Keystone Oaks receiver leaving a legacy
Two years ago, Nick Hrivnak faced a daunting task. Keystone Oaks had just lost its main receiver to a season-ending injury. Without much thought, Hrivnak filled the slot.
“My first game, I was a back-up. Not the main target. When our kid went down in the second quarter and was done for the year, I realized I had to step up. There was no time to get nervous. You have to be ready at all times.”
Ever since, Hrivnak certainly has been prepared and the senior wide receiver will surely be ready when the Golden Eagles (9-1) challenge Beaver Falls (9-1) at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Ambridge in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals.
“Now, I don’t really get nervous anymore,” Hrivnak admitted, “but against Beaver Falls, we have to come out and play the best we can. We have to make sure that we are on top of our game in all aspects.”
On the receiving end, Hrivnak has been on the top of his game. During the regular season, he ranked second in the WPIAL. He owns the school record for catches in a career and season plus receiving yardage for a career. This fall, Hrivnak has hauled in 62 passes for 851 yards and 10 touchdowns. For his career, he has 126 receptions for 1,871 yards and 19 scores.
“As a sophomore, I had no clue what (the records) were and after a meeting with my coach, he said I had a long way to go so I didn’t think about it,” said the 17-year-old son of Kathy and Bruce Hrivnak. “It’s crazy. It’s amazing that I have a record at a school that my mother attended.” And, since Hrivnak has three younger siblings, he added, “my family is going to be there for another 10 years. So it’s cool to leave a legacy.”
Hrivnak might never have left his mark in football. He spent his middle school years on the pitch, excelling as a striker on the soccer team. His friends, however, convinced him to play football in high school.
“It was the best decision that I ever made,” Hrivnak said.
Hrivnak made wise choices regarding his development in the sport. Each spring, he attended Coach Greg Perry’s passing camp for quarterbacks. Not only did he polish his skills alongside his teammate, but he crafted a relationship with Alex Smith that rivals that of Antonio Brown’s with Ben Roethlisberger. “Alex and I are really good friends,” said Hrivnak of KO’s signal caller that has thrown for 2,884 yards and rushed for 985 more this season. “We’ve got a lot of years under our belt and we work real well together. Because of the work we have put into it, we know each other well and how we play. Yea, it’s like AB and Ben. You need that. We don’t yell at each other when things don’t work out. When things don’t happen we each take the blame. We learn from what happened and get it right the next time.”
Coach Perry agreed that Hrivnak’s hard work during the offseason groomed him for success.
“Nick is the consummate high school football player. He comes every day to be a team player. He and Alex worked hard during my QB drills where I bring in local players from area schools to work on techniques and Nick has caught more balls from them than their own wide receivers. Nick may not be the fastest but he always knows where he is supposed to be. He runs good routes and has good hands.”
To start KO’s playoff run, Hrivnak completed two touchdown routes. In a 56-20 win against Apollo-Ridge, he grabbed 14- and 11-yard strikes from Smith. Hrivnak admitted he did well against Apollo-Ridge until Duane Brown defended him. That curtailed his numbers but did not deter his spirit. “Obviously, Duane’s a good defensive back but that opened the field for our other guys. You can’t stop all of our weapons.”
While Beaver Falls hopes to thwart Hrivnak, he is hoping KO reaches the pinnacle of high school football. Until now, he noted that making the playoffs and playing Aliquippa as highlights, he wants to play where AB and Roethlisberger play most Sundays.
“Playing at the Pit against Aliquippa was one of the coolest experiences but Heinz Field is the ultimate goal.”
The WPIAL championships in the highest four classifications will be played at that North Shore site on Nov. 19.