MORE EXPERIENCE COULD
MEAN MORE WINS FOR GCC
Before the start of last season—
Aaron Smetanka’s first as coach
at Greensburg Central Catholic
— inexperience was a key talking
point for a once-proud high school
football program that was trying
to return to the WPIAL playoffs.
The inexperience showed as the
Centurions, after a ramped-up
preseason conditioning regimen,
managed to improve their record
by only one game from the previous
year.
But asGCCheads into its second
season under the offensive-minded
Smetanka, there is hope for a continued
uptick in victories.
Last season, ClassAGCC played
with just four seniors on its roster
and struggled to an overall record
of 3-7 and an Eastern Conference
mark of 2-5.
“The majority of my team is
returning,” Smetanka said. “We
only lost four seniors.”
It bodes well for a team that is
trying to reverse its fortunes in
the rugged ClassAEastern Conference,
where the likes of perennial
playoff powers Clairton and Jeannette
reside.
Among the departed are James
Rice, the team’s leading receiver,
who is playing baseball at
Mt. Aloysius, and kicker/punter
Ethan Slike, a preferred walk-on
at Akron, who spurned FCS offers
fromRobertMorris and St. Francis
(Pa.).
“We lost some talent, but we’ve
still got enough coming back to
continue to build,” Smetanka said.
A total of 17 starters return —
AARON STASKO (LEFT) AND BRYCE KURPIEL
eight on offense and nine on defense
— for the Centurions, who
played in three WPIAL championship
games during a five-year span
beginning in 2005, losing to Lancaster
Catholic in the PIAA Class
2A championship game in 2009.
Eventually, GCC dropped
to Class A.
On offense, quarterback Max
Pisula and running back Tom
Voelker key the returnees. Pisula,
a 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior, passed
for 1,043 yards and eight touchdowns
and added six rushing TDs
last season.
“He’s going to be used to our
system now, and I’m definitely expecting
a lot out of him,” Smetanka
said.
Voelker was the team’s leading
rusher with 724 yards.
Smetanka is hopeful a healthy
Bryce Kurpiel can complement
the offense after the 6-2, 170-pound
senior wide receiver was sidelined
for a part of the 2017 season with a
hamstring injury.
On the line, Matt Hogan, a 6-1,
260-poundsenior tackle, isworking
out at guard.
“He’s a very versatile athlete,”
Smetanka said. “He’s the leader
of that line, and everyone looks up
to him. He definitely puts the work
in. If guys are stuck in a situation,
he’s like another coach out there.
He’s a very vocal leader.”
GCC’s two leading tackers return
on defense.
Junior safety Luke Mazowiecki
finished with 57 stops and four
interceptions, including one for
a touchdown. Outside linebacker
Zach Dlugos added 55 tackles for
the Centurions.
Middle linebacker Brando Ciccarelli,
a 5-9, 194-pound senior, brings
more leadership to the group after
registering two defensive touchdowns
among his two interceptions
and two fumble recoveries
a year ago.
TRIBUNE-REVIEW • SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 • 29
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SCHEDULE
Coach: Aaron Smetanka
2017 record: 3-7, 2-5
All-time record: 339-227-18
Date, Opponent, Time
8.24 Tuscarawas C.C., Ohio 7
8.31 Riverview* 7
9.7 at Clairton* 7
9.14 Leechburg* 7
9.21 Imani Christian* 7
9.28 at Springdale* 7
10.5 Mapletown 7
10.12 at Jeannette* 7
10.19 Cornell 7
10.26 at Southmoreland 7
*CLASS A EASTERN CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Max Pisula
89-178, 1,043 yards, 6 TDs
Rushing: Tom Voelker
135-724 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving: James Rice*
23-302 yards, 3 TDs
*GRADUATED
No. Name Pos. Ht/Wt. Cl.
2 David Altimore QB/DB 5-11/160 So.
4 Ben LaCarte WR/DB 6-1/175 Jr.
5 Tom Voelker RB/LB 5-9/175 Jr.
6 Max Pisula QB/LB 6-2/212 Sr.
8 Jacob Reihart WR/DB 6-3/167 Sr.
9 Joe Blahovec WR/DB 6-1/168 Fr.
11 Charles Silke WR/DE 5-9/141 Fr.
13 Brandon Brown WR/DB 5-10/171 Jr.
14 Sam Szweda WR/RB/DB 6-0/169 So.
16 Nate Ward K/P 5-10/144 Jr.
18 Dan Voelker RB/LB 5-8/137 Fr.
19 Danny Dlugos FB/LB 5-9/163 Fr.
21 Bryce Kurpiel WR/DB 6-1/180 Sr.
22 Aaron Stasko WR/DB 5-11/152 Fr.
23 Zach Kuvinka RB/LB 5-9/174 Jr.
24 Brando Ciccarelli HB/LB 5-9/215 Sr.
26 Luke Mazowiecki WR/S 5-9/170 Jr.
30 Zachary David RB/FB/LB 5-7/177 Fr.
32 Zach Dlugos WR/LB 5-8/158 So.
48 Alexander Colcombe WR/DB 6-0/173 Fr.
50 Sergio Bell C/DL 5-8/229 Sr.
53 Joseph Semelka TE/OL/DE 6-1/200 Fr.
54 Dominick Weber TE/OL/LB 6-3/224 So.
56 Chase Pisula OL/DE 6-0/208 Jr.
57 David Kratzenberg OL/TE/DE 6-4/219 Sr.
60 Jake Fierle OL/DL/DE 6-0/185 Sr.
62 Tyler Shafer OL/DL 5-11/217 Fr.
63 Alex Johnston OL/DL 6-0/226 So.
68 Isaac Kuhns OL/DL 6-0/217 Jr.
73 Connor Petrunak OL/DL 5-11/280 Jr.
76 Matt Hogan OL/DE 6-0/255 Sr.
77 Andrew Mazik OL/DL 6-0/325 Jr.
89 Cole Spivak TE/DE 6-2/207 Fr.
ROSTER
by DAVE MACKALL
TOM VOELKER
EASTERN