Moon out to prove 2019 was no fluke
It’s no secret that Class 5A is loaded with talent, especially in the Allegheny Six Conference.
Post- Gazette No. 3- ranked Upper St. Clair and No. 4 Peters Township both feature a pair of Preseason Fabulous 22 selections, and South Fayette brings plenty of star power and a rich tradition with it from Class 4A as well. But there’s another team lurking in the shadows that poses a serious threat to any opponent in Class 5A — a team that beat the Panthers and Indians in back- toback games last season on its way to a share of the Allegheny Eight conference title.
It may only happen once in a blue moon, but Moon is once again a legitimate WPIAL title contender under fourth- year coach Ryan Linn.
“Last year we maybe took everybody by surprise,” Linn said. “We thought we’d get to the playoffs, but I didn’t think we’d get to that conference championship point yet. The confidence started to build and the kids started to believe in what we were doing, and it’s just contagious. It took off.”
The Tigers finished 9- 3 last season while playing in arguably the toughest conference in the WPIAL, a remarkable turnaround after going 2- 8 in 2018. Moon had only one winning season from 2007- 18, winning six games in 2013. Going into last season, the Tigers hadn’t reached the playoffs since 2014 and hadn’t won a conference championship since 2003.
Something changed in Linn’s third season at the helm, though. Moon created an identity as one of the most physical teams in the WPIAL, controlling the line of scrimmage with its dominant defensive line and winning the time of possession
and turnover battle more often than not.
Linn, 39, may not have as much experience as some of the other coaches in the conference, but he knows a winning formula when he sees one.
“I think that’s kind of our M. O.,” Linn said. “Play good defense, don’t turn the ball over, take advantage of mistakes, and offensively, whatever they give us, we’re going to take. Nothing is going to change.”
With eight starters returning on both sides of the ball and a real sense of confidence building inside the Tigers’ locker room, there’s a preseason buzz emanating throughout the program that hasn’t been felt since the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Not only that, some members of Moon’s 1998 WPIAL title- winning team — the team responsible for hanging the only WPIAL championship banner in program history — have taken notice.
“One of them told me, he said he’s gotten a lot of text messages like, ‘ Hey, you’ve got a bunch of old guys excited about football again,’” Linn said. “Just because of the way we play, and it brings back memories of when we were winning games in the late ’ 90s.”
Even with the majority of starters returning on both sides of the ball, though, the Tigers will have at least one major hole to fill. Standout lineman Brenden Luffey was a Fabulous 22 selection a year ago, and his presence alone created a handful of opportunities for his fellow linemen to shine.
“We had the ability last year to get pressure with four or five kids, without having to blitz all three linebackers or two linebackers,” Linn said. “We were able to blitz one and do some things that created pressure, and the guys in the back were just awesome.”
Luffey was the unquestioned leader of last year’s unit, but don’t expect Moon’s line to suddenly turn into swiss cheese without him. Junior defensive end Ben Bladel was a firstteam all- conference selection after racking up 22 ½ sacks as a sophomore, while senior defensive end Dalton Dobbins made second team all- conference.
“He’s a throwback kid,” Linn said about Bladel. “Doesn’t want to come off the field. No gloves, no nothing. … He’s just an oldschool type of kid. Get the hard hat and go to work.
“He’s one of our leaders, and we’re expecting another big year out of him.”
The Tigers also need to replace a two- year starter at quarterback in Dante Clay, but Linn and his staff are in luck. That’s because junior quarterback McGowan filled in valiantly for Clay when the starter went down with an injury last season, even leading the team to its upset 21- 13 win against eventual WPIAL runner- up Peters Township.
McGowan completed 45 of
81 passes for 670 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions in 2019, and Linn said he has put on about 25 pounds of muscle over the offseason. He’ll also have his go- to receiving target back in senior Dawson
Snyder, who caught 36 passes for 565 yards and seven scores as a junior.
“Ty kind of gets overlooked, which is OK with me,” Linn said. “We’re fine with that. We can feed the underdog role.”
Although Moon still relishes its role as one of the darkhorses in Class 5A, the Tigers won’t be catching many teams by surprise this year — after all, they are the defending conference champions. Still, even after going above and beyond expectations in 2019, Linn said simply matching last year’s achievements won’t be good enough in 2020. “This year, I said, ‘ You can’t get comfortable. Now you know where you want to go. Now you know what it takes to get there, and now you know what it feels like when you lose. So take that with you. “We were good last year, but it wasn’t good enough. Don’t get complacent with the success. Don’t get complacent and don’t get comfortable.’”