Avella embraces underdog identity, hunts for playoff spot

By: Antonio Rossetti
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | 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 Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Bentworth and California previews will be published later this week.

With 73 boys in grades 10-12 per the latest PIAA numbers and graduation classes hovering around 40 students, it’s often hard to field a football team. Nevertheless, Avella makes it work.

Last season, the Eagles finished 3-7 and the year before, they were 4-6. Avella is close to making it over the hump and back to the playoffs, which the team last did in 2020.

“When we’re not at 20 or down in the teens, that’s when we tend to struggle because it’s just hard to practice,” coach Ryan Cecchini said. “It’s hard to play games like that when you’re so limited with the players you have, but I feel like we’re in a pretty good place right now with our numbers.”

Cecchini is going into year 15 as head coach and has made the playoffs four times. To sum it up, the Eagles make the playoffs when they have the players.

Sophomore captain quarterback and linebacker Chas Rush is fueled for the season.

“Everybody looks at Avella and says, ‘You only have this many kids. You guys aren’t good,’” Rush said. “I like to go out there and beat those teams that say that we’re not any good because we’re so small. It gets me going. It fuels me a good bit knowing that those people are saying that, and we go out and we win and we compete with those teams. It just gets me fired up.”

This season, the Eagles return the majority of their skill position players.

“You’re not building from scratch. You’re building on top of what they learned and the experiences that they had last year,” Cecchini said. “I think that’s the main thing. You’re going to have a lot of veterans that have been there, done that and have the experience to lean on.”

One of those players is Rush.

“He’s one of the only captains I’ve ever had as a sophomore,” Ceccini said. “His leadership is very good. He’s a very solid leader. He was poised for a huge breakout season. He did have a very good season. About the midway point last season, he actually broke his hand and we had to eliminate pretty much all of our under-center offense.”

Despite the injury, he played out of the shotgun and ran for 619 yards on 98 carries for five touchdowns. He also threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

Rush is now fully healthy and the Avella wing-T will be running in full effect.

“There’s multiple guys that get touches throughout the game, and it really makes the defense read or react,” Cecchini said. “They can’t just focus on shutting down one guy, and that’s the beautiful part of our wing-T offense. When it’s clicking, everybody in the offense is eating, everybody’s getting carries, and everybody’s getting catches.”

Two other key players in the offense who return are Bryce Wright, who tallied 159 rushing yards and 71 receiving yards with one touchdown, and Noah Kimberland, who had 211 yards on 41 carries.

“It’s hard to stop and it gives teams a harder look because they don’t know all of us are good,” Rush said. “All of us can run the ball, all of us can break a play, so it opens up our offense a lot more than just having me. Bryce and Noah, just those extra guys help a lot.”

Cecchini said that the offense is a big benefit.

“One of the huge advantages we have running that offense is not a lot of teams run it anymore, so teams that we like play week to week, they have to prepare special for us,” Cecchini said. “It’s not something that they’re used to seeing, and it’s not something that’s easy to replicate either in practice.”

The backs in that offense are running behind a line Cecchini has confidence in.

“We’re pretty mobile,” Cecchini said. “We had a big loss in Hayden Gatewood, who was an excellent lineman. He’s the toughest one to replace, but with guys we have to step in, I feel comfortable with where we’re at. We’re not an overly big line, but we have decent size. I think the key though to us is our mobility.”

Seniors Eddie Craigo, Sawyer Kramer, Holden Fischer and Cody Day and sophomore Kadyn Narquini lead a veteran line.

“Sawyer Kramer, he came back,” Rush said. “He was one of our best last year. Having him back is awesome. Eddie Craigo, he’s finally learning offense too. He’s strong and he’s getting good. The rest of our line are a bunch of big guys who we’ve had, who have been running wing-T since our junior high team did it, and a bunch of them know it already. Our line looks pretty solid this year.”

Craigo joined the football team freshman year after moving into the district. He said that was the best decision he ever made as it gave him a group of friends at a new school that welcomed him before the school year started.

He said that his friends noticed his motor.

“They noticed that I go hard and I go as hard as I possibly can,” Craigo said. “I guess they saw something, even though the first year, second and somewhat under third year, I had my head down the entire time. I looked like a crazy person running out of the line as fast as I could. Most of the time, it took two people to block me, but I wasn’t going to get a tackle.”

Craigo laughed about his early football days. He’s always had the grit, speed and tenacity. As a senior, he’s built himself into a complete player ready to lead.

“I do try to be an example and do my best when it’s the first reps,” Craigo said. “I’m not the best, but if you ain’t at the point I’m at already, you should try and get there and succeed. I’m tiny, short and 232 pounds, but they say big things come in small packages. I can pack a punch.”

Cecchini sees a humble player who leads by example and has come into his own.

“I think one of the guys who is really going to step up this year on defense is Eddie Craigo,” Cecchini said. “He came on at the end of last year when we had some injuries, and he really stepped up, and I expect him to have a nice season.”

Craigo loads up on spaghetti the night before the game, follows it up with an energy drink in the morning of game day and a hydration drink before the game. He is ready to go to battle this season and will continue his plan.

Rush is ready as well, and he’s impressed with the defense. He mentioned Narquini and Craigo as two players who are spearheading the D-line. Kramer and Rush are two standouts at linebacker, and Kimberland and Wright are leaders at cornerback.

“Everybody has high hopes,” Rush said. “Everybody believes that we are going to do good. Everybody comes to practice. Everybody pushes as hard as they can this year. I just have a better feeling this year than we had last year.”

Cecchini has been through the highs and lows. One thing he said is consistent is the community showing up. Craigo loves playing in front of the fans.

“I feel like the community is very supportive,” Craigo said. “Every time at a home game, I look up at the bleachers and it’s close to full with not many gaps.”

One goal Avella has every season is to make the playoffs. Cecchini played for Avella and knows how important making it to the playoffs can be.

“One of the things that I love is making the playoffs,” Cecchini said. “We’ve made the playoffs four times before since I’ve been there. Before then, we hadn’t made the playoffs in 37 years. That’s why we always set our goal for the playoffs and that’s special for the kids.”

Craigo has a goal to record enough sacks to get coach Clint Varner to go to his graduation party. Before then, he wants nothing more than to make the playoffs. He realizes this is his last chance.

“I’m probably going to cry after camp or after the season ends,” Craigo said. “What if I can’t get into college? What if this is my last year of ever playing football, and I’ve only started since my freshman year? It’s going to suck. The people I play with, they don’t know it, but they’ve changed my life. I’ve never been this happy anywhere else.”

Avella

Coach: Ryan Cecchini

2024 record: 3-7, 2-5 in Class A Tri-County South Conference

All-time record: 361-507-26

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Mapletown*, 7

8.29 at Carlynton, 7

9.5 at Springdale, 7

9.12 West Greene*, 7

9.19 California*, 7

9.26 at Beth-Center*, 7

10.3 Mapletown*, 7

10.10 Carmichaels*, 7

10.17 at Jefferson-Morgan*, 7

10.24 at Bentworth*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Chas Rush

25-72, 341 yards, 4 TDs

Rushing: Rush

98-619 yards, 5 TDs

Receiving: Nathan Rankin*

8-129 yards, 2 TDs

FAST FACTS

• The Eagles made their first playoff appearance in 37 years after defeating Carmichaels, 14-7, in stunning fashion in 2020.

• Ralph Cindrich wrote a book, NFL Brawler, which details his journey growing up in Avella and making it all the way to the pros. Cindrich played for New England Patriots, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos from 1972-1975.

• Avella alumni Silvio Zaninelli played for the Steelers from 1934-1937 and George Daney played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1968-1974, winning an AFL championship and a Super Bowl.

• Avella cheerleader Anastasia Barr got into a football game as a defensive back in 2008 due to the team’s shortened roster. The Eagles gained national attention due to their never-quit mentality.

Tags: Avella