Sep 14, 2016 By Eleanor Bailey 5 min read

Players from Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon pepper the list of WPIAL statistical leaders this season but fundamentals will trump all when the two teams square off Sept. 16 in a key Southeastern Conference football clash. Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. at Mt. Lebanon Stadium.

“It all starts with good fundamentals-alignment, assignment, blocking and tackling,” said C-M coach Mike Evans. “If you worry too much about people and forget about your fundamentals, it doesn’t really matter who they have or where they have them.”

So the Big Macs will stick to the basics. They will attempt to stop the run; block and tackle; stay balanced on offense and win special teams. “No matter who shows up to play us, those concerns remain the same every game,” Evans added.

At Lebo, there are also concerns but this week’s priority is bouncing back from a disappointing loss to Hempfield, 41-38.

“I take full responsibility for the loss,” said Lebo skipper Mike Melnyk. “I did not have us playing at the level of intensity, execution nor passion that we needed to win against a good opponent. We were faced with lots of adversity,” Melnyk added of the game that included a weather delay due to lightning. “Ultimately we did not get it done.

“My biggest concern is how we respond,” Melnyk continued. “It will be a great challenge.”

Melnyk acknowledges that the Big Macs are a challenge for the Blue Devils. Both teams are 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference, which is topped by Hempfield (2-0, 3-0) followed by Norwin and Bethel Park.

“Canon-Mac is vastly improved and has an excellent football team,” Melnyk said. “Their skill kids are as good as the ones we have faced the last two weeks.”

Jordan Castilli operates the offense. In a 56-21 loss to Penn Hills, which boasts the WPIAL’s passing leader in Cam Tarrant, Castilli completed 10 of 31 passes for 226 yards and all three touchdowns-a 90-yard bomb to Rahmiere Knight, two strikes of 10 and 1 yards to Andrew Engel. Castilli ranks in the top five among passing leaders in the WPIAL with nearly 700 yards in three games.

Knight caught five passes for 162 yards and one score of 90 yards for the Big Macs, who trailed, 27-21, at intermission before surrendering 29 points in the third quarter. Though Knight has 14 receptions for 332 yards this season, Doug Kotar had ranked among the Top 10 receivers in the WPIAL. Plus, Greyden Piechnick and Drew Engel have been steady influences in C-M’s passing attack.

“People see (the Castilli-Knight connection) but we feel we have a quality quarterback and three high-quality wide outs to go along with a tight end,” Evans explained of his passing weapons. “Whoever teams take away, we expect the other guys to make plays and we expect JC to make good decisions.”

Since All-Conference running back Bryan Milligan has been sidelined with an injury, guys like Anthony Sacco have been making the plays on the ground. But, to continue to be effective against a team like Lebo, the Big Macs must be balanced.

“Despite the loss of Bryan, we had continued to stay relatively balanced in our first two games, but the passing game will only be highly efficient if it is coupled with a quality running game. We struggled to run the ball all last week, if that continues to happen, then we become one dimensional. We aren’t going to be successful that way. When the other team knows you have to throw it, then it only makes sense that it becomes more difficult.”

Difficult is the assignment of stopping Lebo’s weapons.

In the loss to Hempfield, James Stocker completed 21 of 36 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns-a 74-yard strike to Austin Graybill and a 7-yard pass to Edgar Parilla. Jack Young gathered in 12 of those aerials for 148 yards. Parrilla had six receptions for 79 yards. Emmanuel Komolafe rushed for two scores of 6 and 27 yards while David Harvey tacked on a 10-yard TD run. Harvey rushed for 153 yards. Garrett Montilla kicked a 22-yard field goal.

Stocker ranks among the WPIAL’s passing leaders with 665 yards. Young and Patrick Moeller are among the top receivers and Harvey is the Top 10 for rushing.

“Every team has weapons and strengths,” Evans said. “We worry about what we do and what we control.

“They are a very good team and we are aware of their playmakers. Mt. Lebo has an excellent and very well-respected program. We know we have our hands full, but don’t we every week? We just need to go play ball.”

So, too, do the Blue Devils. While they are taking it practice by practice to get back to where they want to be, Melnyk believes they have the fortitude to rebound.

“Our staff and kids have great character and we will respond like champions,” he said.