After offseason of change, defending WPIAL champ Beaver Falls looks to contend again

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Saturday, August 17, 2024 | 6:01 AM

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Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Friday.

A year ago, Beaver Falls taught a lesson about never giving up on a season that won’t soon be forgotten.

The Tigers were 2-3 in the first half of the season. After losing their regular season finale to Western Beaver, they were 5-5 and just barely snuck into the WPIAL playoffs as the 10th seed.

Then the switch was flipped.

Beaver Falls picked up a first-round win over Keystone Oaks, a one-point victory over Neshannock to avenge a regular season loss and a two-point win over Washington to make it to Acrisure Stadium.

In the WPIAL finals, the Tigers pulled out a dramatic 14-12 victory over Steel Valley to win the program’s sixth – and perhaps most unlikely – WPIAL title.

“There was a point in the season where things were a little bit crazy. A little bit of disappointment like, ‘Wow, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go,’ but they did a great job turning it around,” first-year coach Jim Mooney said. “That was a senior-driven team that never hit the panic button and kept running through.”

The offseason brought significant changes to the Beaver Falls program. In addition to the departure of 14 graduating seniors, coach Nick Nardone, who led the Tigers to the WPIAL finals in each of the last four seasons, stepped down in January.

Mooney said he wasn’t necessarily shocked that Nardone, who has young children, stepped away.

“Honestly, I don’t know how these guys with little kids are coaching high school football,” he said.

Mooney was more surprised that he ended up taking the reins.

“That was a couple month discussion with my wife and my family because it’s really an all-in type of deal when you start doing this stuff,” Mooney said. “We talked about it for a while and finally decided, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ I’m not getting any younger, so if you’re going to try something, you try it when you can.”

Mooney, a 1988 Monaca grad who played at Cal (Pa.), has been a line coach on the Beaver Falls staff for the past six seasons.

“That’s the big fear, I think, about having an O-line guy come in, that all you’re going to do is pound the ball, pound the ball,” Mooney said. “And yeah, I do love a good run game, and we’ve been pretty successful with the run game at Beaver Falls the last six years, but you can’t just be one-dimensional. There’s a lot to this game.”

Mooney said he’s got a returning core of five veteran players who he plans to lean on heavily this season.

That starts with Za’Saun McElvy, a receiver/defensive back/athlete who will do a little bit of everything for the Tigers, but most importantly, will provide leadership as a senior captain.

Malachi West is the senior leader on the line, and he’ll be joined by juniors Jacob Jesseman and Kenny Jewell III. Sincere Freeman should step in as the lead running back.

“Those are going to be productive guys that I’m counting on for leadership,” Mooney said.

Mooney is also expecting two-way contributions from tight end/linebacker Jawannd Williams and receiver/defensive back Nijon Parker and is excited about a pair of freshmen on the line, Lucas McDowell and Dougie Dawkins.

Sophomore Austin Campbell looks to be the winner of the quarterback competition.

It’s a lot of roster turnover, but that’s not likely to lower expectations for the perennially powerful Beaver Falls program. The Tigers will be expected to compete for the Midwestern Athletic Conference title and be a factor in the WPIAL playoffs just like they always are.

Mooney likes it that way.

“The MAC is always going to be the MAC. It’s always going to be competitive,” he said. “Where are we going to fit in? I’ll let you know at the end of the year.

“We had 14 seniors, a big squad to replace on a Double-A team, but I’m optimistic. We’ll be competitive. We are still Beaver Falls, so everybody’s going to give us their best shot.”

Beaver Falls

Coach: Jim Mooney

2023 record: 9-6, 4-3 in the Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference

All-time record: 705-427-52

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.23 Blackhawk, 7

8.30 at Imani Christian, 7

9.6 South Side, 7

9.14 at Western Beaver*, 12:30

9.20 at Mohawk*, 7

9.27 Freedom*, 7

10.4 at Union*, 7

10.11 New Brighton*, 7

10.18 Riverside*, 7

10.25 at Ellwood City*, 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Da’Sean Anderson*

53-104, 779 yards, 5 TDs

Rushing: Da’Talian Beauford*

240-1,619 yards, 16 TDs

Receiving: Di’Nari Harris*

27-452 yards, 2 TDs

* Graduated

FAST FACTS

• In addition to last year’s championship, Beaver Falls won WPIAL titles in 1928, 1960, 1984, 2016 and 2020.

• Beaver Falls’ season ended with a 28-8 PIAA loss to City League champ Westinghouse.

• In addition to six years as an assistant on the Beaver Falls staff, new Tigers coach Jim Mooney also coached a year at Monaca when he was fresh out of college and a year at New Brighton in 2009.

• Last season, Beaver Falls (705) became the eighth WPIAL team to crack the 700-win mark. The first seven were Jeannette (777), Aliquippa (783), New Castle (756), Washington (742), Clairton (725), McKeesport (722) and Greensburg Salem (711).

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Beaver Falls