Bye week before playoff opener no vacation for Penn-Trafford football

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, November 1, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Just because the Penn-Trafford football team earned a first-round bye in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs does not mean the Warriors can take a vacation.

Far from it.

Veteran coach John Ruane prepared his team like they had a game in the first round.

“The only thing different is we have no game,” Ruane said. “We had a first-round bye in 2021, and it worked out for us.”

Penn-Trafford won its first WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2021.

Getting a week off allows the Warriors (9-1) to heal up from a 10-week grind.

The Warriors will play host to the winner of an Oct. 31 first-round matchup between No. 5 Moon and No. 12 Armstrong.

No. 4 Penn-Trafford defeated both teams. The Warriors, playing without running back Ben Grabowski and linebacker Jamison Yurt, rallied late to defeat Moon, 25-24, on Sept. 5.

They defeated Armstrong, 42-7, on Oct. 17.

“I feel we are playing well,” Ruane said. “We still need play more consistent. We have to put together a 48-minute game.”

No. 3 Woodland Hills is the lone team to defeat the Warriors. That was a 49-21 setback Sept. 12.

Since then, the Warriors slowly have gotten healthy.

Grabowski and Yurt are two of the players back from injuries.

Grabowski, a junior, has rushed for 794 yards and scored nine touchdowns, while Cody Yacamelli, a sophomore, has rushed for 747 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Both have been used in the wildcat formation.

Senior quarterback Nate Desmond has improved his game. He has completed 83 of 145 passes for 1,385 yards and 10 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Nick Ponko is the main target with 38 catches for 660 yards and six scores.

Landyn Stikkel has played well. He has been moved around to various positions and has six touchdowns.

“Nate has done a really good job,” Ruane said. “He has taken a nice step.

“With some guys out, it allowed us to build depth.”

Penn-Trafford opened the season with a thrilling 34-31, win against Norwin.

It followed with an impressive win against Mt. Lebanon, 26-18. After the Moon squeaker, the Warriors allowed two Scoop Smith kickoff returns in their only loss to the Wolverines.

Since the loss, the Warriors have run off six consecutive wins: Kiski Area (42-0), Plum (33-14), Gateway (33-23), Franklin Regional (48-14), Armstrong and Latrobe (42-14).

The best win in the final six games was a come-from-behind victory against Gateway.

This is the ninth consecutive season that the Warriors have made the playoffs. They are 25-32 in postseason play.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford