The vibes are all positive at South Allegheny as the Gladiators look to build on one of the most successful seasons in program history.
South Allegheny went 9-3 and won a WPIAL playoff game for the first time 1986, a remarkable turnaround after going 1-9 each of the previous two seasons.
“We’re pretty optimistic right now and are feeling good about ourselves,” third-year coach Brian Hanson said. “The kids are putting the work in and we have some experience coming back. The goals are high and the standards are high.”
A year after placing third in the Allegheny Conference, South Allegheny will look to ascend to the very top. It won’t be easy, though, especially considering the Gladiators graduated a strong senior class that included quarterback Ryan Cortes, running back-defensive back Cameron Epps and fullback-linebacker Camden Lewis. Cortes passed for 2,334 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Epps and Lewis combined to rush for more than 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Hanson said that junior Derrick Pace and senior Joe Gamret have been vying for the starting running back job. Regardless of who is carrying the ball, Hanson said he likes his team’s chances due to the fact that four starters return along the offensive line — seniors Markus Hanson, Bryce Guest, Layton Adams and sophomore Peyton Aschmeller.
“I’ve always had the philosophy as a former lineman that it doesn’t matter who carries the ball,” Brian Hanson said. “If we control the line, we’re going to be all right.”
There are six sets of brothers on the team, Hanson said, with the most notable siblings being Drew and Alijah Cook. Drew is a senior wide receiver-defensive back and Alijah a sophomore quarterback. After not playing football his sophomore year, Drew had a breakout junior season that saw him finish with 80 receptions for 1,490 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to all-state recognition. The Gladiators are hoping for a similar outcome for Alijah, who did not play last season but is the front-runner to replace Cortes as the starting quarterback.
“He skipped a year just like Drew, but he was at every single game and came to practices,” Hanson said. “He was a quarterback growing up. Ever since Christmas time he’s been with us. We like where he’s at. He’s probably the smartest kid on the team.”
If that’s the case, he’ll likely be throwing the ball quite a bit to his brother, as Drew Cook is one of the top receivers in the WPIAL and has FBS offers.
“We just want [Drew] to focus on dominating,” Hanson said. “I know what he does when the ball is in his hands. I want him to dominate when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands.”
Junior wide receiver Kai Myers and senior tight end Austin Schane are also returning starters on offense. Eight starters return on defense, including defensive linemen Guest, Aschmeller and junior Cash Pistilli. Schane and junior Max Jeffcoat are back at linebacker, while Cook, Pace and junior Chance Cole are returning starters in the secondary.
Steel Valley saw its three-year reign as conference champion end last season when the Ironmen finished in second place and went 9-4 overall after falling to Seton LaSalle in the WPIAL semifinals.
Veteran coach Ray Braszo had two all-conference players graduate from that team, the biggest loss being running back-linebacker Donald Barksdale, who ranked among the WPIAL leaders with 2,150 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns. But while the Ironmen lose one talented Barksdale brother, they bring back another. Senior quarterback-defensive back Da’Ron Barksdale is a Pitt recruit who was named all-conference on defense last season.
South Park is fresh off a conference title and its first WPIAL title since 2005, but repeating either feat will be difficult considering last year’s squad was very senior heavy. The Eagles graduated their entire offensive line and star running back Eric Doerue.
However, the Eagles do return senior quarterback-defensive back Robert Lenzi and junior running back-linebacker Colsen Heynes. Both were all-conference picks on the defensive side of the ball last season. Lenzi also rushed for 921 yards and 14 touchdowns while passing for 649 yards and six touchdowns.
Few teams have to replace as “big” of a contributor as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which graduated all-conference quarterback-defensive end Vann Kavals (6 feet 5, 230 pounds). Kavals now plays at Akron. Senior tight end-linebacker Owen Tonery is one of the top returnees.
Ligonier Valley looks to improve after finishing 3-7 a season ago. John Jablunovsky, a 1,000-yard rusher and PIAA high jump champion, graduated, but longtime coach Roger Beitel brings back senior quarterback Bowie Schreyer and senior defensive end Cameron Kunkle.
Apollo-Ridge went just 1-8 in 2024, its only win coming by a field goal against Ligonier Valley in the season finale. The Vikings return senior quarterback Alex Clawson, junior wide receiver Logen Schrock and senior wide receiver Jaden McCray. Clawson passed for 1,762 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The only new coach in the conference can be found at Shady Side Academy, where Andrew Geisler takes over a team that went 2-8 a season ago. Geisler is a 2012 Shady Side Academy graduate who was previously an assistant coach at Thiel.
Midwestern Conference
Following its best season in decades, Ellwood City hopes to again assert itself as one of the top teams in the classification. The Wolverines finished 10-1 a season ago, winning a conference title for the first time since 1997 and reaching the WPIAL semifinals for the first time since 1987.
Coach Dan Bradley must replace four all-conference players, among them running back Elijah Palmer-McCane and quarterback Chris Smiley, but the cupboard of talent is not bare. Senior wide receiver-defensive back DaiLonn Currie is one of the top returnees. An all-conference pick on defense, Currie caught 25 passes, scored seven touchdowns and had three interceptions.
Also returning are senior wide receiver Domenik Hogue and senior linebacker Deklan O’Brien. Hogue led Ellwood City in receiving with 32 receptions for 463 yards and O’Brien led the team with 79 tackles, including 14 for loss.
Mohawk looks to continue to climb the standings after finishing in third place and advancing to the WPIAL quarterfinals last season when it went 7-4. The Warriors boast one of the WPIAL’s best all-around athletes in senior Bobby Fadden. The question is where will Fadden play this season? Fadden led the Warriors in receiving his sophomore season before moving to quarterback last season when he passed for 1,682 yards, ran for 618 and accounted for 25 touchdowns.
Fadden was an all-conference choice in 2024, as was senior lineman Dan Monaco, who earned recognition on both sides of the ball. Also back is junior running back-linebacker Cash Stratton, who ran for 489 yards and collected 69 tackles, third best on the team. Senior linebacker Joey Nail also returns.
Western Beaver went 8-3 last season, its only conference loss coming to Ellwood City by six points. The Golden Beavers averaged 33.7 points per game, which led the conference and ranked third in the classification.
This is a team that lost several key pieces, the biggest being quarterback Jaivin Peel (transferred to Kiski School) and wide receiver-defensive back Chris Kirkland (graduated). Peel ranked among the WPIAL passing leaders and Kirkland was named all-conference on offense and defense. The top returnees include running back Wyatt Sparbanie, who led the team in rushing, and senior lineman Blaine Crislip.
Senior all-conference lineman Tyler Richards returns for Riverside, which improved on its 1-8 finish in 2023 by going 6-6 last season. The Panthers must replace leading rusher Robbie Janis and top receiver Zach Hare, but senior wide receiver-defense back Hunter Garcia and sophomore quarterback Aidan Gaydosz return.
John Macuga did an excellent job in his first season as coach at New Brighton, guiding a team that didn’t win a game the previous two seasons to a 4-6 record. Macuga will now look for more improvement in Year 2 and will do it with a cast of players that includes senior running back-defensive back Jojo Montanez and junior linebacker Heath Lewis, an all-conference pick in 2024.
Union was so-so in its first season in Class 2A after moving up from Class 1A. The Scotties began the season 0-5 before winning three of their final four games to finish 3-6. Senior Damien Carbone is one of the team’s top linemen.
Freedom was 2-2 at one point last season but then dropped its final four games to close the season with a record of 2-6. Senior running back-defensive back Garrett Drutarosky and junior running back-defensive back Kaden Bailey return.
There’s nowhere to go but up for Beaver Falls, which went 0-10 and finished in last place in the conference last season after winning a WPIAL title a season earlier. The Tigers were outscored, 355-50, and were shut out six times. Senior wide receiver-defensive back Kenny Jewell was one of the team’s top pass catchers.
Century Conference
With Khalil Taylor back in the fold and Anthony Smith joining the mix, Seton LaSalle appeared to be the unquestioned favorite to win the WPIAL title. But the Rebels’ roster was thrown for a loop last month when Smith, a sophomore quarterback with Power Four offers, was ruled ineligible for the regular season and postseason after transferring from Southmoreland, while Taylor, one of the nation’s top junior wide receivers, transferred to Pine-Richland. In addition, Nelson Coleman, a talented junior defensive back, moved to Georgia.
And while the Rebels might not be as potent as once suspected, this is still a good team that could very well make a return trip to Acrisure Stadium after going 11-1 and falling to South Park in last year’s WPIAL final. Coach Tim Storino brings back three all-conference players, a group that includes senior linebacker Will Martin, senior defensive end Aaron Loritts and junior offensive lineman Brody Dilla. Martin is a Duquesne recruit and Loritts a Monmouth recruit.
Washington had a rare below-.500 season in 2024 when it finished 5-6, but the Little Prexies could bounce back in a big way this fall. Three all-conference performers return, among them junior fullback Trenton Grooms, sophomore wide receiver-defensive back Ameer Nelson and senior linebacker Jahvon Woods. Grooms led the team in rushing last season.
Also back for Washington is senior quarterback Tristan Reed, a Miami (Ohio) recruit who was recruited to play wide receiver.
Keystone Oaks started 3-2 last season before finishing with losses in four of its final five games. Two of those defeats were by one point and the Golden Eagles lost to Mohawk by seven in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.
Looking to help the Golden Eagles improve on that 4-6 record will be senior wide receiver-defensive back Sean O’Brien and senior defensive end Carmen Pellarin, both all-conference selections last season.
The 2024 season was a big one for Carlynton, which went 6-5 and qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2001. A wild-card qualifier, the Cougars lost to Western Beaver in the first round.
Carlynton lost 17 seniors from that team, including 1,000-yard rusher John Sciulli. Leading the charge this season will be senior wide receiver Damien Holloway, an all-conference honoree who had 30 receptions for 569 yards and seven touchdowns.
Joe Kuhns is the new coach at Waynesburg. It’s the second stint for Kuhns at the school after he served as coach from 2009-11. He takes over a squad that went 6-5 last season.
Junior wide receiver-linebacker Jack Ricciuti and senior wide receiver-linebacker Jeffrey Blair are two of the top returnees. Ricciuti paced the team with 31 catches for 489 yards and Blair led the way with 74 tackles.
Charleroi will also be breaking in a new coach. Scott DeUnger is a 1997 Charleroi grad who takes the reins of a program that won just one game combined over the past two seasons. Senior quarterback Jackson Keranko passed for 1,115 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024.
Sto-Rox looks to rebound after going winless last season. Junior Devant Jackson returns at quarterback.
Players to watch
Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley, 5-10, 175, QB-DB, Sr. — The Ironmen lost star running back-linebacker Donald Barksdale, but younger brother Da’Ron is outstanding in his own right. The Pitt defensive recruit figures to make a sizable impact on both sides of the ball.
Drew Cook, South Allegheny, 6-1, 160, WR-DB, Sr. — Let Drew cook. That will likely be South Allegheny coach Brian Hanson’s plan quite a bit this season. Cook was named all-state in 2024 when he had 80 catches for 1,490 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Bobby Fadden, Mohawk, 6-1, 155, WR-DB, Sr. — Fadden, an outstanding all-around athlete, was an all-conference receiver his sophomore season and an all-conference quarterback his junior year, so wherever the Warriors put him he will almost assuredly put up some big numbers.
Will Martin, Seton LaSalle, 6-2, 220, TE-LB, Sr. — Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And this Will hopes to lead the Rebels back to Acrisure Stadium for the second year in a row. Martin is a Duquesne recruit and one of the WPIAL’s top linebackers.
Tristan Reed, Washington, 6-4, 180, QB, Sr. — Wash High had a rare down season last fall, but with Reed back, the Little Prexies could see lots of improvement. Reed was the team’s top passer and No. 2 rusher in 2024. The Miami (Ohio) recruit is expected to play receiver in college.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.