Waynesburg hoping to stay healthy, hungry for wins in 2023

By: Ted Sarneso
Friday, August 11, 2023 | 12:01 AM

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The 2022 season was one coach Aaron Giorgi would like to put far into the rearview mirror.

Waynesburg went into the season with high expectations but came away without a win and finished last in the Century Conference.

“Last year was very trying,” Giorgi said. “We suffered numerous injuries early on in the year, and that was a hole we just had trouble climbing out of.”

What really hurt was that in Class 2A and Class A, where rosters often run 20-30 players deep, kids are tasked with playing on both sides of the ball, and that complicates matters.

“It hurts you more than just losing a running back here or a quarterback,” Giorgi said. “You also lose a safety or a linebacker.”

A rash of injuries was a major factor in the Raiders failing to win a game last year, but that did not deter the players from continuing to put forth an effort, and Giorgi noticed.

“What I’m extremely proud of these young men for, last year, is sticking with it,” he said. “They worked hard every single day and continued to work despite the losses and injuries stacking up. To me that’s an accomplishment.”

One huge loss that really hurt Waynesburg’s progress last year was quarterback Jake Stephenson going down with an elbow injury.

“We lost Jake before camp and we had Chase Fox playing quarterback, and he never played quarterback in his life,” Giorgi said. “But he did a great job considering the circumstances.”

Stephenson, a junior, returns after missing all of last season, while Fox, a senior, returns to play receiver and linebacker.

“It was tough watching from the sidelines, feeling like I couldn’t make a difference,” Stephenson said. “But I tried to motivate my teammates the best I could. Chase, coming in there with little experience and not knowing the playbook, he did the best he could have done. I was there to help him, give him tips.”

With his injury behind him, Stephenson is poised to have a breakout year, making up for the time he lost.

“I feel great, excited for this year, think we’re going to have a good bit of success,” he said. “I think we can make the playoffs, which is doable if we execute. Personally, I would like to throw for over 1,000 yards.”

The injuries didn’t stop there as the Raiders also lost their top running back, Breydon Woods, who was in and out of games for multiple weeks due to nagging injuries and other ailments.

Woods, a senior, looks to be back, fully healthy, and wants to move past last year by helping the team compete and make a run at the playoffs, while also trying to chase down a rushing record he’s had in his sights for three years.

“I feel good,” said Woods. “Track season allowed me to fully recover. This year, I’m looking to break the school record for rushing yards. I think its 1,443 yards. My sophomore year, I was close at 1,366 yards.”

It was also a detriment when the Raiders suffered multiple injuries along the offensive front.

“Along with Breydon and Jake, we were battered along the offensive line,” Giorgi said, “We were plugging role players into starting spots, and due to that, we have more experience at that position.”

When looking toward 2023, Giorgi is optimistic that what the team experienced last year can bring valuable lessons, consistency and success.

“It was just a very tough year for the kids overall, because you had guys stepping up and doing the best they could,” he said. “Our overall strength is experience and being battle tested.”

Now that he has Stephenson back, Giorgi will look to run more of a balanced attack offensively, boosting a Raiders rushing attack that was stymied, which led to the passing attack having just 400 yards through the air and only two touchdowns.

“I think Jake can distribute the ball, and with our two running backs, we’re going to be a predominately running team,” he said. “With opponents focusing on that, I think we’ll be able to spread the ball around to our receivers.”

Seniors Woods and Daniel Huffman look to be a two-headed monster in the backfield with fellow seniors Layden Hayes and Devon Cowell opening up holes on the offensive front.

Outside, the Raiders are relying on seniors Colby Pauley and Chase Fox, along with sophomore Dane Woods, to haul in passes from Stephenson.

“Pauley’s going to take on a leadership role this year, and we look for him to take on that role on both offense and defense,” said Giorgi.

The Raiders look to add a bit of depth and talent with a group of incoming freshmen to their roster of experienced veterans.

Incoming freshmen Jack Ricciuti, Ross Tennant and Ace Litwinowich are just a few who will look to provide athletic depth at the skill positions.

“What’s nice is we have a good group of freshmen who are hard working and have tremendous upside and athletic abilities — something we have not necessarily had on our roster in the last couple of years,” said Giorgi.

Defensively, Waynesburg will count on the same players from the offensive side to provide a strong front that will look to disrupt opposing offenses.

The defensive line will benefit from Cowell and Haynes moving from linebacker to defensive line. Joining them are freshmen Caden Fowler and Taylor Sproat.

“Both Cowell and Haynes have shown an upside on the D-line with some speed and strength,” said Giorgi. “As far as the line as a whole, we have some guys that are quick and strong.”

Huffman and Fox are three-year returning starters at the outside linebacker position and Pauley, last year’s leading tackler, is a veteran presence from the middle linebacker spot.

Giorgi will rely on his offensive backfield stars to patrol the defensive backfield and will enjoy added depth from sophomore Zachery Jiblits.

“We’ll have Stephenson and Woods at safety. We see them either playing true safety or rolling into the box to step up and be run support guys,” he said.

This season will be a success if the Raiders can stay relatively healthy. But with a veteran group and an injection of talented youth, the Raiders are looking to win and make the progress they felt they should have last year.

“Health is the main focus,” said Giorgi. “We are looking to turn the corner this year.”

Editor’s note: Due to production scheduling conflicts, the preview for Century Conference school Charleroi will appear later this week.

Waynesburg

Coach: Aaron Giorgi

2022 record: 0-10, 0-6 in Class 2A Century Conference

All-time record: 375-573-36

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.25 at Carmichaels, 7

9.1 at Jefferson-Morgan, 7

9.8 California, 7

9.15 Keystone Oaks*, 7

9.22 at McGuffey*, 7

9.29 Washington*, 7

10.6 at Brentwood*, 7

10.13 Uniontown, 7

10.20 Sto-Rox*, 7

10.27 at Charleroi*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Chase Fox

36-104, 407 yards, 2 TDs

Rushing: Breydon Woods

103-539, 5 TDs

Receiving: Austin Surber

12-113, 1 TD

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Waynesburg won its only WPIAL title in 1999.

• Waynesburg’s Bill George Field is named after alum Bill George, who went on to play linebacker in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974 and has his No. 61 jersey retired by the Bears.

• Despite the losing record last year, coach Aaron Giorgi finished the season with the same number of players as he started with.

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