Apollo-Ridge knows what to expect from Deanes, Seton LaSalle

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 | 9:24 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

The WPIAL realignment brought on by a shift to six classifications last season placed unfamiliar teams in the same conference. For holdovers of the Allegheny Conference, that meant get-to-know-you games with a pair of South Hills teams in Keystone Oaks and Seton LaSalle.

Fast-forward to now, and much of the mystery is gone. And while familiarity hasn't quite bred contempt yet, it is bringing competitiveness: Keystone Oaks took first place the first year of the “new” Allegheny, and Seton LaSalle visits Apollo-Ridge at 7 p.m. Friday atop the league, a half-game in front of KO and Freeport.

“The unknown last year was when we didn't know exactly how good they were and their kids and the makeup of their kids,” Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba said. “You actually get to see them and eyeball them when we got down there on the field, and you're like, they're a pretty impressive-looking group.”

Apollo-Ridge took advantage of some of the unfamiliarity last year. With star Duane Brown in his second game back from injury, the Vikings got a late score to get a 35-28 victory, one that proved pivotal in their eventual second-place finish.

The Vikings don't have quite the same advantage this year, especially after Brown's graduation.

“You definitely don't have that Christmas day feeling of unknown when you look at the film,” Seton LaSalle coach Rob Carter said. “You know what to expect from a certain coach, and every coach in this conference is tough-nosed football.”

This year, the top playmaker on the field likely belongs to Seton LaSalle: senior running back Lionel Deanes, also known as “The Train.”

The 5-foot-7 Deanes is Seton LaSalle's workhorse with 816 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in the Rebels' first four games of the season. He gained 156 yards against Apollo-Ridge last season.

“We know he's going to get the ball 30-plus times somehow, some way,” Skiba said of Deanes, who also has 10 catches and three receiving touchdowns. “He's been that way ever since he's played. He never gets tired, either. He wore us down a little last year.

“He's one of those kids that can go and just keep going and going. He'll make one cut, and all of a sudden he's gone.”

Skiba knows well the importance of slowing such a player, having coached the likes of Brown and Tre Tipton in recent years, and the Vikings know they need to contain Deanes to have success.

“We have to be patient in the backfield and just watch for his cuts,” Apollo-Ridge freshman linebacker Logan Harmon said.

Senior quarterback Matt Banbury, who has eight passing touchdowns this season, gives Deanes a strong complement in the Seton LaSalle offense.

Apollo-Ridge (4-1, 2-1) still could have some mystery in store Friday night, specifically regarding the availability of senior quarterback Kyle Fitzroy, who missed last week's 28-19 victory over Burrell with an injury.

Freshman Jake Fello capably filled in for Fitzroy, and Harmon rushed for four touchdowns to lead the Vikings to a come-from-behind victory despite dealing with back spasms of his own. But having Fitzroy, a three-year starter, in the lineup would allow the Vikings to play to their full offensive potential.

“(Skiba's) putting his kids in a position where they're just playing football and having fun and really getting after it on both sides of the ball,” Carter said. “… I think Coach Skiba does a really good job. He's going to try to give you some funky looks with his formations, and it just comes back to old-style football. I'm really excited for this week.”

Four freshmen start for Apollo-Ridge, and Skiba said last week's comeback helped in their progression as players.

“They have some youth, but those kids aren't freshmen anymore,” Carter said. “It's Week 5, and they're playing pretty good ball, running and hustling.”

Both teams are still searching for their most consistent performance of the season; Apollo-Ridge struggled in a loss to Shady Side Academy in Week 3, and the Vikings got off to a slow start against Burrell.

“The four games we've won, I felt like our heads actually got screwed on right, and we're actually going to go pretty far,” Apollo-Ridge senior lineman Joe Sadowsky said.

Given the competitiveness of the conference, Friday's game could go a long way in determining at least one of the two guaranteed playoff spots.

“It's huge for us because we know we've got to keep up,” Skiba said. “We've got to battle every week, and we've got very good teams coming here.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Seton-LaSalle