SF, PT dominate Almanac all-star list
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Joe Rossi cannot believe his eyes as he watches a replay on the scoreboard of one of his team’s outstanding plays in South Fayette’s 31-24 victory against Thomas Jefferson. For his undefeated conference championship and stunning win over the Jaguars, who were previously unbeaten and ranked No. 1, Rossi earned Almanac Coach of the Year honors in football this season.
Mike Trimbur
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Mike Trimbur looks for room to move after making a reception for South Fayette against Eric Cathedral Prep.
Ryan Coe
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Ryan Coe
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Jamie Diven, a transfer from West Allegheny, will call the signals for South Fayette this season.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Tom Elia will anchor the line for South Fayette. The 6-3, 275-pound senior recently committed to the University of Richmond.
Tom Elia
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Ben Coyne
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Ben Coyne
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Ryan Kokoski
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Josh Casilli breaks downfield after making a reception. He scored a 57-yard touchdown but that was not enough as Peters Township dropped a 16-14 decision to Upper St. Clair. The Indians look to rebound from the defeat when they host Woodland Hills at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7.
Corban Hondru
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Experience on the line was one of the strengths of the Peters Township football team. The starters were Rob Corrado (64), Grant Nelson (53), Shane O’Connell (56), Ian Chaudhari (66) and Logan Clark (55).
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Peters Township’s Aiden McCall weaves his way through defenders.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Zach Magnotti
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Jim Render (center) relied on Jake Slinger (left) to help anchor the line and Colin McLinden (right) to direct the defense from the linebacker spot.
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David Pantelis
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Antonio Orsini
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Chris Pantelis
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Connor Barrett
James Lang
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Seth Morgan is one of 13 seniors that will be lost to graduation on the Mt. Lebanon football roster. He passed for more than 2,000 yards this season as the Blue Devils posted a 6-6 record and reached the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs.
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Lucas DeCaro, Seth Morgan and Mike Palmer
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JB Nelson
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Sean McGowan
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Nathan Currie
South Fayette and Peters Township ruled the gridiron this autumn so it comes as no surprise that the Lions and the Indians cleaned up in the postseason. Just as in their respective leagues, the two teams dominate The Almanac’s All-Star list.
Mike Trimbur and Joe Rossi walked away with top honors as Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year laurels as the two were instrumental in guiding the Lions to their fourth WPIAL championship in nine years, and sixth in school history. The Lions capped their 12-2 campaign with a come-from-behind victory, 31-24, against previously undefeated Thomas Jefferson in the Class 4A title game played at Heinz Field.
In that championship final, Trimbur had a banner day. The senior had five receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he registered six tackles and intercepted a pass to seal the triumph.
On the year, Trimbur led the Lions in receiving. The 5-11, 180-pound senior caught 57 passes for 1,096 yards and 16 TDs. The four-year varsity letter winner finished with 38 tackles, two TFL and on forced fumble on defense. He averaged 29 yards per punt return and 17.5 yards on kick-off comebacks.
Named Northwest 8 All-Conference, first team on both offense and defense, Trimbur will continue his career at Cornell University.
“We knew coming into the season that (Mike) was our dog and he played like it,” said Rossi of one of his team captains. “He can do anything. He’s a talented kid.”
Rossi, likewise, is a talented coach. With 156 career victories, Rossi completed his 12th season with the Lions. After kicking off the year with a one-point loss to Upper St. Clair, 34-33, Rossi steered the Lions to an undefeated conference championship, complete with five shutouts.
Not just with Trimbur did Rossi complete that task. He benefited from the escapades of standouts, too, such as Jamie Diven, Tom Elia, Ryan Kokoski, Ben Coyne and Ryan Coe. All five gained first-team all-conference acclaim as well as spots on the Almanac All-Star list.
A rookie at South Fayette, as he transferred from West Allegheny, Diven earned co-offensive Player of the Year laurels in the conference. The senior signal caller completed 189 of 312 passes for 3,211 yards and 45 touchdowns this fall. The 6-1, 195-pound senior also rushed for four scores.
Diven was most impressive in the championship game.
He completed 12 of 23 aerials for 249 yards and tossed three TD passes in the game.
“Jamie made all kinds of plays,” Rossi said, noting his TD pitch to his son, Charley, was “a big-time throw.” Rossi added, “Not many quarterbacks could do that.”
Not many kicked like Coe. The 6-2, 225-pound senior has a big-time leg that earned him a scholarship to Delaware. Eighty percent of his kickoffs went into end zone. Coe converted 9 of 13 field goals this season, including one from 50-plus yards. He led the Lions in scoring with 87 points
Meanwhile, not many provided the protection Tom Elia and Ben Coyne did for years at South Fayette. Elia earned all-conference honors at both offensive guard and defensive tackle. Coyne grabbed first-team notice at defensive end and second team mention at offensive tackle.
Coyne led the Lions in sacks with five and Elia followed with 3.5. Coyne ranked second in tackles with 77. Elia, who has 55 total tackles, will continue his career at Richmond.
Finally, Kokoski anchored the Lions’ secondary. The 5-10, 175-pound defensive back led the team with three interceptions. He registered 72 tackles. Kokoski also excelled as a wide out, pulling in 21 receptions for 363 yards and five TDs.
PT’s record year
While Peters Township did not equal South Fayette in championships, the Indians produced their best performance in school history. They captured the Allegheny Eight Conference title with a 6-1 slate and finished 10-3 overall after reaching the semifinals in the WPIAL Class 5A tournament and falling to eventual district and state champion, Penn Hills, 22-14.
Peters Township had Shane O’Connell, Ian Chaudhari, Josh Casilli, Logan Clark, Corban Hondru, Zach Magnotti and Aiden McCall among others to thank for this year’s success. All seven earned first-team all-conference recognition.
O’Connell and Chaudhari anchored the offensive line that protected rookie quarterback Logan Pfueffer and enabled him to throw for more than 2,000 yards. The pair also helped open up the holes for Ryan Magiske to rush for over 1,000 yards. The pair, like Clark, have been three-year starters for the Indians.
Meanwhile, Casilli ranked as the team’s top target. The junior caught 51 passes for 892 yards. Used often on screen passes to get the ball to him in open space, the 6-0 speedster showed the ability to burn defenders for big plays as his 11 touchdowns attest to that fact. Casilli also provided steady coverage on the outside of the defense. He intercepted two passes and recorded 32 solo tackles.
Meanwhile Clark and Magnotti anchored the defensive line. The pair helped spearhead a defense that surrendered only 16.1 points per game and held six opponents to to fewer than 10 points.
Defined as a “cerebral competitor” by coach T.J. Plack, Hondru was the glue that held PT’s defensive unit together. The 6-1, 220-pound linebacker recorded 67 tackles. He managed 17 more tackles for losses and posted seven sacks to go with an interception and one fumble recovery. Hondru also provided pop on offense with 259 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Finally, McCall provided strong coverage on defense and added an additional weapon to PT’s offensive arsenal. He had 17 receptions for a 9.8-yard average and managed 4.1 yards per rush. McCall scored seven times for the Indians.
Four help USC
In a milestone season where Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render recorded his 400th career victory, many players excelled for the Panthers but four stood out enough to earn Almanac all-star acclaim. Among them were: first-team all-conference selections Colin McLinden and Antonio Orsini as well as brothers Chris and David Pantelis.
On offense, Orsini rushed for a team-high 1,043 yards. He also ranked first in scoring with 54 points. On defense, he racked up 44 tackles and two interceptions.
“Those are pretty impressive statistics considering the tough scheduled we played,” said Render. “Virtually everyone we played went on to compete in the playoffs not only in our class but in 4A and 6A as well with South Fayette winning a WPIAL title.”
A four-year starter in the league, McLinden dominated at outside linebacker. He recorded 34 tackles and added 24 assisted takedowns. He also intercepted a pass, managed 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for losses. He contributed 375 all-purpose yards on offense and maintained a 34.1-yard average.
The Pantelis brothers dominated both sides of the line. They ranked as the team’s top receivers with Chris pulling in 41 passes for 661 yards and six scores and David hauling in 38 aerials for 548 yards and five scores. Each added additional scores on special teams. Chris managed 102 all-purpose yards per game while David averaged 82.5.
Defensively, David picked off four passes and Chris had one interception. Both earned second-team all-conference laurels.
“David is a marvelous athlete who is unmatched in athleticism both offensively and defensively as well as returning punts and kickoffs. No one is even close to him. The closest rival athlete to him would be his brother Chris,” said Render.
Twosome leads CV
Chartiers Valley did not experience much success in the victory column this season, posting a 3-7 overall mark that also included an 0-6 showing in the conference but the Colts did manage three players on the all-league list and two that made the cut as Almanac all-stars.
While James Lang earned Almanac recognition as well as first-team honors at offensive guard, Connor Barrett set the offensive pace for the Colts. Despite wearing a boot all season to protect a foot injury, the senior rolled up 1,209 yards rushing. He accounted for 15 touchdowns. On defense, Barrett, who is receiving Division 1-FCS offers, recorded 10 TFLs.
“Connor is a special talent who is strong and fast. Every team we played had a focus to stop Connor and he still produced on a weekly basis. He will be a great player at the next level,” predicted CV skipper Dan Knause.
Two guide Lebo
Competing in the top division among all area schools, Mt. Lebanon managed to make the playoffs and reach the semifinals in the WPIAL before falling to Pine-Richland, 46-16. Seth Morgan and JB Nelson were two big reasons for Lebo’s success this season. Both earned first-team all-conference honors.
A senior, Morgan led all WPIAL Class A signal callers with 2,037 yards and 14 TDs. He also was Lebo’s leading rusher with 578 yards on 135 carries. His season was highlighted by his final three games where he completed 69 percent of his passes for over 700 yards and five touchdowns.
“Seth was a captain and our leader on offense,” said Mike Melnyk.
A defensive tackle, Nelson posted 51 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. “JB was a dominant force,” Melnyk said. Just a junior, Nelson is being recruited by several FBS programs.
BP completes list
Bethel Park finished tied for third place in the Allegheny Eight Conference and again reached the playoffs before finishing 6-4 in their first season playing at the Class 5A level and juniors Sean McGowan and Nathan Currie played pivotal roles in the Hawks’ success. Both earned first-team all-conference attention.
While Currie anchored the offensive line, McGowan managed to roll up 749 yards on 113 carries. A multi-purpose player, sometimes calling the signals, he also caught 15 passes for 249 yards. He scored 10 times and caught one touchdown strike. McGown also excelled on defense as a free safety.
Almanac Football All-Stars
Quarterback Jamie Diven South Fayette Senior
Quarterback Seth Morgan Mt. Lebanon Senior
Running back Antonio Orsini Upper St. Clair Senior
Running back Connor Barrett Chartiers Valley Senior
Multipurpose Sean McGowan Bethel Park Junior
Wide receiver Josh Casilli Peters Township Junior
Wide receiver Mike Trimbur South Fayette Senior
Offensive line Shane O’Connell Peters Township Senior
Offensive line Tom Elia South Fayette Senior
Offensive line Ian Chaudhari Peters Township Senior
Offensive line James Lang Chartiers Valley Senior
Offensive line Nathan Currie Bethel Park Junior
Kicker/punter Ryan Coe South Fayette Senior
Defensive line JB Nelson Mt. Lebanon Junior
Defensive line Logan Clark Peters Township Senior
Defensive line Ben Coyne South Fayette Senior
Defensive line Zach Magnotti Peters Township Junior
Linebacker Corban Hondru Peters Township Soph.
Linebacker Colin McLinden Upper St. Clair Senior
Defensive back Ryan Kokoski South Fayette Senior
Defensive back Aiden McCall Peters Township Junior
Defensive back Chris Pantelis Upper St. Clair Senior
Defensive back David Pantelis Upper St. Clair Sophomore
MVP Mike Trimbur, South Fayette
HONORABLE MENTION: Jake Dowell, Brandon Cole, Tiger Burkes, Corey Harbinger, Jake Dowell, Jared Yantek-Bethel Park; Sean Banas, Antonio Zambrano, Troy Donofrio, Jayden Davis-Chartiers Valley; Lucas DeCaro, Evan Jones, Max Baker, Tommy McClain, Mason Ventrone, Casey Sorsdal, Charlie Gordon-Mt. Lebanon; Ryan Mageski, Robert Corrado, Logan Pfeuffer-Peters Township; Rayquin Glover, Peyton Tinney, Nolan Lutz, Joe Mowod-South Fayette.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Joe Rossi, South Fayette