Dual-threat QB fueling Fort Cherry
Around this time last year, Fort Cherry was mired in a 22-game losing streak with no end in sight under first-year coach Tanner Garry.
The Rangers snapped that skid with a 38-8 win at Northgate on Oct. 2 of last year, but still, nobody batted an eye. Then, everything changed the following week, when Fort Cherry defeated Rochester, 21-19, in arguably the most shocking upset of the 2020 season.
This time around, it’s safe to say the Rangers won’t be catching the Rams off guard — or anyone else in Class 1A, for that matter. When Fort Cherry (4-2, 2-1) travels to take on Class 1A No. 2 Rochester (4-1, 2-1) on Friday, it won’t be billed as the “David and Goliath” matchup many viewed it as last season. Instead, the Rangers will go into the game with legitimate hopes of knocking off the Rams once again and putting themselves in position to compete for a Big Seven Conference title.
“Some of the coaches were texting our group chat and asking, ‘ What do you see, what do you think?’ My only response was, ‘It’s Rochester,’” Garry said. “You know what you’re going to get out of them. They have tough kids who play physical. They have kids who fly around. … They clearly have had success with what they do. I have nothing but respect for Rochester.
“That was a great win for
our program [last year]. Hopefully that’s something that gets the community excited again.”
It’s no secret who has been the driving force being Fort Cherry’s fast start to 2021 — senior quarterback Maddox Truschel.
Truschel is a 6-foot-1, 180pound quarterback who is making a name for himself as one of the most dangerous dual-threat signal-callers in the area. Truschel is coming off back-to-back games of at least 150 rushing yards, and he exploded for 247 yards on the ground in a 27-20 win at Carmichaels on Sept. 10.
For the season, Truschel has completed 46 of 80 passes for 530 yards with eight
touchdowns and seven interceptions to go with 805 yards rushing and seven scores on 108 carries. Truschel ranks seventh in the WPIAL and leads all quarterbacks in rushing entering Week 6.
“I’m trying to find new words to describe Maddox,” Garry said. “When he’s going, we’re going. We know people are keying on him and looking at him, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to line up and play football.”
His breakout season isn’t entirely out of the blue, as Truschel did lead the Rangers in rushing last season with 484 yards in seven games. He also had 904 yards passing last season, but only threw four touchdowns to seven interceptions, showing an increased awareness and ability to take care of the ball as a senior.
“He’s someone who definitely understands defenses and what people are trying to do and what they’re trying to take away from you,” Garry said. “He has a very natural habit of trying to get the ball out of his hands quickly. … He definitely is an all-around quarterback.
“He definitely has a natural ability to run the ball, I can’t lie about that. But he can sling it, too.”
Mount Pleasant
For the first five weeks of the 2021 season, Class 3A No. 5 Mount Pleasant rode the reliable legs of junior Robbie Labuda to a 3-2 start, with Labuda rushing for 463 yards and 10 touchdowns in the team’s first five games.
Last week, the Vikings took a different approach in a 27-12 win against Yough, as senior Aaron Alakson rushed for 153 yards and three scores
Vikings coach Jason Fazekas said there was no specific strategy going into the game that led to Alakson’s big performance. Mount Pleasant’s coaches simply took what the defense was giving them and stuck with Alakson’s hot hand.
“Honestly, it has nothing to do with injuries. I’m not sure why everyone keeps asking that,” Fazekas said. “Every game like that, when we find something, we’ll stick with it. Aaron gave us enough to win, so that’s why we went with him.”
Alakson actually led the Vikings with 630 yards rushing on 94 carries last year, while Labuda ran for 367 yards on 69 carries. Splitting time and sharing the load in the backfield is nothing new for the duo, and the way Fazekas sees it, Mount Pleasant is a better team when both backs are clicking at the same time.
“If you ask any of them, they couldn’t care less how many yards they have, as long as we win the football game,” Fazekas said. “Robbie said something on Friday — not that he didn’t want the ball, but he doesn’t care. If Aaron is the guy, he’s the guy.
“They’re great football players, but what high character kids they are. We’re lucky to have them both on the team.”
Riverview
After an 0-4 start, the Raiders picked up their first win of the 2021 season with a 42-12 rout vs. Imani Christian on Friday, and senior running back Dean Cecere was a big reason why.
Cecere ran for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win for Riverview, raising his totals on the season to 687 yards and six touchdowns on 87 carries. The win snapped a 15-game losing streak for the Raiders, with their most recent victory coming nearly two full years ago on Oct. 4, 2019.