A-K Valley football notebook: Freeport closes in on playoff berth

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 18, 2018 | 8:51 PM

With a home win Friday over Class 3A Big East opponent Mt. Pleasant, Freeport can do what seemed improbable just over a month ago: clinch a WPIAL playoff berth.

The Yellowjackets dropped their first three games, including gut-punching losses to Derry and Elizabeth Forward where they let a second-half lead slip away and a blowout defeat against North Catholic. But they responded with four consecutive wins, and a fifth on Friday would secure their second straight trip to the postseason.

Freeport’s Alle-Kiski Valley counterparts in the Big East praised the Yellowjackets the past two weeks. Deer Lakes coach Tim Burk complimented Freeport coach John Gaillot and his team’s discipline after the Yellowjackets’ 14-10, come-from-behind win in Week 6, while Burrell coach Shawn Liotta said he believed the Yellowjackets have one of the top defenses in the conference after they held the Bucs to three points last week.

Indeed, Freeport allowed just 29 points over the past four weeks and is giving up just 16.4 points per game this season.

“That’s just how we are,” senior Austin Romanchak said after the 48-3 win over Burrell. “Our defense has been like that since the beginning, and that’s our strong part.”

Mars attacks!

Kiski Area will see a variation of the option for the second consecutive week when Mars visits Richard J. Dilts Field for a Class 5A Northern Conference game Friday.

Last week it was McKeesport’s vaunted flexbone attack in a nonconference game. This week it’s Mars’ Wing-T approach, led by Garrett Reinke, the latest in a long line of 1,000-yard Planets rushers.

While the schemes share some similarities, Mars (7-1, 6-1) uses more formations than just the Wing-T and actually passes more than recent years with quarterback Tyler Kowalkowski, who has more than 800 yards and nine touchdowns through the air.

After Kiski Area (3-5, 2-3) struggled to contain McKeesport’s option in a 66-6 loss, the Cavaliers will do their best to contain Mars’.

“I don’t know if (last week’s experience) helps because they’re different, but it’s still assignment football,” Kiski Area coach Sam Albert said. “When you face teams of their caliber, whoever hits the hardest the longest wins the game. You can scheme all you want. If you’re going to beat the guy in front of you, and you’re going to make the tackle, and you’re going to make the block, it makes me look a lot smarter.”

Deer aches

A trip to Derry to play the first-place Trojans (7-1, 5-1) in a must-win Big East Conference game appeared daunting enough for Deer Lakes, but the Lancers will have to do so at less than full strength.

A handful of starters went down to injury in the past two weeks, leaving their status for Friday’s game very much in question.

Senior wide receiver/defensive back Jared Colton missed last week’s loss to Keystone Oaks after getting injured in a Week 6 loss to Freeport. Starters Ethan Bender (WR/DB), Trey Darrah (DB), Jack Hollibaugh (TE/LB) and Zak Raynovich (OL/DL) suffered injuries against Keystone Oaks.

The potentially significantly shorthanded Lancers (3-4, 3-3) need a win and a Freeport loss to Mt. Pleasant to stay alive for the playoffs. The Lancers must contend with a rising star in Derry’s Justin Flack, who scored eight touchdowns in a rout of Yough last week.

“It’s a huge challenge,” Burk said. “It’s one of those mentalities where we’re going to have to really be strong. Our kids are going to have to fight for four quarters. Their backs are against the wall. They are still in the playoff hunt, and we’ve got to get them to play.”

Week 10, do it again

Springdale is eliminated from WPIAL postseason contention, but the Dynamos will play beyond the end of the regular season.

The Dynamos (1-6) scheduled a Week 10 game against Vincentian Academy, with the contest set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at Lieutenant J.T. Stone Field in North Park.

Vincentian didn’t field a team last season because of a lack of players but is playing a non-WPIAL schedule this fall in the hopes of rejoining the WPIAL sometime in the next few years. The Royals, coached by former Deer Lakes coach T.J. Wiley, are 1-3 with a win over Paden City (W.Va.) and losses to Madonna (W.Va.), Iroquois and Philipsburg-Osceola.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport, Kiski School, Springdale