A-K Valley football teams leaning on their lines this season

By: Michael Love
Sunday, August 17, 2025 | 7:01 AM

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Nick Anderson felt confident at the start of last season.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound sophomore was a young pup playing on a veteran Kiski Area offensive line with four senior starters.

But his first-year varsity status didn’t keep him from shining in the spotlight as he made his mark for a Cavaliers team that improved throughout the season and challenged for a WPIAL playoff spot in Class 5A.

“I just came in with a lot of confidence,” said Anderson, who has developed into a leader for a much younger Kiski line this season.

“There was that learning curve. Junior high is a lot different from high school football. Then I was learning a new playbook. It was good, though, and I progressed through it.

“The first game against Knoch, I had five or six tackles, and I had a couple pancake blocks. I knew I could hang.”

Anderson helps front a standout crop of linemen in the Alle-Kiski Valley this fall for teams ready to make an impact in and out of conference play.

There is a mix of experience and youth, size and strength, quickness and toughness. For the offense, it all starts up front. How an offensive line develops and comes together through continuity, chemistry and communication will go a long way in determining how an offense takes shape and puts points on the board.

“I feel I’m quick and aggressive. I like to play with a nasty attitude,” said Anderson, who hopes that also is the case for the Cavaliers line, which will feature a senior in Wilson Spencer, a junior in Cody Carion, sophomore center Luke Crider and freshman LaVon Wade.

“The line started coming together in the winter,” Kiski Area offensive line coach Roger Crider said. “They showed up every day and worked hard. If you have that with any position group, you have a great chance to be successful.”

Roger Crider said Anderson was at the heart of it all, encouraging and leading this new group.

“Nick has everything you need,” he said. “He’s smart, he has that experience, and he has the physical skills, some of the best in 5A I would say. I expect a big increase in his ability to do what he needs to do and also in being a leader of that group.”

The Anderson apple didn’t fall too far from the tree as his father, Bill Anderson, at 6-4 and nearly 300 pounds when he finished college, played for Joe Paterno at Penn State in the ’90s.

“Nick and (Kiski Area senior linebacker) Braden (Anderson), growing up, were kind of always the bigger ones in their class,” Bill Anderson said. “Nick continued to grow. For baseball tournaments, we always made sure we had birth certificates handy because he was always one of the bigger kids.

“As a father, I don’t have to do anything to motivate Nick or Braden to work hard. They are self-motivated. Nick, being younger, still has a tremendous amount of opportunity in front of him to grow. There are a lot of pass pro sets in the kitchen and a lot of backyard conversations and instruction. I loved the game and loved to play at the levels I did. We have all the blocking pads at home, and we’ll also sit down and watch film.

“Everybody wants to be something other than an offensive lineman when they’re young. Nick, when he was playing youth football, had a chance to play tight end. He was big but pretty athletic. What I like about him is that he’s accepted the fact that he is a pretty good lineman who can get even better. He works hard and takes a lot of coaching. He takes pride in working to live up to all of the expectations people are giving him.”

There will be leaders to watch on every offensive line among A-K Valley teams with young guns ready to show their mettle.

A core of such linemen — seniors Joey Ashi of Deer Lakes; Wade Potocnak and Cole Troutman of Freeport; Philup Rearick, Jayden Rosenberger, Geno Granata, Brady Shearer and Ben Talarico of Leechburg; Frank Grazulis of Plum; Joah Martin of Burrell; Connor Bogdanski of Apollo-Ridge; Cole Shaffer of Highlands; and Vinnie DelRosso of Riverview — all earned Valley News Dispatch or all- conference all-star honors last year.

Blue Devils bring the experience

Not many teams in any WPIAL classification can boast an offensive line with all five starters back.

But Leechburg, one of the smaller teams by enrollment in Class A again this year, returns all five starters — all seniors — and a few other veteran linemen ready to lead the Blue Devils to what they hope is a fifth straight trip to the WPIAL playoffs.

Leechburg offensive line coach JohnAllen Snyder said it’s a lot of fun coming to practices and working with a group — including Rearick, Rosenberger, Granata, Shearer, Talarico and senior Lucas Oldfield — he says employs a great deal of talent, chemistry, tenacity and a willingness to raise their performance level as one unit.

“This entire group, they are always together. They’re always hanging out and doing things. They are working and pushing each other in the weight room and on the field, holding each other accountable,” Snyder said.

“We didn’t have to go into the offseason and introduce or reintroduce anything. These kids have been doing the same things now for three and four years. We can get into some higher-level discussions of offensive line play and not be afraid of adding something in for a particular week’s opponent.

“Any position movement in the line is easy to overcome. Their mission is to make each other better. When you talk about a line of five guys working as one, this is the perfect example. It is a microcosm of what (head coach Randy Walters) has created here. No matter where I’ve been, this is the best offensive line I have been lucky enough to stand with. Up front, we bear our scars. But we go out with one thing in mind and that is to bring violence. That is our goal.”

Honored for effort

Potocnak, a left tackle, prepared his body and mind last offseason to be ready to help Freeport return to the WPIAL playoffs in 2024 after an uncharacteristic postseason miss the year before.

An experienced line that included Troutman at right guard helped open holes for the Yellowjackets’ skilled runners and protected in the pass game. It allowed for a balanced attack that lifted Freeport to an 8-4 overall record and a trip to the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals.

Potocnak was selected the Allegheny 7 Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year.

While he was honored to receive the award, it wasn’t something he was seeking or expecting. Team victories, he said, was what he was after.

“Going from my sophomore year and not being that good at football and not having much experience on varsity, I just kept working hard all offseason to be better,” Potocnak said.

“It was great to have the whole team around me pushing me to be my best. That’s what got me to where I was recognized like that. I couldn’t have done that without my teammates.”

Pass blocking vs. run blocking?

“Pass blocking is fun and all, but I really like to run through people and put them on their (back),” said Potocnak, who hopes to do a lot of that this year with Troutman on a line that will feature experienced juniors in Cameron Manke and Karter Kemp.

“There was a lot to work on in the offseason and a lot to prepare for, but it is coming along,” he said “We all got bigger and stronger in the weight room and worked a lot together on the field. With heat (acclimation) and double sessions, we are putting more in to be ready.”

Leechburg navigated its way through the Eastern Conference slate last year and finished 5-2, third place behind Clairton and Greensburg Central Catholic.

Rearick helped provide stability to a line which, in turn, helped the likes of quarterback Jayden Floyd and halfback/tight end Jake Cummings rack up yardage and touchdowns as the Blue Devils scored 36.6 points a game.

The Eastern Conference coaches selected Rearick as their offensive lineman of the year. Like Potocnak, Rearick said it was not something expected as he wasn’t seeking that type of accolade. But it was cool nonetheless.

“Whatever I did to earn it was just what I did every day to help my team,” he said. “It was a surprise to receive it. Football is a team sport, and my teammates played a really big part in me getting this award.

“We’ve been playing together since our sophomore year, so we’re all comfortable next to each other. We made sure we all put in the work in the weight room, and we’re always working on our communication with each other during work on the field. All of us can play any position. We take pride in our versatility. It should be a really good year.”

Sitting under the learning tree

Ashi is a confident fourth-year starter along the Deer Lakes offensive line. The first game of his freshman year, he was second string. Halfway through the game, he moved into the lineup at left guard and hasn’t left the offensive huddle since.

Growing at his position and in the game overall, Ashi, like many other up-and-coming area linemen, said he looked to older veteran players for advice and mentorship on how to play the right way.

Now he is giving back.

“I think that is one of our stronger suits where the upperclassmen have always been mentors to the younger guys,” said Ashi, who now is at left tackle on an experienced and playoff-tested Deer Lakes line that also features seniors Shaun Bier at 6-1, 290, Aiden McCurdy at 6-4, 270 and Garrett Waybright at 6-0, 255.

Junior Brennan McGowan is a first-year starter at right guard.

“I felt the love when I was a freshman and was learning and growing,” Ashi said. “If our coach tells us something and it might confuse one of the younger guys at first, we can step in and explain it to them in a way that might have helped us remember it when we were in their shoes.

“I had (graduate and all-star) Nick Rossi with that, and I leaned on him a lot my freshman and sophomore years. I played those two years next to him, and I learned so much. Nick will still come down occasionally when he is doing his college conditioning. I still pick his brain about a few things, including some things at defensive end. That really helps.”

Bier moved from right guard to center for this season and worked with new Lancers quarterback Dante Mangieri in getting comfortable when delivering the football at the snap.

He said the move wouldn’t have been as smooth without the help and guidance of 2024 all-star center and 2025 graduate Lee Henglesberg.

“It was challenging to make the move, but my coaches, they believe in me, and I feel I’ve been doing a good job with it,” Bier said. “It is a big responsibility to fill Lee’s shoes, but he was more than willing to give me advice and the confidence that I could make the move. Center is where it all starts, and I am ready for the season. I am confident in my abilities. I have the confidence to also help Brennan with a few things where Lee was that mentor for me.”

Unsung heroes

There’s an old football adage when it comes to offensive line play that if a lineman’s name is mentioned in a game story or on a broadcast, it usually isn’t a good thing in the form of a penalty or missed assignment.

The line often is overlooked by the casual fan who seeks out the splash plays of the quarterback, running back or wide receiver in a well-oiled offensive machine.

But that is all right with Troutman, who doesn’t mind going unnoticed in the Freeport offense if quarterback Drew Ross, tailback Amos Glenn or wideouts Madden Wiesniewski and Owen Neistein are producing first downs and touchdowns.

“We get a lot of love from the coaches, and we know they are also going to let us know when we’re not doing our jobs,” Troutman said. “For me, I would rather see Drew or Amos’ name in the paper or talked about 100 times. We understand what our jobs are, and we go out and do it the best we can. We know it’s not a glory position. But within the team aspect, it means everything.”

Trevor Derian, Deer Lakes’ offensive line coach, sees a similar makeup in his line where Mangieri, running backs Ryan Love or Roman Smith and wideouts Dom Sciubba or Evan Moore can have confidence in getting the job done.

“All five (linemen) are definitely team guys,” Derian said. “They know their role, and they know if the people are talking about the offensive line, it may not be for the best. If there is nothing to say about us, we did our job. They know that everything starts with them up front. The tip of the spear, we strike first and make an impact.”

Tight ends in the equation

A unique position in a football team’s offense, the tight end often is looked at as a dynamic part of an offensive line, but sometimes, it might not fit that mold.

“It is unique because not a lot of teams use them anymore,” Riverview coach Trevor George said. “When I was a defensive coordinator in years past, it was always trouble for the defenses because it created another run gap and can get you outnumbered to their pass-strength side or run-strength side. It takes a selfless and gritty kid who is willing to stay home and block while also hoping to be the one to make a play with the ball in his hands. They hate being called athletic linemen because they want to be able to catch footballs, but they know how important their job is in the run game.

“Obviously, the size factor has to fit the kid, and we’ve been fortunate to have a guy like (2025 graduate) Alex Schultheis at his size and stature filling a huge role for us.”

Schultheis, at 6-5 and 225 pounds, earned Eastern Conference all-star and VND second-team honors in 2024.

A solid run blocker for the Raiders in their Wing-T offense, Schultheis also was a dependable passing target with 35 catches for 581 yards and six touchdowns and made the most of his four rushing attempts totaling 99 yards and one TD.

“Now, we have (junior) Miles Sigal, who we converted from a tackle, who is 6-4 and 225,” George said. “We’re also developing a freshman who is a 6-4. To be a single-A school and develop tight ends in our system, it is really important. When I get the kids in my seventh-grade history class, I kind of take a look at who could fit that mold one day.”

An unbreakable bond

It starts in the winter and continues in the spring and summer.

The weight room often is the genesis, and the pieces are put in place in a gym and then outside on the turf. Friendships formed in childhood are made stronger, and new partnerships come together through repetition after repetition as the line prepares to battle in the trenches on Friday nights.

“We always talk about the line being one unit and being a cohesive, well-oiled machine,” Bier said. “This whole offseason just flew by, but we took advantage of every chance to be together. It was crucial, not only to work on plays and see how we can move but also just how we bonded together. We are ready for this season. We are ready to cherish each practice, each game and each moment.”

Rosenberger said the Leechburg linemen build off each other.

“We have that experience, but we are not satisfied with where we are,” he said. “We have gotten stronger, and we feel we are smarter. It’s exciting when coach has something new for us. It shows his confidence in us that we can take it and execute it.”

For Troutman, seeing underclassmen stepping up and a new line taking shape was the highlight of his offseason work.

“Whether it was in the weight room or on the field or in the (Big Man Challenge) at Fox Chapel, it was very visual,” he said. “Everyone was trying their hardest, and that was very important to me. Getting everyone in the right spot and moving in the same direction so we can be our best on offense takes time and hard work. Through that, you become lifelong best friends, accountable best friends because of all the time putting in the work and helping each other.

“I know we are going to be there for each other no matter what, whether it be on the football field, in the weight room or in life. That goes for what we are building among the whole team. That bond is strong. That is what we have here.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport, Kiski Area, Leechburg, Riverview