BUCS LOOK TO ‘SEIZE THE MOMENT’
by GREG MACAFEE
Since taking over the Burrell
football program three years ago,
coach Shawn Liotta has been trying
to create a buzz around the Bucs.
By the end of last season, players,
coaches, administrators and fans
could hear that buzz as loud as ever.
The Bucs recorded their first winning
season since 2012 and barely
missed out on a playoff appearance.
Now, they are looking to build on
that progress.
“That was huge. I mean, look at
the strides that we’ve made,” Liotta
said. “We haven’t accomplished
everything that we’ve wanted to
yet, but that is in the process of
building a program. We are just
really excited with where we are at,
where we are headed, and we think
we’re only at the brink of where we
are going.”
The biggest challenge for Burrell
heading into the shortened 2020
season will be filling the holes left
by a large senior class. Eight grads
produced 3,600 yards of offense and
36 touchdowns last season. The
only major contributors returning
are senior quarterback Alex
Arledge, who threw for 2,462 yards
and 27 touchdowns, and four of the
five offensive linemen.
But over the past three seasons,
Liotta has been building an arsenal
of players and he is excited to see
what they can do when given the
opportunity.
“We have some bullets left in the
gun, and we have some guys that
have been waiting to go out and do
something,” Liotta said. “So it’s
going to be up to them to go out and
seize the moment. We have a lot of
talent, so we’ll see who steps up and
emerges in those roles.”
When given the chance in their
limited roles last year, senior wide
receiver Ian Durci and junior running
back Caden DiCaprio took advantage.
Durci carried the ball six
times for 52 yards and one touchdown
while averaging 8.66 yards
per rush. Behind senior running
back Mike Scherer, who tallied
191 carries, DiCaprio was the next
leading rusher with 13 carries for
82 yards and one touchdown.
Over the summer, Arledge
developed a strong relationship
with his new core group of skill
players, and he’s excited for what
his senior season could bring, especially
in the type of offense the
Bucs run.
“It’s going be a big adjustment,
and we are losing a lot of star players
from last year,” Arledge said.
“But we have a lot of athletes, some
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 • 13
new kids that have played before
and are playing again now. We’ve
been putting in work all offseason,
though, and we are going to be
ready.”
Although Durci’s role was small
last year, he is ready to take advantage
of his opportunity this season
and lead the younger players on
the roster.
“It’s definitely going to be tough,
but I have to step up and do it,”
Durci said. “Hopefully, the younger
guys can follow my lead, and we can
get stuff done.”
The program-building year
helped build the roster to close to
50 players. Now, Burrell is looking
to take the next step by punching a
ticket to the playoffs. Liotta said the
key to accomplishing that goal is all
about seizing the moment.
“There are going to be opportunities
that present themselves,
and you have to seize those opportunities
or you might end up on the
outside looking in,” Liotta said.
“There may be an opportunity
that’s going to present itself where
we are ahead in the fourth quarter,
and we have to close the game
out. So we have to be able to do
that.”
GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE
FOOTBALL PLAYERS
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Coach: Shawn Liotta
2019 record: 6-4, 4-4 in
Class 3A Big East
All-time record: 287-256-9
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Valley* 7
9.18 East Allegheny* 7
9.25 at Apollo-Ridge 7
10.2 at North Catholic*# 7
10.9 Deer Lakes* 7
10.16 at Freeport* 7
10.23 Derry* 7
* CONFERENCE GAME;
# AT MARS ATHLETIC COMPLEX
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Alex Arledge
147-274, 2,462 yards, 27 TDs
Receiving Seth Fischbach*
50-1,022 yards, 12 TDs
Rushing Mike Scherer*
191-1,049 yards, 8 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Burrell was one of two
teams in the WPIAL last year
with a 2,000-yard passer,
a 1,000-yard receiver and a
1,000-yard rusher.
No. Name Pos. Ht/Wt. Cl.
1 Thristone Miller WR/DB 5-6/140 Jr.
2 A.J. Corrado WR/DB 6-0/170 Sr.
3 Ian Durci WR/DB 5-8/155 Sr.
4 Drew Oriat WR/DB 5-8/150 Sr.
5 Mike McKay QB/DB 5-10/130 Fr.
6 Justin Ulizio HB/LB 6-10/170 Sr.
7 Dakota Miller QB/WR/LB 6-0/185 Fr.
8 Alex Arledge QB 6-3/205 Sr.
9 Nijere Floyd RB/WR/DB 5-6/145 So.
10 Zach Adams HB/LB 6-0/210 Sr.
11 Tyler Herman WR/DB 5-8/150 Sr.
12 Kam Marmo WR/DB 5-10/180 Jr.
19 Chase Fenner QB/HB/LB 5-11/165 So.
20 Tyler Maglisco RB/LB 5-6/130 Fr.
21 Caden DiCaprio RB/LB 6-2/210 Jr.
22 Connor Wojcik WR/LB 6-1/200 Jr.
24 Mike White HB/LB 5-9/200 Jr.
25 Josh Boak RB/LB 5-11/170 Sr.
26 Esau King-Buchak WR/DB 5-8/160 Fr.
30 Tristan Brothers WR/LB 5-9/135 Fr.
32 Cole Clark RB/DL 6-0/175 Jr.
33 Caden Garner RB/LB 5-7/150 Fr.
34 Antonio Cook RB/LB 5-8/160 So.
35 Ben Wofford WR/DB 5-11/170 Fr.
40 Nico Zanella WR/DB 5-9/140 Fr.
42 Andrew Gratzmiller WR/DB 6-0/135 So.
45 Maliq Buchak WR/DB 5-8/130 Fr.
50 Jacob Terranova OL/DL 5-2/145 Fr.
52 Aaron Mele OL/DL 5-8/220 So.
55 Andrew Kapusta OL/DL 6-3/220 Fr.
56 Nick Sofaly OL/DL 5-6/220 Sr.
57 Demetrius Ballard OL/DL 6-2/225 Fr.
59 Joey Shybloski OL/DL 5-11/215 Sr.
61 Damien Helsel OL/DL 5-9/210 Fr.
63 Zac Klaus RB/LB 5-11/180 Jr.
64 William Zeiler OL/DL 6-0/200 Jr.
66 Ian Quinn OL/DL 6-0/245 So.
68 Hunter Aites OL/DL 6-1/315 Sr.
69 Avante Mitchell OL/DL 5-11/220 Fr.
72 Seth Fisher OL/DL 5-11/200 Sr.
73 Connor Coleman OL/DL 6-1/268 Jr.
74 Noah Love OL/DL 5-8/230 Fr.
75 Gavynn Thompson OL/DL 6-3/225 Jr.
77 Ryan Neville OL/DL 6-2/270 Jr.
80 Jonathan Bain WR/DB 6-7/200 Sr.
81 Cooper Hornack WR/DB 5-9/116 Fr.
82 Brayden Callahan WR/DB 6-0/145 Sr.
84 Devin Beattie WR/DB 6-0/145 Fr.
88 Christian Brancato WR/LB 6-0/130 Fr.
ROSTER
BURRELL • ALLEGHENY
ALEX ARLEDGE
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