Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Top kickers give their teams a leg up

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, August 29, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Kickers rarely get much limelight. Their extra points are often taken for granted, and casual fans don’t give kickoffs that sail out of the end zone a second thought.

But there are a few Westmoreland County kickers worth watching this season, a collection of legs that could be difference makers in field-position battles and close games.

Take Southmoreland’s Jake Kaylor. He booted a school-record 50-yard field goal last week against Valley. He made 28 of 32 extra points last season. Coach Tim Bukowski said his range begins when he crosses midfield.

Franklin Regional’s Joey Bayne sent all seven of his kickoffs out of the end zone against Plum, and he was 6 for 6 on extra points.

Jarett Garn is becoming known for his speed at running back for Mt. Pleasant, but his strong right leg makes him dangerous on kickoffs and gives him range. He hit field goals of 25 and 37 yards against Jeannette.

Norwin’s Evan Pfeifer also made two field goals in the opener against Penn-Trafford — from 22 and 28 yards. Two of his kickoffs reached the end zone. Penn-Trafford never started a drive in its own territory.

Don’t forget the long snappers, either. Belle Vernon’s Tim Schwerha is ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania and No. 11 in the nation at the position by Kohl’s Kicking Camps.

Dilts’ house

Friday will mark the first game at Kiski Area’s Richard J. Dilts Stadium in Allegheny Township since the legendary Cavaliers’ coach, for whom the stadium is named, died in May at age 93. Kiski Area (1-0) plays host to upstart Norwin (1-0).

Norwin and Kiski Area have not played since 2015. They used to be members of the Foothills Conference, so their all-time series dates to 1962.

Hutter changes number

Mt. Pleasant junior running back Brody Hutter switched his jersey number from No. 21 to 12 this season.

The move is a tribute to late family friend, Mike Reese.

A former state representative, Reese died in 2021 from an brain aneurysm. He was 43. Mike Reese wore No. 12 when he played at Mt. Pleasant.

Hutter’s father, Aaron, and his older brother, Jackson, also wore No. 12. But Brody is a close friend of Michael Reese, the fallen’s son.

Michael Reese is a lineman, so he could not wear No. 12.

Leopold coaching

Former Franklin Regional standout Nick Leopold has joined the coaching staff at his alma mater, despite having college eligibility left.

Leopold played 33 games in three seasons at Duquesne. Last year, he was the top punt returner and also played receiver for the Dukes.

“That was it for me,” he said. “It was time. I can get my football through doing this now.”

All about the Benjamin

It’s a new season, so it’s time to ask: Where is Sean Benjamin coaching?

The longtime local assistant is now the offensive coordinator at East Allegheny under Frank Cortazzo. That is his 10th stop since he began coaching in 1993.

Benjamin was an assistant at Geibel (2003), Hempfield (2010-11), Penn-Trafford (2011), Franklin Regional (2012-14, ’22), Serra Catholic (2014-15), Seton Hill (2015-16), Yough (2016-17), South Allegheny (2021) and Bishop Canevin (2023).

He also did color commentary work for the Westmoreland Sports Network from 2017-20. Benjamin, a 1995 Penn-Trafford alum who played for John Yaccino during the Warriors’ run-and-shoot era, said coaching is his north star.

He said a love for the game keeps him coming back for new challenges.

“It’s the ultimate team game,” he said. “I love teaching the game and game planning. I also enjoy helping players to hone in their skills to move on and play at the next level.”

Quotable

“I mean, tomorrow’s film is the most important film of the of the season.” — Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane after a season-opening loss to Norwin.

Extra points

Norwin moved to No. 3 in the TribLive HSSN Class 6A rankings. … Norwin quarterback Tristyn Tavares’ 80-yard touchdown pass to Jake Knight was voted the top play on WTAE’s “Operation Football.” … Valley hosts Riverview on Friday night. Surprisingly, the two A-K Valley schools never have played each other. … The game to watch next week could be Latrobe at Norwin, while Jeannette plays at Ligonier Valley in another intriguing all-county matchup. … Southmoreland transfer Caden Matthews played quarterback last week for Connellsville. In a backup role, he was 2 of 6 for 20 yards.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland