"Mr. High School Sports" - Eye on the WPIAL: Class AAAA Football Teams to Watch
By Matt Popchock
We are less than two months from the start of a great western Pennsylvania institution: high school football. Mr. High School Sports is getting geared up to bring you comprehensive preseason coverage leading up to the start of the 2011 WPIAL season, but first he needs to know whom he should be looking for on the gridiron…and so do you.
In the weeks that lie ahead, we'll get into more in-depth coverage of what's new and exciting for each of the 126 District 7 teams in all four classifications for the upcoming campaign, but first to whet your appetite, Mr. High School Sports would like to give you an early glimpse of some of the teams in Class AAAA he'll be watching:
McKeesport - The Tigers proved last year that, to quote Mike Tomlin, "the standard is the standard", and the team can still be a perennial challenger under new coach Jim Ward. Last year's upset loss in the opening round of the playoffs should be a learning experience for a hungry and capable group of seniors. They may have graduated 23 players, but they've got a few good ones coming back, like tailbacks Donte Patterson and Lawrence Wallace, and new quarterback Bryant Harper. As long as McKeesport's defense stays healthy and takes those aforementioned lessons to heart, the Tigers can challenge for WPIAL gold.
Pgh. Central Catholic - The Vikings had the look of a WPIAL champion heading into the 2010 playoffs, but their offensive machinery stalled against eventual titlist North Allegheny, so expect superstar tailback Damion Jones-Moore and quarterback Perry Hills, also entering his senior season, to play with sizable chips on their shoulders. In addition, their secondary should be able to frustrate opposing QB's. Central graduated 21 seniors, but it is a tough team up front, and also a deep team with Terry Totten, who has already won one district title (2007) roaming the sideline again, this team is a solid bet to go out and get another.
Gateway - The Gators took a step backward last season after putting together three outstanding runs but getting stage fright at Heinz Field each time, so with a great group of returning starters playing with a common bond, don't be surprised if this perennial powerhouse re-takes center stage. The team as a whole, especially the defense, will rally around the memory of fallen linebacker Darrell Turner, and even before that senseless tragedy, the raw talent on the line was rivaled by few in Quad-A. Seniors Aaron Barlow and John Laus lead a dangerous receiving corps, so if QB Tom Woodson can overcome his very unfortunate injury and find the consistency that eluded him at the end of his sophomore year, Gateway can get back on top.
Mount Lebanon - The Blue Devils looked like they could have cleared a path to Heinz Field with their physical toughness, but after a quarterfinal heartbreaker and some key losses in the trenches, this Great Southern Conference champion, which should challenge for that title again, will have to go back to work to regain that edge. The Post-Gazette Male Athlete of the Year and senior tailback Luke Hagy will be the focal point of the offense again, and having QB Pat Goff back for one more year will help. Lebo has its work cut out trying to replace stud lineman Tim Cwalina and some of the other talented linemen they graduated, but this is a team that will still try and take after hard-nosed head coach Chris Haering.
North Allegheny - The Tigers are coming off their first state championship in two decades and first WPIAL crown since 1998, but they'll have to replace several of the players who were crucial to their title run, including star tailback Alex Papson and offensive lineman Rob Kugler. Fortunately brother Pat Kugler remains in the trenches, and fellow seniors Isaiah Faulk and Nicholas Passodelis have every reason to believe they can shore up that backfield together behind new QB Kevin Clemens. Defensively N.A. looks tough once again, but with 30 seniors gone, will the Tigers get the same solid leadership from the Class of 2012?
Be sure to revisit 937thefan.com later this month, as Mr. High School Sports' "Eye on the WPIAL" turns to some of the top players to watch in Class AAAA.
