Burrell, Freeport resume rivalry with conference implications on the line

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 | 7:44 PM

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Separated by classification the past two years, the Freeport and Burrell football teams have reunited in the Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference and are set to resume a rivalry that extends back to the 1960s and a pair of WPIAL playoff clashes.

The Bucs won the first two meetings in the series — the 41st game will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Freeport — by identical 6-0 scores in the 1967 and 1968 WPIAL Class 2A title games at Valley High School.

Freeport won the most recent meetings, in 2020 and 2021, but Burrell coach Shawn Liotta hopes his players can reverse that while also breaking through after a tough 0-4 start.

“We’re coming in 0-0 in the conference, and it is a chance for us to restart our season, so to speak,” Liotta said.

“We’re a young football team trying to get better every week. They’ve been working through the growing pains. It’s part of the deal.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Freeport football program. Coach (John) Gaillot and his staff always do a great job. When you watch them on film, the thing that always stands out is just how hard they play every snap. They get after you. It is a hard-nosed, physical brand of football. They fly to the ball. We have to be able to match that intensity Friday if we are going to have success.”

Freeport leads the overall series 25-15 and is 9-1 in the last 10 against Burrell.

The one Bucs victory came in 2019 in a 36-35 overtime thriller which saw Alex Arledge connect with Seth Fischbaugh to bring Burrell to within one before hooking up with Zach Miller for the game-winning two-point conversion.

“This game goes back to when the guys on our (coaching) staff played,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “It’s always a big one.

“Burrell is a very talented team. They’ve played really good football but just haven’t been able to get the results they were looking for. They are going to come in hungry on Friday looking to get that first win. We have to be at our best. We’re looking forward to the challenge in front of us.”

Freeport has traded wins and losses the first four weeks of the season. The Yellowjackets topped Indiana in Week Zero, fell to Derry in Week 1, and rebounded to beat Quaker Valley in Week 2 before coming up short by a touchdown to Deer Lakes last Friday in a game where they rallied to tie after trailing 21-0.

“I think we just grew up tremendously with facing that adversity,” Gaillot said. “The talent is there, but we just have to be confident in what we’re doing. That was a huge step and turning point for this team.”

Burrell, after setbacks to Avonworth, Shady Side Academy and Mt. Pleasant, led Derry 7-6 at halftime last Friday at Buccaneer Stadium on a 1-yard run by quarterback Steve Hasson.

But the Trojans outscored the Bucs, 26-6, in the second half en route to the 32-13 victory.

“The last two weeks, it’s been very encouraging,” Liotta said. “We’ve done some really good things in the first halves of both games against two pretty good teams. Unfortunately, the second half didn’t go as well. We’re going to continue to work hard to improve that to be more consistent. That is just part of the experience.”

Sophomore Trey Coury capped the scoring against Derry with a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter. Coury finished the game with 25 carries for 173 yards.

He now has 461 yards and two scores on 93 attempts.

“Their line is very low to the ground, and, foot to foot, they will just drive you off the ball. It will be a big challenge for our defensive line,” Gaillot said.

“Their bread and butter is the run game, like it always has been, but (Hasson) can throw the football. He’s an athlete. He makes plays with his arm and his feet.”

In Freeport’s rally against Deer Lakes, quarterback Drew Ross threw touchdown passes to Owen Niestein and Madden Wisniewski, and the Yellowjackets tied it on a 1-yard Amos Glenn run in the fourth.

Ross finished the game 8 of 14 for 143 yards and the two TD tosses, while Glenn led the rushing attack with 12 carries for 66 yards.

“(Ross) is very poised,” Liotta said. “He’s made some great throws, and he can move around a little bit. He’s going to present a challenge for us. (Glenn) is dangerous. We can’t let him get in open space. He’s a legit home run threat. Their line might be a little undersized, but they are quick off the ball, and they get after you. They are very physical. It won’t be easy to contain them, but we are up for that challenge.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Freeport