Struggling teams earn first victory in a hurry
A slew of WPIAL teams that had little success last season were thirsty for wins in Week 0, and a surprisingly large number of them came away with victories.
One coach even ended up receiving a Gatorade shower, no doubt cleansing away some of the heartache that goes along with a winless season.
“A couple of the guys snuck up on me and I got splashed. I rode home with some wet pants,” said Shaler second-year coach Jim Ryan, whose team defeated New Castle, 34-21, to snap a 24-game losing streak.
Shaler was one of 10 schools to post wins last week after going winless or winning just one game in 2017. Five of those teams reside in the two largest classes. In addition to Shaler, Baldwin, Hempfield, Kiski Area and Connellsville all picked up wins. Those last four teams all won only one game a season ago.
Only time will tell how successful those teams will be this season, but the early wins undoubtedly serve as a valuable building block.
“It’s huge. We’re talking two seasons with no wins,” Ryan said. “I think it’s a huge reinforcer for our kids as far as the work they’ve put in to see what hard work can get you. And they did it against a good team that has a great history.”
The wins are important for the respective communities, too. Baldwin went 1-8 last season, but began this season with a 34-7 win against Fox Chapel, which was a playoff team last season. The Highlanders have a very winnable home game against Butler this week, and coach Loran Cooley said some fans are already getting excited for the team’s conference opener at Upper St. Clair next week.
“I think the key to our season is to get the community excited early,” said Cooley, who is in his second season. “Traditionally, Baldwin hasn’t had success early on in quite some time. This is a huge momentum booster and a huge early win before conference play.”
Hempfield, Kiski Area and Connellsville all finished 1-9 last season. In Week 0, Hempfield defeated Greensburg Salem, 27-24; Kiski Area beat Allderdice, 24-9; and Connellsville routed Uniontown, 64-19.
Ryan and Cooley both pointed to their defenses as being big reasons for their opening-week wins. Brennan Fugh and Jake Miller were two of the standouts for Shaler. Fugh had a team-high 11 tackles and added an interception, while Miller made nine tackles and forced three fumbles.
Moon
Moon coach Ryan Linn said his defense scored two touchdowns last season. It took the Tigers just one game to match that number this season, a game in which they scored a touchdown on special teams, as well.
In a 32-6 win against visiting Montour, Moon saw its defense and special teams account for three of its four touchdowns. Ben Bladel blocked a punt in the second quarter and Malcolm Johnson scooped up the ball and raced into the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. The Tigers then got a pair of pick-6s in the second half, as Dawson Snyder scored on a 58-yard return and Johnson on a 32yard return.
Linn said he is leaning on his defense early as the Tigers break in a new starting quarterback. Junior Dante Clay threw for 171 yards and ran for a touchdown in his first varsity start.
“We have a lot of kids with a lot of ability, and the game is slowing down for them,” said Linn. “We’re expecting them to make plays. We’re hoping the defense carries us for a couple of weeks until our offense gets its feet wet.”
The Tigers appear to also have a big weapon in kicker Anthony Zimmerman, who converted two field goals against Montour. Zimmerman has taken over for Nick Morrow, who led the WPIAL with 11 field goals as a senior last season.
Upper St. Clair
Upper St. Clair quarterback Jason Sweeney has some excellent wide receivers at his disposal. The most productive of them call each other “brother.”
Chris and David Pantellis are standout receivers-defensive backs who shined in a 34-33 win against South Fayette. Chris, a senior, caught six passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns. David, a sophomore, had six receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. Panthers coach Jim Render has called the younger Pantellis one of the top sophomores in the WPIAL.
Sweeney, by the way, was terrific in his first career start, completing 14 of 20 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns.