Beth-Center is having plenty of fun

You can’t spell Dominic Fundy’s last name without “Fun.”

That’s ironic because opposing teams have none of it when trying to bring him down.

Beth-Center’s talented junior isn’t your normal high school running back. Few teams have a player at that position who just so happened to reach the state wrestling final. But that’s what Fundy did in March when he finished as the PIAA Class 2A runner-up in the 182-pound weight class. He had an overall record of 39-1.

Fundy is a load. He’s 6 feet 2 and coach Joe Kuhns said he now weighs 205 pounds. Fundy’s strength and toughness carry over to the football field. He rushed for 1,106 yards as a sophomore and began this season by running for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 3226 win at Sto-Rox. Fundy also starts at strong safety. In addition, Fundy is getting some reps at quarterback because starter Bailey Lincoski has been dealing with severe cramping issues.

“He’s a little bit of a combination [of power and speed],” Kuhns said. “He likes to cut and we’ve put in some zone schemes. He’s pretty nifty laterally. But he’s 205 pounds, so he can run over you, too. Teams are getting wise to the fact that he’s 205 pounds and trying to take his legs out, so we’re trying to get him to develop a stiff arm to add to his arsenal. He’s the full package.”

Quaker Valley

As a starter on Quaker Valley’s basketball team that reached the WPIAL Class 4A championship game last season, Ricky Guss played center and typically guarded the opposing team’s tallest player, sometimes going up against players 6-6 or 6-7. It was a tall task fora kid who stands 6-1.

Guss wasn’t one to back down — he averaged 15 points per game — and that fearlessness is showing up again as he is off to a fine start as Quaker Valley’s starting quarterback. Guss sparkled in Quaker Valley’s 55-21 season-opening rout of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic. He was as consistent as can be with his dual-threat ability, passing for 148 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns.

“Our offense is predicated on the options that he has in doing things,” Quaker Valley coach Jerry Veshio said. “He can do things to make people miss him. He’s a tough kid. He makes a lot with his quarterback sneaks and in short-yardage situations.”

Guss, also a starter at linebacker, was primarily a slot receiver last season but did start three games at quarterback in place of injured starter Amos Luptak. Guss thinks Quaker Valley can be a factor in the loaded Class 3A Beaver Valley Conference.

“We have no limit on how good we can be,” he said. “There’s nobody on our schedule that we can’t beat. It’s up to us to go out and execute our game plan.”

Beaver Area

When quarterback Darius Wise graduated this spring, Beaver Area lost one of the most dynamic playmakers in the state. No Wise, no problem. Beaver’s offense appears to be just fine without their former star who now plays at Colorado State. The Bobcats were firing on all cylinders in a 69-21 win at New Brighton last week. The 69 points were the most scored by any WPIAL or City League team in Week Zero. Just once in the past 15 years have the Bobcats totaled that many points. That came in their wild 7749 win against Keystone Oaks last season.

Six players scored offensive touchdowns for Beaver. Te’Vonn Williams fueled the attack with 138 yards rushing and touchdown runs of 50 and 3 yards. The Bobcats also scored on a kickoff return and fumble return.

“That’s been the history of our program. We’ve had some headliners, but the reality is we are successful because our numbers are up and we have athletes who are unselfish and want to win,” Beaver coach Jeff Beltz said.

Family business

Scoring touchdowns was a family affair for some players in the WPIAL’s smaller classesin Week Zero.

Two sets of brothers found the end zone for their teams: Quaker Valley’s Ricky and Isaac Guss and Apollo-Ridge’s Kyle and Klay Fitzroy. The Fitzroy brothers actually teamed up to score their team’s first touchdown — Kyle connected with Klay for a 21yard touchdown pass.

Mike Mozzocio scored a touchdown for Neshannock. His father, Fred, is the head coach.