Come Aug. 26, however, the Blue Devils will place no boundaries on themselves.

“We will be operating on all cylinders,” Melnyk said enthusiastically.

Closer to home, Chartiers Valley will travel to McMurray to battle Peters Township, while South Fayette hosts Central Valley. Additionally, Canon-Mac welcomes Kiski Area, while Chartiers-Houston travels to Jefferson-Morgan. All games start at 7 p.m.

T.J. Plack is thrilled to be getting his career as head coach at Peters Township started a week ahead of the time.

“Usually, that second scrimmage is played like a game. So we were fine with playing a game that counted. Our only stipulation was that we would like to play close to home and not have to travel,” he said.

“We are real excited to play, especially a team like CV. In the past few year Niel (Loebig) has been able to change the culture over there, and they are coming in with a lot of momentum, having qualified for the playoffs last year. They have great senior leadership, and the program seems to be heading in the right direction. They will be a dangerous opponent.”

To prepare for the Colts, the Indians scrimmaged a dangerous opponent in Upper St. Clair. The Panthers are expected to dominate Class 5-A football. They used to play in the same conference with Peters Township, but the Indians have moved to Class 6-A.

“We were excited about our first scrimmage because we were able to match the physicality and intensity of Upper St. Clair,” Plack said. “We were not overwhelmed by playing a former opponent. We tackled well. We made some mistakes but we can coach them up a bit and get them ready for Friday.”

Plack certainly is ready to step on the field as coach after a stint at Ringgold. He served as an assistant as South Fayette, as well as with the Indians. He teaches at Peters Township.

“It’s been great here. I love the new administration, and I love working here as a teacher. It’s a great opportunity. I’m real excited for a number of reasons but the best reasons are the players do what you say and they give 100 percent.”

In preparation for its game against Central Valley, South Fayette scrimmaged Chartiers Valley, which is coached by Lions’ alum Niel Loebig. According to head coach Joe Rossi, it was great to see the team on the field again after nine long months.

“There were plenty of mistakes that need to be corrected, but also many bright spots,” he said. “The coaching staff was proud of the effort and the attitude after the scrimmage.”

The Lions, who lost a heart-breaker to Aliquippa in last year’s WPIAL Class AA championship game, is also facing a club that lost its bid for a district title, as Central Valley succumbed to Thomas Jefferson, 34-21, in last year’s AAA finale. Central Valley has remained in Class AAA, while the Lions have moved up two divisions to Class 4-A.

For a preview on all the area high school gridiron teams see the insert magazine in today’s edition of The Almanac.

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