Ambridge focusing on finishing after more competitive season

By: Josh Rowntree
Saturday, August 9, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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Through the first month of the 2024 football season, Ambridge looked like it could be in for a special, breakthrough year.

And while the Bridgers constructed a far more competitive season with a 4-5 overall record, coach Sherm McBride is focused on one thing as the team enters 2025.

“The motto this year is to finish,” said McBride, who enters his fifth season at Ambridge. “We were 3-1 at one point, but lost four of our last five games. We’ve just got to finish.”

Ambridge scored wins over Western Beaver, Mt. Pleasant and Greensburg Salem to open last season, with an overtime loss to Hopewell worked in. But when the Bridgers hit Parkway Conference play, the season swung in a sour direction, with losses in four of their last five games.

“It was just the mental aspect of the game,” McBride said. “I think we played fairly well on offense and defense the first two or three quarters. Then you throw an interception or you fumble a ball, and these guys act like the world’s coming to an end. You can’t do that.

“I’ll put most of the blame on myself because that’s preparation. You’ve got to prepare these kids for the ups, the downs, the bigger things in life.”

Still, the Bridgers posted their most wins since the 2015 season, and McBride is optimistic that Ambridge can take another step this year.

A big reason for his optimism is because of the emergence last season of quarterback DJ Cain.

“I call him ‘Mr. 800,’” said McBride of the senior, who passed for and rushed for over 800 yards last season while splitting time under center with AJ Gerace, who graduated in the spring. “He’s going to take over the reins. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s around 6-foot-3, 190 (pounds). He was a great track guy and ran a 10.9-second 100-meter dash. He’ll be the leader of our team.”

Because of Cain’s athleticism, McBride plans to craft the team’s offense around him.

“When you have a guy that has the ball in his hands 99.9% of the time, I mean, you have to utilize what you have,” McBride said.

And, despite the loss of top playmaker Adam Fernandez, the weapons at Cain’s disposal have McBride excited.

“Me and the coaches have come to the conclusion that this might be the best set of skill guys that we’ve had,” McBride said. “Last year, we had Adam Fernandez and then it was the rest of them. This year, we have four or five guys.”

Joining Cain in the backfield will be the combination of Martese Priest, Daron Cox and Shamar Underwood. Nathan Sheffield is a versatile player who can line up at tight end, in the slot or outside. Enzo Kittrell will also work into the offense heavily at receiver.

“And then we have some young guys that are coming up,” McBride said. “But I refuse to name them until they get some green on their pants.”

Ambridge will return two starters on the offensive line, including all-conference selection Quinn Tkatch and Logan Wolf, as well as numerous players who saw playing time last year.

Tkatch and Wolf will both anchor the defensive line, while Sheffield will lead that side of the ball as the primary play caller from the secondary.

“Consistency on defense is the name of the game,” said McBride of his group, which surrendered 24.6 points per game last season. “You can’t score 28 points but give up 35. That’s not the way football is meant to be played. Hopefully, we can score 21 to 28 points per game and allow around 14.”

Five years ago, McBride’s goal was to build Ambridge’s depth to a sustainable level. He’s been able to do that, with around 45 players on this year’s roster.

“The future looks a little brighter,” he said. “You have to water your plants. If you don’t water your plants, you don’t get too much coming back. If we continue to water our plants over here and get these kids out for football, that’ll get us headed in the right direction.”

Ambridge will start its season with five nonconference games before getting into Class 4A’s Parkway Conference, which features a few perennially strong programs like Aliquippa, West Allegheny and Montour, as well as Blackhawk and New Castle.

“I love the schedule,” said McBride, who will face the same teams as last season in the run-up to conference action. “Looking at last year, that gave us a little confidence going into the season.

“You have established programs in our conference, but you’ll find out that they have a lot of guys who have graduated. You may not have those powerful lineups. They have to make a new salad, too. They have to find some tomatoes and cucumbers.”

It’s McBride’s hope that a combination of lessons learned in 2024, a conference that may not be as strong as it typically is, and a more experienced group will be able to return Ambridge to the postseason.

“What’s important for us is the next play, to forget what just happened, and go on to the next play,” he added. “That’s the mentality that I’m trying to install in their minds right now.

“All I want is, by the fourth quarter, to have a chance to win some games.”

Ambridge

Coach: Sherm McBride

2024 record: 4-5, 1-4 in Class 4A Parkway Conference

All-time record: 452-517-40

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Western Beaver, 7

8.29 at Laurel Highlands, 7

9.5 Hopewell, 7

9.12 at Mt. Pleasant, 7

9.19 Greensburg Salem, 7

9.26 West Allegheny*, 7

10.3 at Blackhawk*, 7

10.10 at Montour*, 7

10.17 New Castle*, 7

10.24 Aliquippa*, 7

*Conference game

FAST FACTS

• McBride was a standout player at Aliquippa who played collegiately at Ohio.

• The Bridgers last finished .500 or better in 2015, when they went 5-5 and lost to Ringgold in the WPIAL Class 3A first round.

• Ambridge has won one WPIAL football championship, coming in 1932.

• Every program in Class 4A’s Parkway Conference has won a WPIAL title, with 49 total championships having been won by the six teams.

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