After smooth coaching transition, resilient Keystone Oaks ready for another run

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, August 21, 2022 | 12:01 PM

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After eight successful seasons in which he went 45-34, Greg Perry left as Keystone Oaks football coach in the offseason, in part because of a cut in pay for his assistant coaches.

However, one of Perry’s assistant coaches, Steve McCormick, has taken over the program and is set for a smooth transition thanks in part to the outgoing coach.

“I’ve been blessed to work some great head coaches in my 15 years as an assistant coach at Keystone Oaks, including a good friend of mine, Greg Perry, who has helped make the transition very easy for me,” McCormick said. “I was also fortunate enough to get almost all our assistant coaches back from a year ago.”

Senior offensive and defensive lineman Christian Flaherty agrees.

“I think the change has been pretty easy for a lot of us,” he said. “Coach McCormick has been with the team for a long time and has what it takes to win.”

With that major hurdle clear, McCormick and his staff go to work to improve on a 6-6 season in which the Golden Eagles won their final three games of the regular season and a first-round playoff matchup with South Allegheny before falling to North Catholic in a wild Class 3A quarterfinal, 48-41.

“Last season, our guys showed a ton of resilience and toughness,” McCormick said. “We had a five-game losing streak before winning our final four games to take us to the quarterfinals game, which was a thriller. We didn’t win a game for over a month, and this team never quit and kept working hard week in and week out.”

Seven starters return on each side of the ball for Keystone Oaks, including senior quarterback Nick Buckley.

“He’s a second-year starter and a smart player,” McCormick said. “He is looking to build on his strong 2021 season.”

Buckley connected on 164 of 280 passes for 1,916 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall.

Junior wide receiver and defensive back Clinton Robinson is expected to be one of the top targets in the passing game after averaging 8.5 yards per catch in a limited role as a sophomore.

“He’s a hard worker and all-around great athlete,” McCormick said. “He is strong, fast and has great hands.”

Senior Shawn Reick is expected to lead the Golden Eagles ground game after the graduation of 1,300-yard rusher Kevin Drew.

Leading KO up front is Flaherty. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder is described by his coach as strong and physical.

“I’ve always been a lead-by-example kind of player. I don’t really talk that much,” Flaherty said. “We have a lot of guys competing this year for starting spots. We’ve got some guys switching positions, including myself. I think our line is going to do pretty well.”

Flaherty is switching from left guard to left tackle on the offensive line.

Preparing for his first season as head coach, McCormick is naturally excited, but there are some roster concerns as well.

“Depth and injuries are a major concern going into the season,” he said. “We do not have a large senior class, so a long-term injury at any position could definitely cause us some depth issues this season. But we have such a great group of players and coaches, I’m excited to get the season started. There is just something special about high school football in Western Pennsylvania.”

Keystone Oaks was greatly affected by the new enrollment-based realignment. After six years of competing in Class 3A, the Golden Eagles are flying back down to Class 2A, where they will battle the likes of Brentwood, Charleroi, McGuffey, Sto-Rox, Washington and Waynesburg in the Century Conference.

“Regardless of what classification you play in, there are competitive teams,” McCormick said. “I believe our move down to 2A will benefit us most by being more comparable to other teams’ roster sizes.”

Keystone Oaks

Coach: Steve McCormick

2021 record: 3-2, 6-6 in Class 3A Northwestern Six Conference

All-time record: 446-445-37

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.26 Deer Lakes, 7

9.2 South Park, 7

9.9 Bishop Canevin, 7

9.16 Waynesburg*, 7

9.23 at Sto-Rox*, 7

9.30 Charleroi*, 7

10.7 at Hopewell, 7

10.14 at McGuffey*, 7

10.21 Washington*, 7

10.28 at Brentwood*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Nick Buckley

164-280, 1,916 yards, 16 TDs

Rushing: Kevin Drew*

199-1,300, 17 TDs

Receiving: Quinn Kenny*

48-503, 4 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• This will be Steve McCormick’s first year as head coach as Keystone Oaks after 15 years as a Golden Eagles assistant coach. He worked under Greg Perry, Matt Taylor and Nick Kamberis at KO.

• The Golden Eagles picked up their second WPIAL postseason win in as many years when they shut out South Allegheny, 34-0, in a 3A first-round game last fall. A week later, KO was knocked out of the playoffs by North Catholic, 48-41. Nick Buckley threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns, including two to then-senior Owen Minford, who caught nine passes for 139 yards.

• While Keystone Oaks has never won a WPIAL football championship, old Dormont High School won two outright Class AA WPIAL football championships in 1939 and 1945 and was co-champion in 1942 and 1943.

• This is the 100th season of Keystone Oaks football, including preceding schools in the district.

Note: Due to publishing scheduling conflicts, the preview for Century Conference team Charleroi will appear on Trib HSSN later this week.