Jefferson-Morgan has launched itself into the field of WPIAL Class 1A elite teams

Pay a visit to Parker Field in Jefferson, Greene County, and it’s hard to miss the 20-foot-tall rocket that sits just outside the field next to a building with the words “Welcome to the Lanchpad” painted on it.

Parker Field is home to the Jefferson-Morgan Rockets, the beloved football team of a school district that was formed when Jefferson and Morgan High Schools merged in the 1950s.

“When the schools merged they needed a new nickname,” explained Brandon Robinson, Jefferson-Morgan’s superintendent. “When that happened, the space race was going on. The kids were obsessed with that, so they chose Rockets.”

These particular Rockets may not have landed on the moon, but they did land back-to-back WPIAL titles in 1973 and 1974. However, the Rockets were then knocked a bit out of orbit, so to speak. Jefferson-Morgan has not been back to a WPIAL final since, and in this century has only two playoff wins to its name, both coming in 2006.

But Jefferson-Morgan football is no longer a black hole, and, after winning a conference title and finishing the regular season unbeaten a season ago, these Rockets are soaring, and might be even better this season. They are 3-0 and ranked No. 5 in Class 1A by the Pittsburgh Union Progress, and their 41.6 points-per-game scoring average trails only juggernauts Fort Cherry and Clairton among WPIAL Class 1A teams.

“We’ve been playing together our whole lives,” senior Deakyn DeHoet said. “Our line is an absolute monster. It helps us do whatever we want. And our defense has come together. We have good chemistry and we believe in each other.”

It takes a village to help a high school football program rise to prominence, and this particular village involves a cast of characters that includes a head coach with a big red beard who was an Academic All-American in his college playing career; an assistant who is 84 years old; a do-it-all senior who might just be the biggest hidden gem in the WPIAL; a quarterback named after an engine; and three four-year starters on the line, among them 6-foot-4 twins.

Shane Ziats, who said he began growing that beard of his in 2011, has been Jefferson-Morgan’s head coach since 2022. Ziats, 44, is a Beth-Center graduate who was an offensive lineman at California (Pa.), where he went from walk-on to three-year letterman. Ziats earned his undergrad in sports management and his masters in teaching, and he currently teaches at University High School in Morgantown.

Ziats has had his share of stops in his coaching career but was never a head coach. That changed when he took over a program that had won three or fewer games six years in a row and had not qualified for the playoffs in a decade.

“The people, the school, the location. Nice close-knit community,” Ziats said of why he applied for the position. “I knew some of the people that were already here, and this is who gave me a shot.”

The hire turned out to be an excellent one, as Ziats has helped Jefferson-Morgan improve each season, guiding the Rockets to the playoffs each of the past two years. They went 4-6 in 2022 and 6-5 in 2023 before rocketing to a 10-1 mark last season. Last year’s Tri-County South Conference title, which was clinched via a heart-thumping 28-27 win against rival California in the final regular-season game, was the program’s first conference crown since 2006. The unbeaten regular season was their first since 1989.

“We just have a good head coach, and he pushes us each day to do our best,” said John Woodward, one of 10 seniors on the team.

Also pushing the Rockets this season has been 84-year-old assistant Tony Ruscitto, who is likely the oldest coach in the WPIAL. Ruscitto is in his first season at Jefferson-Morgan, but it’s far from his first season coaching. It’s actually his 51st. Ruscitto has coached all around the WPIAL over the past half century, and was actually Beth-Center’s head coach from 2021-24 before his position was opened following last season.

“They wanted to go in a different direction. They thought I was too old, I guess,” Ruscitto quipped.

But Ruscitto, who said he often works seven days a week on his 500-acre farm, decided he wasn’t done with coaching quite yet. So he reached out to Ziats, whom he has known since the latter was an altar boy at the church he attends. Ruscitto referred to himself as a “consultant,” adding that he helps “with the line, the quarterbacks, just about everything.” 

“It’s the knowledge he brings. He’s been in the game for 50-plus years,” Ziats said.

Added DeHoet, “He’s definitely brought wisdom. Old man ball. He gets on us a lot and makes sure we’re going 100% at all times.”

In Class 1A football, having one big standout can go a long way. And Jefferson-Morgan has one in DeHoet (pronounced De-HOOT), a 5-foot-11, 195-pound superstar who plays — and is a major contributor — just about everywhere.

“Everywhere but the line right now,” Ziats said.

DeHoet has played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, cornerback, safety and linebacker this season. He also returns kicks and is the team’s punter. The teen has some serious wheels, as he showed by medaling in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes at last season’s WPIAL Class 2A track championships. 

“He’s a big talent,” Woodward said. “He’s the main key.”

DeHoet, whose main positions are wide receiver and cornerback, continues to unlock his enormous talent, and is off to a great start across the board. DeHoet has 12 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns, 16 carries for 257 yards and six touchdowns, two interceptions and 13 tackles on defense, has returned a punt for a touchdown, and has a long punt of 57 yards. His 10 touchdowns are tied for the WPIAL lead.

“You see it on film, he’s the best around,” Ziats added.

Even someone who has been around the game for as long as Ruscitto appreciates DeHoet’s talents.

“He’s special,” Ruscitto said. “It just amazes me. Anything he touches turns to gold. He kicked the damn punt. That son of a gun was so high it had about a four-second hang time, and it went about 40 yards. And then he’ll kick a line drive and it will go 50 yards. His hands are so strong. He can do anything.”

DeHoet hauled in 53 catches for 1,069 yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago, and said his goals this season are to reach 1,000 rushing, 1,000 receiving and 30 touchdowns. Another goal is to play Division I football, which is still a work in progress. California (Pa.) delivered DeHoet his first offer over the weekend, and he said he’s also heard from Liberty and Kent State.

Jefferson-Morgan has only 60 students in its senior class, and DeHoet isn’t the only gamebreaker among them. Woodward is a running back-linebacker who has been turning heads. He has rushed for 378 yards on 55 carries and has scored six touchdowns on the season, which includes a career-high 205 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 26-10 at Burgettstown. He has also intercepted a pair of passes.

“He’s a good running back and runs the ball very well,” Ziats said.

While DeHoet and Woodward have been the engines of this team, a kid named after an engine has been terrific in his first year as the starting quarterback. Jefferson-Morgan had graduated all-conference performer Houston Guesman, who both passed and rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season. Guesman is now a slot receiver at California (Pa.). Enter Triton Farabee, a junior who said he got his first name because his father is a big fan of Fords, and the Triton is an engine the automobile giant formerly used.

Farabee has been one of the most accurate passers in the WPIAL, completing a staggering 87% of his passes over the first three games. Overall, Farabee is 27 of 32 for 318 yards and a touchdown to go with one rushing touchdown.

“I’ve felt pretty comfortable,” he said. “It’s pretty easy with great receivers.”

A veteran line helps, as well, and there might not be another team in the WPIAL with three four-year starters. Twins Landon (6-4, 250) and Levi Heath (6-4, 225) and Eli Hill (6-0, 270) are seniors who have all been starting since their freshman seasons. Senior Remmington Broadwater is another standout senior lineman.

Jefferson-Morgan and its 35 players are hoping to again be unbeaten conference champions and would love nothing more than to make a long playoff run. Tri-County South teams have struggled mightily in the WPIAL playoffs over the years, but the conference has produced one playoff win each of the past three seasons. The Rockets lost to South Side, 39-30, in the first round of last year’s playoffs, and have not won a postseason game since advancing to the WPIAL semifinals in 2006.

“If we really play like we know how to play, I think we could,” Woodward said.

Fort Cherry is the two-time defending WPIAL Class 1A champion and many believe that the Rangers and Clairton are destined to meet in the final for the second year in a row, but it’s not totally outrageous to suggest that maybe, just maybe, Jefferson-Morgan could crash the party.

“We’re definitely tough and so are they,” DeHoet said, “but I believe if we all have our heads on straight in practice and stayed focus, I believe we can make a run.”