PLUM DETERMINED
TO RETURN TO WPIALS
by DOUG GULASy
A quick-passing heavy thunderstormbriefly
knocked out power at
Plum during a late-July workout.
“We can keep going,” coachMatt
Morgan said as he described his
team for the upcoming season.
“There’s a backup generator.”
Indeed, the power kicked back on
about aminute later.Morgan could
use some of the same timeliness
from some of his former backup
players this fall.
The graduation of about 25 players
means Plum is looking at new
faces in a lot of places this fall, but
the Mustangs believe their up-andcomers
can generate the program’s
first WPIAL playoff appearance
since 2015.
“With the younger group, obviously
they’re going to be a little bit
more undisciplined,” senior quarterbackHunter
Linhart said. “But
with a younger group, you also
have a little more athleticism and
a little more excitement. They’re
excited to get on the field and do
plays and go through practice, and
it helps the other guys on the field
when they might be down.”
The team’s youth meant Plum’s
coaches practiced a bit more patience
in the offseason, but they
also had to strike a balance in order
tomake sure the players would
be ready in time for a difficult
Class 5A schedule.
“There’s a lot of teaching, a lot
of expectations that these kids
are not normally used to because
they’re so young, but they’re kind
of thrown in there fast,” said Morgan,
a former standout offensive
lineman at Plum and Pitt now
entering his sixth season as coach
at his alma mater.
“Overall, I think the kids that
do come here work their butts off.
We’ve thrown a lot at themalready.
That’s a lot of learning for young
guys.”
One thing that can’t be taught is
a strong mentality, which Morgan
is hoping to see develop with the
Mustangs after a 3-7 campaign
last fall.
“I hate losing, so going 3-7 is not
good,” said senior Cooper Aubele,
a three-year starter on the line. “I
want payback.”
Morgan compared the situation
to 2014, when an under-the-radar
Plum team upset favored Penn
Hills in the first round of the
WPIAL playoffs.
“These kids have to start developing
that attitude,” Morgan
said. “(The 2014 team) was an older
group that kind of understood. It
was all juniors and seniors. They
were done losing. That’s the kind
of mentality we want these guys
to have. We want them to grow off
that 3-7 season. They’ve got to get
better, and they’ve got to get stronger,
tougher and understand that’s
not acceptable for our standards.”
Compared to last season’s 20-plus
seniors, this group has only six or
seven, Morgan said.Those players,
such as Linhart or Aubele, will
take on a greater importance as
they try to guide their younger
teammates.
“Whenever they’ve got questions,
they know to come to us,”
Linhart said. “We can answer
them. They know they can rely
on us. As starters, they might be
starting as young guys. They’ve
got some nerves, so they come to
us, and we can calm them down
and help them through it.”
Linhart, who passed for 103
yards in part-time work last season,
takes over as full-time starter
this fall. Corey Thomas graduated,
and junior Anthony Little can no
longer play because of a heart
condition.
Although some of the skill players
are young, Morgan likes their
talent. Top wide receivers include
junior Nic Sluka and sophomores
Reed Martin and Max Matolscy.
Martin caught six passes last season,
tops among the returnees.
The running back group includes
junior NateDumbaugh and
sophomores Josh Cummings and
BillyGuzzi,who will try to replace
the production of Colton Robb and
Dakota Sunday, who combined for
more than 1,000 yards and eight
touchdowns on the ground last
season.
“They’re all different types of
backs,” Morgan said. “One’s more
of a straight-ahead, slasher type of
guy (Dumbaugh), the other one’s
more of the athletic one (Guzzi),
and then you’ve got the big bruising
running back (Cummings).
We’ve got different styles, and
we’ve just got to see what best fits
us offensively and fits our needs.
“… In our previous five years
here, we’ve never really had that
one guy that could take the ball 20
to 30 carries a game, like your Zane
Dudeks of the world. I’ve always
had running back by committee,
and it’s always worked well for us.
We kind of go with the hot hands.”
Aubele, the left tackle, and senior
left guard Adam Garvin return on
the offensive line.
Defensive players to watch include
junior linemen Akil Washington
and Aidan Wetmore, while
senior Seth Norcutt and sophomore
Preston Sunday will lead the
linebacking corps.
Plum remained in Class 5A
through realignment and will play
in a conference with Albert Gallatin,
Connellsville, Franklin Regional,
defending WPIAL champion
Gateway, Latrobe, McKeesport
and Penn-Trafford.
Morgan said several teams in the
loaded Class 5A are in a similar
position to the Mustangs’: searching
for their identities before the
season begins.Plum takes on Highlands
in aWeek Zero gameAug. 24.
“We want to win here,” Morgan
said. “We want these kids to
grow up the right way and be good
student-athletes and members of
society when they get older. People
like winners, and we’ll keep
going.”
TRIBUNE-REVIEW • SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 • 5
SCHEDULE
Coach: Matt Morgan
2017 record: 3-7, 3-5
All-time record: 322-400-27
Date Opponent Time
8.24 Highlands 7
8.31 at Franklin Regional* 7
9.7 Gateway* 7
9.14 at Connellsville* 7
9.22 at McKeesport* 1
9.28 Penn-Trafford* 7
10.5 at Albert Gallatin* 7
10.12 Latrobe* 7
10.19 at Belle Vernon 7
10.26 Hempfield 7
*CLASS 5A FOOTHILLS CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Anthony Little
43-104, 489 yards, 6 TDs
Rushing: Colton Robb*
128-708 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving: Dom Carlisano*
6-105 yards, 1 TD
*GRADUATED
No. Name Pos. Ht/Wt. Cl.
1 William Guzzi RB/DB 5-7/155 So.
2 Reed Martin WR/DB 5-7/160 So.
3 James Rose WR/DB 6-1/175 Sr.
4 Jimmy Schropp RB/WR/DB 5-11/185 Sr.
5 Nathan Dumbaugh RB/DB 5-7/150 Jr.
7 Max Matolcsy WR/LB/DB 6-0/190 So.
8 Nic Sluka WR/DB 6-1/170 Jr.
9 Logan Brooks WR/DB 5-9/150 Fr.
10 Ryan Hubner QB/WR/DB5-10/170 So.
11 Jaxon Marzec WR/DB 5-10/140 Sr.
12 Jacob Miller QB/LB 5-10/170 Fr.
14 Hunter Linhart QB 6-1/190 Sr.
15 Jason Jackson WR/DB 5-10/150 Jr.
18 Nathan Toth TE/LB 5-11/175 So.
20 Dom Bergamasco WR/DB 5-7/135 Fr.
21 Aidan Tomko WR/DB 5-10/150 Jr.
24 Seth Norcutt TE/LB 6-3/210 Sr.
25 Mason Humphries TE/LB 5-10/220 Jr.
28 Zach Hartley WR/DB 5-3/105 So.
29 Zach Fields WR/DB 5-7/140 So.
30 Preston Sunday RB/LB 5-7/170 So.
34 Omar Kershaw FB/LB 5-10/200 Jr.
35 Larry Scafuri RB/LB 5-10/170 Jr.
36 Josh Cummings RB/LB 5-11/215 So.
42 Rocco Knauss RB/LB 5-8/170 Jr.
50 Cooper Aubele OL/DL 6-3/265 Sr.
52 Jaden Nichols OL/DL 6-0/240 So.
53 Shandon Walsh OL/DL 5-8/165 Fr.
56 Braeden Koehler OL/DL 5-10/225 Jr.
57 Michael Leone OL/DL 5-11/160 Fr.
58 Bill Depew OL/DL 5-9/200 So.
63 Nick Stitt OL/DL 6-2/195 Jr.
64 Jack Majors OL/DL 5-6/195 Fr.
65 Josh Grove OL/DL 5-8/230 Fr.
66 Ian Lamia OL/DL 5-8/230 So.
67 Josh George OL/DL 6-2/185 Jr.
68 Adam Garvin OL/DL 5-10/225 Sr.
72 Evan Azzara OL/DL 6-6/245 So.
73 Luke Wolfe OL/DL 5-10/180 Jr.
77 Aidan Wetmore OL/DL 6-3/255 Jr.
78 Akil Washington OL/DL 6-2/245 Jr.
85 Rocco Capara TE/LB 5-11/185 So.
ROSTER
REED MARTIN
FOOTHILLS
BILLY GUZZI