Anthony Smith’s high school coach said that it’s almost like Smith was born to be a quarterback.
While that could be true, Smith didn’t begin playing the position until he was 6. But it didn’t take long for others to be enamored by the youngster’s arm talent.
“We were throwing one day and I could throw it farther than anyone else,” Smith recalled. “Everyone was like, ‘Holy crap. He’s got an arm.’ I’ve been playing quarterback ever since.”
And playing it so well that the Southmoreland ninth grader could be the most gifted freshman quarterback in the WPIAL. Not only is Smith on the verge of breaking school single-season passing yardage and touchdown records, but he has also led the Scotties to a 6-1 start and given them hope that they could win a conference title for the first time since 1979.
Smith, who stands 6 feet 1 and weighs 185 pounds, lives in the borough of Scottdale, and “Great Scott!” is he having a fabulous freshman season. Smith ranks third in the WPIAL with 18 touchdown passes and his 1,491 passing yards ranks seventh. He has also rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Smith’s production has helped Southmoreland pump out 39.8 points per game, which ranks third in WPIAL Class 3A. The Scotties averaged 26.3 points a game last season.
“I’ve been coaching for 33 years and his arm is as strong as I’ve ever coached,” Southmoreland coach Tim Bukowski said. “He’s got a really quick release. It’s almost like he was born to be a quarterback with how he releases it so fast. He can throw the ball 65 yards in the air or hit the 5-yard out.”
Make that 68 yards, Smith said of the longest he has thrown the ball. And while it hasn’t taken Smith long to emerge as a star, it has come with some growing pains. He has completed only 56% of his passes (82 of 145) and has tossed eight interceptions, but both coach and player said that Smith’s game-by-game improvement has been apparent. In his last two games, Smith has completed 31-of-49 passes for 511 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.
“He’s poised beyond his years,” Bukowski said. “I noticed from the beginning of the year until now, he’s become more vocal in the huddle. At that position you have to be a leader, and he’s really grown into that role. He sees the field well, and he’s getting it to the right targets. He had some tough picks. Of his interceptions, four of them went right through our guys’ hands.”
Given that he was a star in youth leagues, Smith’s name has been known in high school football circles for some time. That led to other coaches trying to recruit him to play at their high schools. Bukowski said that at least three schools approached Smith to do just that, but Smith elected to remain at Southmoreland.
“If I wasn’t here, he’d be at another school,” Bukowski said.
Bukowski is probably right. His relationship with Smith and his family goes back some ways. And while Southmoreland is not known as a WPIAL football power — the Scotties went 40 years without making the playoffs before qualifying four of the past five seasons — Bukowski has a quarterback-friendly offense that has seen players register some impressive numbers in recent seasons.
“Schools definitely reached out, but I know his offense. I knew I’d put up numbers here and I knew we were going to win here. I trust him and I trust his offense, and I wanted to be a part of this,” Smith said.
Smith mentioned C.J. Stroud and Drake Maye as being among his favorite NFL quarterbacks, and a former NFL quarterback is actually one of Smith’s coaches. Since seventh grade, Smith has trained with Mike McMahon, the former North Allegheny and Rutgers star who played five seasons in the NFL.
It’s possible that Smith could develop into a Power Four-level quarterback. He’s still waiting on his first offer, but he’s visited many schools already, including Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State and Syracuse. He said he’s taking a gameday visit to the University of Pennsylvania this weekend and will travel to Las Vegas for a UNLV game later this month. Smith said that he has grown up a Pitt fan and said that’s a school he really likes. He also said that Syracuse, which has been showing a lot of interest, is another of his favorite schools.
Smith is one of several impact freshmen on this Southmoreland team. Another is tight end-defensive end Jackson Mickens (6-0, 215), who is second on the team in receiving (20 receptions, 307 yards, 5 touchdowns) and second in sacks with seven to go along with team-best three forced fumbles.
“To have two freshmen that good is rare. Those two kids could possibly play Division I football,” Bukowski said. “Mickens is a five-time state wrestling champ. When he comes off the edge, he’s just like a grown man. He’s just intense. His motor is unbelievable.”
Southmoreland, which last won a conference title 45 years ago, sits in a three-way tie at 2-0 atop the Interstate Conference with three games remaining. The Scotties play the other unbeaten teams the next two weeks (Mount Pleasant and Elizabeth Forward) before finishing up with Greensburg Salem. All three games are on the road.
“Everyone is excited,” Smith said. “We’re not used to having much success, but this team is the real deal.”
Petras set to return
The Bethel Park offense has been clicking on all cylinders this season while scoring a WPIAL-best 51 points per game. What’s scary is that the Black Hawks (7-0) have done it without one of their top skill players, one who is expected to make his season debut in Friday’s showdown against fellow unbeaten Upper St. Clair (7-0).
Senior slot receiver Ryan Petras has been cleared by doctors and will play Friday, Bethel Park coach Phil Peckich confirmed Wednesday. Petras had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder this summer, causing Petras to miss his team’s first seven games of the season. Petras is one of the WPIAL’s top pass catchers and last season ranked among the district leaders with 52 catches for 734 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 409 yards rushing. He has committed to Princeton, where he plans on playing football and baseball.
With Petras back, a Bethel Park offense rich in talent will get even richer. Quarterback Tanner Pfeuffer (1,667 yards, 23 touchdowns) leads the WPIAL in passing, running back JaVaughn Moore (1,251 yards, 21 touchdowns) ranks third in the WPIAL in rushing and fourth in touchdowns, and wide receiver Mitchell Paschl (30 catches, 546 yards, 11 touchdowns) has emerged as Pfeuffer’s favorite target in what has been a breakout season.
When Bethel Park topped Upper St. Clair, 22-10, a season ago, Petras ran for 146 yards and a touchdown on five carries and added 60 yards on five receptions.
Burrell RB a workhorse
Trey Coury is a Burrell Buc, but he might also now be known as a horse — a workhorse that is — following one of the most “busy” two-game stretches by a player in WPIAL history.
Coury may not be big (5 feet 7, 180 pounds), but that didn’t stop the sophomore running back from putting up big numbers in wins — the first two of Burrell’s season — against East Allegheny and Valley the past two weeks. In those games, Coury carried the ball an astounding 107 times. He had 54 carries for 252 yards and two touchdowns against East Allegheny before totaling 53 carries for 266 yards and two touchdowns against Valley.
It’s rare for a high school player to receive 40 or more carries in a game, let alone 50-plus. Just last season, Pine-Richland’s Ethan Pillar set a WPIAL record with 56 carries in a game against Central Catholic. But Pillar had only 17 carries his next game and his second-highest rush total of the season was only 34.
If Coury hasn’t already been busy enough running the ball, he also plays safety, returns kicks and is Burrell’s punter. Coury’s latest 200-yard rushing effort pushed him over 1,000 yards for the season. He has now run for 1,047 yards on 220 carries.
And how’s this for a stat, one that Burrell coach Shawn Liotta called “kind of mind boggling” … Burrell has run the ball 338 times this season and has zero fumbles. Not one.
Waynesburg’s Stephenson shines
Jake Stephenson’s X handle is @jake6step, a fitting moniker considering his personal 6-step program helped lead Waynesburg to a big win last week — passing, rushing, scoring, tackling, blocking a kick, picking off a pass … Stephenson’s terrific play in a 27-26 overtime win against Carlynton was one of the best all-around performances by a WPIAL player this season.
Stephenson is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior quarterback-safety whose big night saw him run for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, complete 8-of-10 passes for 113 yards, and collect 10 tackles. But that’s not all Stephenson did. He also came up with a couple of gigantic plays late in the game, blocking an extra-point try after a fourth-quarter Carlynton touchdown to force overtime, running for a touchdown on the first possession of overtime to give the Raiders the lead, and then intercepting a pass that sealed the victory.
Stephenson is no one-hit wonder, as he has been excellent this season overall. He’s 62-of-102 passing for 774 yards and two touchdowns, has rushed for 631 yards and 13 touchdowns on 88 carries (7.2 yards per carry) and is second on the team with 43 tackles. He has helped Waynesburg remain in the hunt for a WPIAL Class 2A playoff berth. The Raiders are 4-3 overall and are tied for third in the Century Conference with a 2-1 record.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.