22 • SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2021 • VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Coach Nick Nardone led his Beaver Falls team to an average of 45.4 points last season.
TEAMS CHASE BEAVER FALLS
The announcement that the
WPIAL will bring some of its
championship games back to
Heinz Field this season after a
one-year pandemic-related hiatus
was greeted by many as
good news.
For a select few football programs,
though, it’s more than
good news. It’s motivation.
“Absolutely,” Beaver Falls
coach Nick Nardone said. “Even
last year, a lot of our kids were
asking, ‘Do we get to play at
Heinz?’ I know the article came
out before then, but our kids
obviously don’t pick up newspapers
or follow the news too
much. They were upset when
they found out.”
If Beaver Falls players were
disappointed that the venue for
their 43-30 championship game
victory over Sto-Rox was North
Hills’ Martorelli Stadium rather
than an NFL stadium, it was
probably the only disappointment
they had to suffer through
during the WPIAL portion of
their season.
The Tigers mowed down seven
Class 2A opponents in the regular
season and three more in the
playoffs, averaging 45.4 points.
They lost a pair of bruising
running backs to graduation —
Josh Hough is at Syracuse and
Shileak Livingston is at Edinboro
— but return a quarterback
in Jaren Brickner and talented
receivers Quadir Thomas, Trey
Singleton and Mekhi Clark.
Neshannock, Laurel, New
Brighton and Freedom will be
among the teams trying to knock
them off in a deep, talented Midwestern
Athletic Conference.
“When you hold the belt, you
hold the belt. Somebody’s got
to beat you,” Western Beaver
coach Ron Busby said. “They
lost some talented players …
but I’m a big believer of culture,
and those kids win, want to win,
know what it takes to win, and
they expect to win. In my mind,
they’ll continue to march on.”
Sto-Rox doesn’t hold the belt,
but there’s no doubt the Vikings
wouldn’t mind a rematch.
Sto-Rox marched through
the Three Rivers Conference
with a preponderance of underclassmen
at the skill positions
— quarterbacks Josh Jenkins
and Austin Jones, running back
Zay Davis and receivers Jaymont
Green-Miller and Drevon
Miller-Ross to name a few.
Stopping the Vikings will be a
massive headache for defensive
coordinators across the class.
“Most schools at Double A will
have one, maybe two guys when
they go in those spread sets that
you have to know where they
are and scheme to deal with
that,” Busby said.
“When you play Sto-Rox, you
kind of have to play it straight
up because every kid is a talented
athlete.”
With Beaver Falls and Sto-Rox
hogging the spotlight coming off
their trips to the WPIAL finals,
Washington finds itself in an
unusual position this preseason.
After going 5-3 overall and
finishing second in the Century
Conference, the perennially
powerful Prexies might be able
to sneak up on some teams.
They won’t surprise McGuffey,
though, the team that knocked
them from their Century perch
last season.
McGuffey has eight starters
back from a defense that allowed
more than 10 points only three
times all year.
Meanwhile, in the Allegheny
Conference, defending champ
Apollo-Ridge is strong in the
trenches, Ligonier Valley looks
dangerous in its second year
back in the WPIAL and Serra
Catholic’s talent takes a backseat
to no one.
Between quarterback Max
Rocco and receiver Jayvon
Campbell-Holt on offense and
defensive end Paul Pearson and
defensive back Pharoh Fisher
on defense, the Eagles have a
good chance to take a trip to
Heinz Field as well.
by JONATHAN BOMBULIE
CLASS 2A
PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Beaver Falls (8-0)
When a Class 3A powerhouse
dropped down to face smaller
schools and thinner rosters in
Class 2A last season, it wasn’t
hard to predict the Tigers
would be a problem. A switch
from a power running attack
to a spread offense could make
things interesting, but picking
against Beaver Falls isn’t wise.
2. Sto-Rox (7-1)
3. Serra Catholic (5-0)
4. McGuffey (6-2)
5. Washington (5-3)
* RECORDS FROM 2020
THE STARS
PHAROH FISHER
Serra Catholic, sr., DB
A 6-foot, 193-pound playmaker
who can cover, hit and force turnovers,
Fisher has all three service
academies and Bowling Green
after him. He has a 4.36 GPA.
JUDE GRZYWINSKI
Ligonier Valley, sr., C/DL
A four-year starter at center, the
6-2, 300-pound Grzywinski has
the athleticism to pull, a mean
streak to finish off blocks and a
400-pound bench press.
LIAM HALLIGAN
Seton LaSalle, sr., OL/DL
A 6-5, 300-pound lineman who
locks onto opponents on offense
and blows up blocks on defense,
Halligan is one of the top offensive
tackle prospects in the state.
JOSH JENKINS
Sto-Rox, jr., QB/WR
Keep the 6-3, 175-pounder in the
pocket, and he’ll unleash a pretty
deep ball. Chase him out of the
pocket, and he is off to the races.
LUKE MCCOY
Laurel, sr., RB/LB
McCoy is a two-time 1,000-yard
rusher on offense. On defense,
the 5-9, 180-pounder can run
sideline to sideline with the best
of them and hits like a truck.
DON’T MISS
10.8 Serra Catholic at
Ligonier Valley
Limited to five games by covid
last year, it’s hard to say how
good Serra Catholic can be. A
matchup with a physical Ligonier
Valley team will provide clues.
10.22 Beaver Falls at
Neshannock
What team has the best chance
to knock off Beaver Falls in the
Midwestern Conference? Probably
Neshannock. The Lancers led the
Tigers at halftime last season.
10.29 McGuffey at
Washington
One of Class 2A’s best rivalries.
McGuffey came away with a 7-6
win in the season opener last
year. Both teams pride themselves
on defense, so buckle the
chinstraps tight.
Sto-Rox looking for
rematch with defending
champion Tigers