BV coach says ‘our line has to be stout’

Northwestern Lehigh tough in the trenches

There are a lot of WPIAL schools out there that have been to the state championship game in consecutive seasons.

Clairton once made the trip five consecutive years (200812).

But there is a sense of familiarity in preparing for a state championship a second year in a row that takes some of the edge off.

“I don’t know if it’s an advantage, but I will say that it allows you to focus on the game and football a little more,” Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. “I think the first time you do it, there’s so much to it, so many moving pieces logistically and I think you’re just a little better at it and there’s a smoother transition to how we tackle practice during this week.”

Belle Vernon (12-1) might not be experts at preparing for a state championship, but the team is the reigning PIAA Class 3A champion and will have an opportunity to defend that title at 1 p.m. Saturday when it takes on District 11 winner Northwestern Lehigh (15-0) at Cumberland Valley High School.

Belle Vernon is attempting to join some rather exclusive company. Since 1988 when the state championships were first contested, only six WPIAL schools have won back-to-back.

Clairton holds the WPIAL record with four in a row in Class 1A from 2009-12. It’s the only time a team from District 7 won more than two in a row.

Thomas Jefferson is the only WPIAL school to do it twice, in 2007-08 in Class 3A and in 2019-20 in Class 4A.

Belle Vernon is looking to join Central Valley (2020-21) as the only WPIAL Class 3A teams to repeat since the expansion to six classifications in 2016.

Conversely, Northwestern Lehigh has never played in a state championship game and is the first school from District 11 to qualify for one since Parkland lost to Central Catholic, 21-18, in the 2015 Class 4A title game.

Northwestern Lehigh doesn’t have any players with eye-popping stats. The Tigers’ leading rusher, senior Dalton Clymer, has 1,705 yards and 29 touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Shane Leh has been efficient with 1,589 yards passing and 22 scores to go along with 349 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

“I think the thing that pops off to me is their line play,” Humbert said. “They’re not the biggest line, but they’ve got really fast linemen. Everything they do, offensively and defensively, is predicated on that line.”

This won’t be the first time Belle Vernon has played a team with quick, athletic players up front. The Leopards slipped past WPIAL Class 4A finalist McKeesport in overtime with a line that featured Bill Fralic Award winner Courtney Dunn. They also shut down an Avonworth squad that had an outstanding front.

“They remind me some of Avonworth in that their line is what propels them,” Humbert said. “They’re able to push people around and the key is that they’re athletic.”

Belle Vernon has its share of athletes, led by Quinton Martin, who has been the center of attention for every team that has played Belle Vernon this season and with good reason. The Penn State recruit is a rare talent who has 1,860 yards from scrimmage this season despite being constantly double- and triple-covered as a receiver and regularly shadowed as a running back.

He’s also just as dangerous on defense as a lockdown cornerback and as a kick returner.

But what has become prevalent this season is, the more teams overcompensate for Martin, the more everyone else on the team compensates.

Belle Vernon has three players, Anthony Crews, Colton Lee and Kole Doppelheuer, who each have at least 10 catches on the season. Quarterback Braden Laux may not be a typical dual-threat, but his ability to run cannot be ignored.

Doppelheuer and Jake Gedekoh have also handled the running game when Martin moves outside and 12.8 yards a carry between them.

It’s also what makes Belle Vernon so difficult to defend.

“If you look at how we operate and what we do, you never know who is going to be called upon at any given time,” Humbert said. “I just know our line has to be stout this week. If we’re going to be able to accomplish the goal that we covet, our line is going to have to be solid.”