OLSH looking forward to No. 1 Farrell
After winning the first WPIAL championship in school history, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart had plenty of celebrating to do. Now, it’s time to get back to business.
“I think coming off that victory, the guys felt a big sense of accomplishment,” said OLSH coach Dan Bradley. “Now, they’re looking forward to our next game.”
The district title secured not only a PIAA postseason spot for the Chargers, but also a bye into the semifinals and a crucial week of rest. It also gave the team time to focus on its next opponent, District 10 winner Farrell, which will likely be the toughest test of the season.
Two days before the Pittsburgh Steelers host the San Diego Chargers, the OLSH Chargers will square off against the Farrell Steelers at 7 p.m. Friday at Slippery Rock University.
The Steelers (13-0) are the Post-Gazette’s top-ranked 1A team in the state and feature a Pitt recruit in Kyi Wright. An all-state linebacker as a sophomore, Wright has come back strong from a knee injury sustained his junior year. He’s not only a ferocious defender, but also a talented quarterback with a 6-3, 240-pound build who is excellent at managing the game and not forcing any plays.
Wright, a middle linebacker, leads the Steelers with 70 tackles, including seven stops for a loss. He also has two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
From under center, he has thrown for 1,591 yards and 25 touchdowns with just one interception all season. He has completed 88 of his 123 pass attempts, good for a connection rate of 72 percent of his throws. Wright has another 486 yards rushing and 10 scores on the ground.
“He’s just been a real solid performer for us,” said Farrell coach Jarrett Samuels.
A talent like Wright is plenty to game plan for. The problem for Bradley is the Steelers have even more options when it comes to moving the football.
“Actually, our biggest concern is to stop the ground game,” Bradley said. “They do a good job at the point of attack. They’re big up front and they get off the ball well. Once their skill guys get to the next level, they’re tough to contain.”
So far, nobody has been able to contain senior running back Christian Lewis. He has hit the 100-yard mark in every game while piling up 2,032 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground. He averages 12 yards per carry and 156 yards per game.
Samuels said his plan, like it has been all season, is to adapt to the defense in front of him.
“We kind of go with the attitude of we can take what they give us,” said Samuels. “If they give us eight in the box, we’re going to pass the ball. If they give us six or seven in the box, we’re going to run the ball. Our guys have been able to adapt to those challenges all year.”
OLSH (12-1) isn’t short on playmakers, either. Tyler Bradley, the coach’s son, is the top passer in the WPIAL with 3,244 yards along with 45 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He is fourth all time in WPIAL history with 8,328 career yards and third in touchdown tosses with 100.
“He’s by far the best quarterback we’re going to see all year,” said Samuels. “You can tell he’s a coach’s kid. He goes through his progressions and he doesn’t play like a Single-A quarterback at all.”
Bradley has big-time talent and a roster of players to spread the ball to. OLSH boasts four receivers with 400 yards or more in Richard Banks (841), Andrew Schnarre (693), Ricco Tate (589) and Austin Wigley (408). Wigley is the Chargers’ feature back who has piled up another 832 yards on the ground. He also has a teambest 22 touchdowns.
Farrell used to be a WPIAL team and claimed six championships, most recently in 1996, before moving to District 10. In his career, Samuels has fallen to WPIAL squads in the state semifinals in 2017, 2016, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
“Make no mistake about it, I’m 0-6 as a coach against WPIAL teams,” said Samuels. “This definitely means something. I think this team is built differently. We are district champions, they are district champions. It’s going to be a good game.”