Big win helps Shaler re-focus
Keegan Smetanka and his buddies did a lot of dancing last Saturday.
Shaler held its homecoming dance that night, and Smetanka, along with many of his teammates, danced away the evening hours at the school’s gymnasium.
But that wasn’t the only dancing the group did that day. The other celebration came just a few hours later on the football field when the Titans used a titanic effort to claim a dramatic win and show once again that this isn’t the same old Shaler.
“It was huge. All of our players rushed the field. It was like a circus down there,” said Smetanka, a junior quarterback who was 17 of 22 for 346 yards and five touchdowns.
It was only a September non-conference game, but Shaler’s 42-41 win against Franklin Regional in double overtime was a big one. It improved the Titans to 32, giving them their best start in 11 years, and allowed them to quickly rebound from a 48-7 drubbing by Hempfield the previous week. This is a program that since 2012 has produced six winless seasons and last finished with a winning record in 2010.
“It’s huge on so many levels,” Shaler coach Jim Ryan said. “It’s homecoming, it’s double overtime, we came from behind. We made a lot of crucial mistakes that put us in a bind, but it shows you the resilience of this team.”
In what was a wild game on many levels, Smetanka found Joe DeSabato for a 3yard touchdown in the second overtime to pull Shaler within a point. But instead of going for the tie by attempting an extra point, Ryan decided to go for 2. And it paid off, as Smetanka connected with tight end Brandon London for the winning points.
Smetanka, DeSabato and London are part of a strong junior class that Ryan said began stepping into leadership roles as sophomores. The Smetanka-DeSabato connection has been one of the best in the WPIAL. Smetanka ranks fifth in the WPIAL in passing with 1,037 yards to go along with nine touchdowns. Three of those scoring strikes have gone to DeSabato, who’s tied for third in the WPIAL with 30 receptions.
“It all comes from summer work with him and all our receivers, ”Smetanka said. “We have a great connection. He makes me look good out
there. We’ve been friends since the fourth grade, and that’s helped our connection on the football field.”
But the skill doesn’t stop there for Shaler, which averages 30.4 points a game, a significant uptick from last season when it averaged 17.7. Junior Kaden Orga has 16 catches and London 15, while senior Luke Cignetti leads Class 5A in both rushing (727 yards) and touchdowns (12).
Now come the games that really count. Shaler opens Northeast Conference action Friday against Woodland Hills (3-2, 1-0) at the Wolvarena, and the Titans appear to be in good position to tackle what’s ahead.
“Now we’re really just fine tuning things and ramping things up,” Ryan said. “We’re setting the expectations higher every week.”
Penn-Trafford
John Ruane has had some versatile players in his 13 seasons as Penn-Trafford’s coach. One of them, Conlan Greene, is headed to Temple to play on the defensive line but is Penn-Trafford’s quarterback. And one of the guys Greene beat out for that job might be one of the most versatile players in the area.
Tommy Kalkstein is a senior who is listed as a quarterback on Penn-Trafford’s roster, but “slash” might be more appropriate. Kalkstein rarely leaves the field for the Warriors. Offensively, he’s third on the team in receiving ( 13 catches, 137 yards) and third in rushing (31 carries, 236 yards). Kalkstein took
snaps as a wildcat quarterback in last Friday’s loss to Hempfield and used his 16 carries to run for 168 yards, the highlight coming on a 65-yard touchdown run. He has also attempted two passes this season.
But Kalkstein’s production doesn’t stop there. A safety, he’s third on the team with 20 tackles and is tied for second with one interception. Oh, and he’s also the team’s punter — he averages 32.4 yards a punt — and returns punts, as well.
Woodland Hills
The Woodland Hills defense was ripped apart in a 48-14 mercy-rule loss at Penn-Trafford on Sept. 9. The Wolverines surrendered 28 points in the opening quarter and 42 total in the first half. The 48 points overall were the most scored against them in five seasons.
How did Woodland Hills respond? By posting backto-back shutouts, of course. Go figure.
Whatever was wrong with the Woodland Hills defense might have been cured the past two games, with the Wolverines posting shutouts against North Hills (14-0) and Norwin (250). No other WPIAL Class 5A team has two shutouts this season, let alone two consecutive ones. The Wolverines were especially dominant against Norwin, forcing five turnovers and limiting the Knights to 83 yards of offense (minus-3 rushing, 86 passing).
That defense will get even more of a challenge the next two games. Woodland Hills (3-2, 1-0) hosts Northeast
Conference foe Shaler on Friday before hosting unbeaten Highlands next week. Shaler averages 30.4 points per game and Highlands 26.6.
North Allegheny
Central Catholic doesn’t have its own field, so the Vikings are once again playing “home” games at different sites, one of them being West Mifflin. They hosted North Allegheny there last Friday, and one Tigers player with West Mifflin ties had a career game.
Andrew Gavlik, a senior running back at North Allegheny (5-0, 2-0), rushed for a career-high 153 yards on 24 carries in helping the Tigers remain unbeaten after defeating Central Catholic (2-3, 0-2), 7-3, in Class 6A play. On the season, Gavlik leads the Tigers in rushing with 457 yards and is averaging 6.4 yards a carry.
Gavlik’s dad and uncle both played at West Mifflin. His dad, Mike, is a 1994 graduate of the school. Mike’s brother, Matt, is a 1998 grad. Mike, who is the athletic director at Chartiers Valley, was a lineman for the Titans, while Matt was a quarterback and defensive back. Neither got to play at West Mifflin’s current stadium, though. The Titans didn’t begin playing there until the season after Matt graduated. Prior to that, the team played Saturday afternoon home games at old West Mifflin Middle School.