Aug 20, 2018 By Chris Dugan sports Editor dugan@observer-Reporter.Com 5 min read

The members of the Canon-McMillan football team couldn’t be blamed if, sometime this season, they stop, look around and ask, “Where are we? Who are all these opponents we’re playing? What happened to the Southeastern Conference? Why aren’t we playing old rivals such as Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair or even Trinity? And why is our game against Peters Township a nonconference game?”

Things have been quickly changing for Canon-McMillan. The Big Macs moved into the largest classification in the WPIAL’s six-class setup two years ago, along with some of its traditional rivals. But with this year’s realignment, Canon-McMillan is one of only nine 6A teams remaining in the WPIAL. Gone are most of the Big Macs’ traditional opponents, replaced by defending state champion Pine-Richland, North Allegheny, Seneca Valley and Pittsburgh Central Catholic.

“I was for six classes in the beginning because I thought it would be cool to be in 6A, to play new teams. I want to play the best teams,” Canon-McMillan head coach Mike Evans admitted. “Then it came out and we were in a 14-team classification. Now we’re down to eight teams. We’re playing in a nine-team league where we have no natural rivals. Everybody up and down Route 19 we don’t play except Mt. Lebanon. We only play Peters Township because the WPIAL scheduled us in a crossover game that is nonference.

“I don’t like playing in a league with nine teams and six of them make the playoffs. It’s getting ridiculous. I’m not a big fan anymore. We did something (six classes) that is better for the eastern side of the state and its going to kill us because of the interest level.”

Heck, even the stadium at Canon-McMillan is changing. New bleachers on the visitors’ side of the field, along with a new locker room area, are currently being installed. When completed next year, an additional 4,000 seats will be in place along with a much-needed parking area.

Another change is the number of players on the Big Macs’ roster. They will have 90, which includes more than 30 freshmen. C-M graduated only 10 seniors from last year’s 4-6 team that finished 2-4 in the now-defunct Southeastern Conference.

What kept C-M out of the playoffs last year was its offense. Though C-M averaged 20.4 points per game, the Big Macs didn’t muster the same kind of running game they had in recent seasons, played too many games with too many key players out with injuries and never settled on one quarterback.

“Last year, the defense played the best they had in my time here,” Evans said. “They just played too long. I think the offense took a step back. There are reasons. We were missing our playmakers.”

One of those playmakers is senior wide receiver Drew Engel. He caught 34 passes and scored six touchdowns last year, but also didn’t play on offense for much of the season because of a broken hand. Engel leads a cast of talented receivers that also includes Dillon O’Donoghue, who caught 15 passes last year as a junior.

Who will be throwing the football to Engel and O’Donoghue is a mystery. It’s not that C-M doesn’t have experienced quarterbacks. The Big Macs played both Trejahn Lewis and Jon Quinque as sophomores last year. They return a year older and battle-tested.

“They’re battling,” Evans said. “If you can combine them, they’re the perfect quarterback. Each has strengths and their weakness is the other guy’s strength. The bottom line is, we have to figure out who our starter is. Whoever performs better in the two scrimmages will start with a short leash. It might be that both deserve to play.”

The line returns a stalwart in senior Riley Noble (6-4, 280), who Evans said is a legitimate FCS prospect. Noble put on 35 pounds of muscle since last season.

“He’s like a big wall,” Evans said. “He’s a guy you can build a line around.”

Noble and the linemen must clear the way for a running game that needs to improve its output. Senior Davey Cooper, a converted fullback, will be the tailback. Also in the mix are senior Josh O’Hara, who has not played in two years, and junior Gerrit Nijenhuis.

The defense, which yielded 27.7 points per game last season, returns linebacker Anthony Zanolla, who has led the Big Macs in tackles each of the last two years, and linebacker Alec Hendal. Engel, who had seven interceptions as a sophomore, is back in the secondary.

“I believe the best indicator of the future is the past,” Evans said. “The senior class, as freshmen, had a six- or seven-win season. They’re a tight-knit group and have witnessed us go from an 0-18 streak to a .500 team. Now, we’d like to take the next step. Our kids believe in each other. They’re disciplined, they work hard, they work together. I know not every program is like that.

“There are teams faster and bigger than we are, but we have our best team concept. We have a lot of good football players, hard-working guys. I think we have our best team since I’ve been here.”