5 things we learned in high school football Week 2: WPIAL’s smallest schools off to undefeated starts

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 9:28 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Ryan Cecchini has tried some unique practice techniques in his 15 seasons at Avella, but he says that’s life as a small-school coach.

“Sometimes we’ll do a half-a-line scrimmage,” Cecchini said. “We’ll go from the center over. And then only half the defense, and we’ll scrimmage each other that way. I mention this to other coaches, and they look at you like you have three heads.

“Well, we do what we’ve got to do.”

Avella is the second-smallest football school in the WPIAL ahead of only Monessen. The most recent PIAA enrollment data had Avella with 74 boys in grades 9-11, the years used to determine WPIAL classifications. Monessen had 69 boys.

But those aren’t numbers that Cecchini and Greyhounds coach Wade Brown focus on.

For now, try three and zero.

The two smallest of small-school teams are off to 3-0 starts following wins Friday night. The other key numbers this year are 21 and 26. That’s how many players each team has on its roster.

“Listen, I’ve had rosters when I first started with 15, 16 or 17 kids,” said Brown, a fifth-year coach. “These last two years, we’ve been at or above 25.”

Both said getting students to join the team is the first mission, but that’s not always easy. Cecchini said his coaching staff usually hopes for at least 20.

This year, they’re one over.

“We have eight seniors, so that’s one of the bigger senior classes we’ve had in the last few years,” Cecchini said. “We have a good mix of skill guys and linemen. A lot of times we have one and not the other.”

Avella defeated Springdale, 35-6, on Friday night. Monessen topped Beth-Center, 20-3.

“You’ve got to work with what you’ve got,” Brown said. “We have some athletes in Monessen. That’s never been a question. It’s about trying to get everybody on the same page and trying to make it work.”

Small-school football also requires much flexibility by the coaches and the players. Consider that Monessen quarterback Kaier Payne, who passed for 193 yards and three touchdowns Friday, played center last year.

“That’s pretty unique,” Brown said. “Luckily, he played quarterback in little league. He switched positions because that’s what was needed. He did what was best for the team at that time.”

A small roster causes trouble on game nights, but the coaches said it impacts practice more. Cecchini said concerns about losing a player to injury limits how much Avella hits during the week.

Plus, small-school coaches get very involved.

“Other teams probably don’t realize we have to have coaches play scout team quarterback, scout team linebacker, scout team defensive back,” Cecchini said. “We have to fill in the gaps to try to get a practice.”

Small-school roster sizes drew added attention this week when Shady Side Academy called off a game against Clairton citing a rash of injuries. The school first said “nearly 20” of the team’s 40 players were unavailable, a number that was later increased.

That caught Cecchini’s attention.

He said Avella forfeited a game in 2022 and another in ’23 because of injuries but once fought through a loss to Fort Cherry with only 12 players.

“I thought, ‘Wow. I wish I had 27 guys,’” Cecchini said with a laugh. “We’ve played with 12. We’ve played with 13. We’ve played with 14. We show up.”

WPIAL star sidelined

The much-anticipated return of McKeesport’s Kemon Spell was short-lived Friday.

The Penn State-bound junior, who’s nationally ranked as the top running back recruit in his class, carried three times for 21 yards before limping to the sideline in a 16-7 loss to Thomas Jefferson. Spell had missed the previous game with an ankle injury and spent Friday’s second half on crutches.

McKeesport coach Matt Miller said the priority now is getting Spell healthy.

“He really wants to get back, and obviously we like having him,” Miller said. “But you don’t want to jeopardize the rest of the season.”

McKeesport (1-2) has nonconference games at Belle Vernon (1-1) and Upper St. Clair (3-0) the next two weeks. The Tigers open conference play Sept. 26 against Hampton (2-1).

“We really didn’t know until (Friday) that he was going to go,” Miller said. “He had a really good day of practice and, obviously, three pretty good carries.”

Trainers worked on Spell during the first half with thoughts that he might return after halftime, but Miller said Spell was in “a pretty good amount of pain.”

In Week Zero, Spell rushed for 295 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. He also returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

Recruiting websites Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports all rank the 5-foot-11, 211-pounder as the No. 1 running back in the 2027 class.

Many happy returns

Rod Steele has won dozens of times at Steel Valley’s Campbell Field, but this time he wasn’t on the home sideline.

The first-year Bishop Canevin coach celebrated his first win with the Crusaders (1-2) on Friday, and it came at Steel Valley, where Steele spent nine years as coach of the Ironmen. Steele celebrated two WPIAL titles and a state championship as Steel Valley’s coach from 2010-18.

Bishop Canevin won 21-6.

In another homecoming, Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz led the Planets to a 13-10 victory over North Hills at Martorelli Stadium. Kasperowicz is a 1994 North Hills graduate and a former star quarterback for the Indians. He previously returned to his alma mater as Pine-Richland’s coach, but this was his first visit in four years at Mars (3-0).

What a difference

The outcomes of three Week 2 games showed just how much can change in a year.

The most noticed was Avonworth’s 23-7 win at Aliquippa on Friday. Dimitri Velisaris scored twice as the Antelopes got revenge for a 46-20 loss last year.

Aliquippa’s loss snapped a streak of 14 consecutive home wins.

But elsewhere, Laurel used three touchdowns from Kolton Carlson to defeat Riverside, 43-0, while New Brighton topped Northgate, 38-0, on Friday. A year ago, Laurel lost 9-7, and New Brighton lost 39-7.

Oh no

Central Valley, Franklin Regional, Keystone Oaks, Mt. Lebanon, North Hills, Penn Hills and Rochester share an unfavorable distinction. All seven playoff teams from last year have started this season 0-3.

But all is not lost. Conference play hasn’t started, so their playoff fates remain in their hands. In fact, Central Valley also started last season 0-3 and reached the WPIAL Class 3A finals.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.