As opening kickoff nears, several storylines emerge
Richland’s Phil Jurkovec and South Fayette’s Drew Saxton graduated in June as the second-, fourth- and sixth-leading passers in WPIAL history, respectively. How will the new guys fare at those three schools? Senior Brandon Majocha takes over at Gateway, sophomore Cole Spencer at Pine-Richland and senior Jamie Diven, a transfer from West Allegheny, at South Fayette.
Strength in 5A
With the WPIAL realignment this year, it looks like Class 5A will be the best in the WPIAL, in terms of depth of quality teams. Penn Hills and Bethel Park are two of the teams that dropped from Class 6A to 5A. Penn Hills is ranked No. 2 coming into the season. Plus, Gateway, Woodland Hills, Upper St. Clair, Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and McKeesport are still in 5A.
Aliquippa ties
The guy who became a legendary coach at Aliquippa was pushed out by the school board, and the guy who used to be an Aliquippa player has taken over. How will Mike Zmijanac do with his new team at Ringgold? Meanwhile, Mike Warfield, a 1987 Aliquippa graduate, takes over the great Quips’ program.
Will Steeler sons shine?
Anything associated with the Steelers usually gets attention. But North Allegheny’s Joey Porter Jr. and Shady Side Academy’s Michael “Dino” Tomlin are sons of Steeler coaches who have made names for themselves with their talent and play. Both are receivers and defensive backs and could have big years. Porter has Pitt and LSU on his final list of colleges.
Can Leopards rule?
Belle Vernon has only one WPIAL football championship in school history. But the Leopards have many returning starters from last year’s 10-1 team and many expect Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson to play for the 4A title at Heinz Field come mid-November. They also meet in a conference game Aug. 31.
Tyler’s climb
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart senior quarterback Tyler Bradley already has 4,809 yards passing in his career. Considering he threw for 2,757 yards last season, one has to wonder how far can he go up the WPIAL all-time passing list? Only seven quarterbacks in WPIAL history have thrown for 7,000 yards.
Return of the Big 3
Charleroi quarterback Geno Pellegrini had 1,000 yards passing in the 2017 regular season, running back Hunter Perry 1,000 yards rushing and receiver Dakota Romantino 1,000 yards receiving. It was only the fifth time since 1982 that a WPIAL team has had such a 1,000-yard threesome in the three categories. Now, all three are back — and under a new coach in Lance Getsy. Will the three have the same success?
The highway to — Norwin?
For the first time since 1985, the WPIAL will stage a championship game at a high school stadium. The Class 5A championship will be Nov. 23 (Friday) at Norwin. The last time a championship game was at a high school stadium was 1985 when Monaca played Brentwood and Riverside met Swissvale on consecutive days at Mt. Lebanon.