VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH • SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2021 • 13
LOGAN BROOKS
Coach: Matt Morgan
2020 record: 8-1, 7-0 in
Class 4A Greater Allegheny
Conference
All-time record: 335-416-27
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
8.27 at Franklin Regional 7
9.3 at North Hills 7
9.10 Fox Chapel 7
9.17 Indiana* 7
9.24 Mars* 7
10.1 at Highlands* 7
10.8 Hampton* 7
10.15 Knoch* 7
10.22 at Armstrong* 7
10.29 Greensburg Salem* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Ryan Hubner*
83-141, 1,301 yards, 15 TDs
Rushing Eryck Moore
108-862, 13 TDs
Receiving Reed Martin*
39-534, 6 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACT
• Not only did Plum win a
conference title last year for
the first time in 35 years, but
it completed its first undefeated
regular season since 1975.
PLUM PLANNING ENCORE
AFTER BREAKOUT SEASON
No. Name Pos. Ht/Wt. Cl.
1 Eryck Moore RB/LB 6-1/190 Jr.
2 David Westrick WR/DB 5-10/185 Sr.
3 Jack Tongel WR/LB 5-8/160 So.
4 Shandon Walsh TE/DE 5-10/185 Sr.
5 Darian Nelson WR/RB/DB 6-1/180 Fr.
6 Sean Franzi QB/DB 5-8/150 So.
7 Michael Leone TE/LB 6-1/170 Sr.
8 Sa-mo Pitts WR/DB 6-4/160 Sr.
9 Logan Brooks WR/DB 5-11/175 Sr.
10 Noah Odom WR/DB 5-7/135 Fr.
11 Santino Saccone QB/DB 6-0/170 Jr.
12 Anthony Futules QB/DB 5-10/145 Fr.
13 Anthony Irwin WR/DB 5-10/170 So.
14 Brady Dojonovic QB/LB 5-10/175 Jr.
16 Vincent Febbraro WR/DB 5-7/150 So.
18 Dominic Colamarino WR/DB 6-1/155 Fr.
19 Michael Barr WR/DB 6-0/145 So.
20 Brandon Wiesenbach QB/LB 5-11/170 So.
24 Keyonta Finley RB/OL/LB 5-7/165 Jr.
25 Gio Yanovich WR/DB 5-1/100 Fr.
26 Dominic Beyer RB/LB 5-5/145 So.
27 Deon Steave WR/DB 5-8/175 Jr.
28 Nicholas Sheffo RB/LB 5-9/140 Fr.
29 Grant Durst WR/DB 5-7/130 So.
33 Adam Smith RB/LB 5-9/150 Fr.
34 Landon Marullo RB/LB 5-7/165 Fr.
36 Nicholas Odom RB/DE 5-7/170 Fr.
40 Nyan East WR/DB 5-8/140 So.
42 Ryan Grimm WR/DB 5-6/160 Fr.
43 Naiser Quarles WR/DB 5-6/185 Fr.
44 Trent Reese RB/DB 5-7/145 Fr.
45 Kendas Quarles WR/DB 5-10/195 Jr.
48 Thomas Payne RB/LB 5-7/170 Jr.
52 Kade Thomas OL/DL 6-0/180 Jr.
53 Joshua Curry OL/DL 5-4/175 Fr.
55 Nate Kondas OL/DL 5-10/220 So.
56 Matthew Horvatic OL/DL 6-1/175 So.
57 James Burgess OL/DL 6-3/185 Fr.
58 Logan Wiesenbach OL/DL 5-10/185 So.
60 Max Scheer OL/DL 6-1/225 So.
62 Logan O’Donnell OL/DL 6-0/220 Jr.
64 Jack Majors OL/DL 5-10/255 Sr.
65 Austin Mitchell OL/DL 5-11/230 Jr.
66 Jacob Shipley OL/DL 5-7/205 So.
71 Chase Schrock OL/DL 6-1/260 Fr.
72 Devin Curler OL/DL 6-2/250 So.
73 Colin Golebiewski OL/DL 6-4/200 Sr.
76 Collin Popilli OL/DL 5-9/210 Jr.
77 Jordan Major OL/DL 6-2/275 Sr.
78 Mason Essig OL/DL 6-1/280 Fr.
79 Wayne Griffin OL/DL 6-1/300 Sr.
80 Matthew Loehlein WR/DB 5-9/140 So.
84 Zac Napierkowski WR/DB 5-10/140 So.
85 Darian Slaughter TE/DE 6-0/220 Fr.
86 Preston Nixdorf WR/DB 5-7/110 Fr.
87 Ben Hartley WR/DB 5-3/100 Fr.
88 Dorrian Anderson TE/DL 5-7/200 Fr.
89 Angelo Baleno RB/DB 5-7/160 Fr.
ROSTER
Plum football enters this fall
in a position it hasn’t been in
since 1983: defending conference
champion.
The Mustangs had a banner year
in 2020, going undefeated in the
Greater Allegheny Conference,
and they were within three points
of knocking off eventual state
champion Thomas Jefferson in
the WPIAL semifinals.
The roster will be different this
year after plenty of key players
graduated, but Mustangs coach
Matt Morgan likes the potential of
his younger skill position players
and expects to compete with the
top teams in Class 4A again.
“I know we lost a lot, but we still
have a ton of playmakers coming
back and I’m excited for it,” Morgan
said.
Among the list of graduates was
quarterback Ryan Hubner, who
passed for 1,300 yards last year
and had 15 touchdowns to two interceptions.
Leading receiver Reed
Martin (Edinboro) also graduated
along with offensive lineman Evan
Azzara (Miami, Ohio) and two-way
standout Max Matolcy (Penn).
One key returner is junior running
back Eryck Moore.
Moore averaged 8 yards per carry
and scored 13 touchdowns last
season.
“In my 14 years of coaching high
school football, even when I was at
Gateway and Penn Hills, he’s the
most talented running back I’ve
ever been around,” Morgan said.
“He’s big, he’s physical, he’s fast
and he’s smart. He checks all the
boxes, so to speak. He was a leader
last year as a sophomore, so that
kind of role doesn’t really affect
him. He’s embracing it. We’re obviously
going to be built around
him. He’s the most established
piece to our offense, until other
guys step up.”
Junior Santino Saccone and
sophomore Sean Franzi are battling
for the starting quarterback
position.
Logan Brooks, who was second
on the team in receptions last
year, Samo Pitts, a transfer from
Clairton, and David Westrick are
seniors who will line up at wide
receiver. Freshman Darian Nelson
will be in the mix at the skill
positions and on defense, as well.
Morgan said Nelson is a special
talent whom he believes will be a
NCAA Division-I caliber athlete
when his four years are finished
at Plum.
Keyonta Finley and Nathan Kondos
are players who Morgan said
had impressive summers. Finley
has played running back in the
past but might move to offensive
line because of his strength and
will be a linebacker. Kondos will
be the center and play on the defensive
line.
With many young players
getting a lot of first-team reps this
fall, Morgan said it is important
for him and his coaching staff to
keep them grounded and focused.
“It’s natural for any kind of teenage
kid at any school that hasn’t
had traditional success to maybe
take it for granted, so it’s our job
as coaches to push them,” Morgan
said. “We’ve actually pushed them
harder than we did last year and
working toward the same goals, to
be conference champs and go even
further in the playoffs.
“We have a big group of freshmen
and sophomores that will be
contributors for us, and they haven’t
had that taste that the seniors
from last year had. Hopefully they
can keep excelling the program
forward.”
Plum will meet some former conference
rivals in nonsection play
beginning with a trip to Franklin
Regional for Week Zero on Aug. 27.
“We’re going to know who we
are really quickly,” Morgan said.
“Franklin Regional is always a
tough, physical football team, and
then we play North Hills, who is
going to be a very good football
team. We saw that last year when
we scrimmaged against them.
Then we have Fox Chapel, who
Coach (Tom) Loughran turned into
a really physical football team.
We’ll know what we are made out
of physically and mentally after
those three games. Hopefully we
come out of them healthy and
ready to go into conference play.”
by JERIN STEELE
ERYCK MOORE
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