Armstrong football looking to establish footing in 2nd season in Class 5A

By: Giustino Racchini
Thursday, August 7, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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The Armstrong football team has put its focus on turning around a disappointing season behind a more experienced roster. It something different than what coach Frank Fabian has become accustomed to with his program.

Last season’s 2-8 record was the first losing season for Armstrong since 2019. It was also the team’s first season moving up to Class 5A where the River Hawks took on powerhouse football programs such as Gateway, Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional in the Big East Conference.

“Our schedule now in 5A is unrelenting from week to week,” Fabian said. “We need to put our guys in positions where they are better handled for the grind.”

That preparation has started to take shape in the offseason. Large groups of players have shown up at 6 a.m. lifts and practices throughout the spring and summer.

“We have an overall younger group coming up in the program that hopefully can lead us in a good direction,” Fabian said. “The focus is narrow right now, and we’re trying to get better every time we’re on the field.”

Returning for the River Hawks is their starting quarterback, Jaydon Oliver. Oliver had a solid sophomore campaign, his second year as the starter, throwing for 1,763 yards with 15 touchdown passes.

Starting tailback Costa Couknas also returns after rushing for 469 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. Quinton Olsen, younger brother of former Armstrong standouts Ian and Cadin Olsen, also returns after making 13 catches for 72 yards and a pair of TDs in his sophomore season.

This is the second season starting for a majority of the skill position groups, and Fabian has been pleased with the overall understanding and improvement for the team.

“The buy-in from the guys is a bit higher because they know what they are walking into (in Class 5A),” Fabian said. “Whether it’s been on the field or in the weight room, it has been promising.”

Finishing games was a key phrase Fabian used when talking about last season’s shortcomings. Armstrong was in contention for many of its losses, including blowing a double-digit lead against Franklin Regional to close out the season.

“We gotta finish a lot better and that has been a key word we have used around practice,” Fabian said. “There were a few games we were in that we didn’t finish well in, like the end of the year when we were up 12 with two minutes to go and we didn’t play well down the stretch.”

Both wins Armstrong had last season came in nonconference matchups. The River Hawks put up 38 points to beat Highlands in Week Zero and then scored 42 to beat Hampton in Week 1. After that, the most points the offense scored was 35 against Class 6A Canon-McMillan.

“We need to be better prepared heading into this season,” Fabian said. “We’ve run a couple different groups this offseason, and overall I think it has been productive.”

Armstrong

Coach: Frank Fabian

2024 record: 2-8, 0-6 in Class 5A Big East Conference

All-time record: 56-47-0

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Highlands, 7

8.29 Hampton, 7

9.5 at Bethel Park, 7

9.12 at Canon-McMillan, 7

9.19 Latrobe*, 7

9.26 at Gateway*, 7

10.3 Woodland Hills*, 7

10.10 at Kiski Area*, 7

10.17 at Penn-Trafford*, 7

10.24 Franklin Regional*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Jaydon Oliver

138-252, 1,763 yards, 15 TDs

Rushing: Oliver

100-579 yards, 6 TDs

Receiving: Kyan Kline*

48-838 yards, 7 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• This will be Armstrong’s 11th season as a football program after Ford City and Kittanning merged.

• Quinton Olsen is the third Olsen brother to play for Armstrong. Older brother Cadin is a quarterback at Penn and middle brother Ian is a receiver at Furman.

• This will be Oliver’s third season as the starting quarterback. He has 27 touchdown passes through two seasons.

Tags: Armstrong