Shenango looks to amp up offense to return to top of loaded Big 7 Conference

By: Mark Nitowski
Monday, August 21, 2023 | 9:48 PM

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After back-to-back trips to the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals, Shenango missed the postseason in 2022. Coach Jimmy Graham attributed the 2-8 overall record, including a 2-4 mark in the Big Seven Conference, to a “perfect storm” of factors.

“We thought we had a pretty good team, but we had injuries throughout the year and you can’t afford that at a small school,” Graham said. “Our conference also was very, very strong. I can’t remember our conference being as strong as last year.”

Graham need only look at the Union Scotties to prove his point. They finished third in the Big 7, but reeled off playoff victories over Burgettstown, conference rivals Laurel and Rochester, and Bishop Canevin to capture the WPIAL Class A championship. Union also advanced to the PIAA final, losing to Steelton Highspire, 22-8.

Graham expects the Big 7 to present another tough road to a postseason berth this season.

“All of the teams in our conference have kids coming back,” he said. “Union is the favorite, considering who they have coming back. South Side, with the wing-T offense they run, is always in games, and Laurel is well coached and always in the hunt. Rochester is Rochester, of course.”

To get back to the playoffs, Graham said the Wildcats must improve on offense.

“We need to score more points to take pressure off our defense,” he said. “We want to get our athletes in space as much as possible, whether it’s handing the ball to them or throwing the ball. We also want to be more efficient in finishing drives. We struggled in the red zone last year.”

Early this year, Shenango hired Jordan Lyles as the new offensive coordinator. Graham said Lyles most recently coached at Blackhawk.

“He’s very knowledgeable and very good with the kids,” Graham said. “We’re excited to see what he can bring to the offense. We started installing everything in January, so we’ve already gone through the learning curve. It should be full speed ahead. The players have really responded well to Lyles, and we expect big things.”

The new Wildcats offense should have an experienced quarterback in junior Sam Patton at the helm.

“Sam is very versatile; he can run and throw the ball,” Graham said. “We’re expecting big things from him. He’s been playing the past two years. We’d like to maximize on his experience with our young kids.”

Sophomore running backs Landyn Albertini and A.J. Ferilla are two of those youngsters.

“With the injuries, we had to play a lot of freshmen last year. As a result, we have a really good sophomore class,” Graham said. “Albertini is very athletic and Ferilla is versatile.”

In an interesting move, Shenango is transitioning junior Michael Egetoe from starting center to fullback/H-back.

“We played him at center because we needed him there,” Graham said. “He thinned out and has developed good feet and can catch the ball. In summer workouts, it’s looked like a good decision. We’ll see what happens when Friday night lights start.”

When the Wildcats put the ball in the air, 6-foot-3 senior Colton Fedrizzi and sophomore Trey Ross should be the top targets.

“Colton has been a starter for four years,” Graham said. “Trey is another sophomore, and we’re hoping for big things from him.”

Seniors Chris Kale and Levi Stuck are slated to anchor the line on both sides of the ball.

“They won’t come off the field for us,” Graham said. “Junior Blaze Dando should be another top lineman.”

Ferilla, Federizzi and Egetoe also will play linebacker, and Patton and Albertini will man the safety positions.

“On defense, we want to be more aggressive,” Graham said. “We didn’t have that last year because we had a lot of younger guys going up against juniors and seniors. We expect the kids to become more aggressive with the game experience, so they can fly to the ball and create some turnovers and opportunities for our offense.”

The Wildcats will be tested early and often. They start off with nonconference games against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Western Beaver and Riverside before opening conference play against Union.

“We have a brutal first month of the season,” Graham said. “We need to push through, stay healthy and get better.”

Shenango

Coach: Jimmy Graham

2022 record: 2-8, 2-4 in Class A Big 7 Conference

All-time record: 427-377-38

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.25 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 7

9.2 at Western Beaver, 12:30

9.8 Riverside, 7

9.15 at Union*, 7

9.22 Rochester*, 7

9.29 at Northgate*, 7

10.6 South Side*, 7

10.14 at Summit Academy*, 12:30

10.20 Leechburg, 7

10.27 Laurel*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Sam Patton

53-99, 753 yards, 5 TDs

Rushing: Hunter Lively*

150-801 yards, 9 TDs

Receiving: CJ Miller*

17-298 yards, 2 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Despite a 2-4 conference record, Shenango outscored Big Seven opponents, 164-143, last season.

• Kyle Lenhart, who was an all-conference lineman on the 2022 squad, is now playing at Division I-FBS James Madison.

• Former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner was a baseball, basketball and football standout at Shenango. The school’s baseball field is named in his honor.

• Located in Lawrence County, Shenango draws students from Shenango Township and South New Castle Borough.

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