Colecchi a jack of all trades in Kiski Area offense

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, August 17, 2018 | 11:06 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

Away from the play, Kiski Area senior wide receiver Jack Colecchi will block and drive the defender out of bounds and finish him off with an aggressive shove and concrete stare.

Two plays later, he’s down the field wide open after a double move, pulling in a finger-tip catch and off to the races. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder will take a direct snap from center and blast through a hole up the middle just as easy as he’ll drop back and float a bomb down the sidelines.

His size, skill, attitude and toughness make him not only a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, but he has also become the standard bearer for the Sam Albert era of Cavaliers football.

“I think I bring a lot of versatility because I’m like a jack of all trades,” Colecchi said. “I’m bigger and stronger, so I’m good at blocking. I’m fast, so I can run routes, and I can catch anything.”

Colecchi is not short on confidence either, nor should he be. Last season, in his first year in Albert’s offense, Colecchi managed to pull in 32 receptions for 714 yards and six touchdowns. His touchdown mark was tops among receivers and ranked second on the team behind running back Ross Greece (9).

This season, Albert brought former Cavaliers standout Aaron Frye onto his staff to work with the wide receivers. Frye immediately stopped by the weight room and pointed his finger right at Colecchi.

“As soon as I walked into the weight room, my eyes just lit up,” said Frye, who went on to star at safety and punter for Bethany (W.Va.). “Coach said, ‘yeah, that’s who you’re going to be working with right there.’ You kind of just lick your chops and get excited by things like that.”

Frye said his first impression of Colecchi was just his size and speed.

Anybody who follows football knows a solid relationship between a wide receiver and his quarterback is a key element to any passing attack. Senior quarterback Ryne Wallace and Colecchi have literally been playing pitch-and-catch since their fourth grade travel baseball team days, where Wallace pitched and Colecchi was a part-time catcher.

It was in last year’s opener against Canon-McMillan where Wallace and Colecchi were trying to earn playing time. Wallace was locked in a quarterback battle with fellow sophomore Bryson Venanzio, and Colecchi was trying to make enough plays in the new offense to stay on the field.

The two didn’t waste much time. On the third play from scrimmage, Wallace avoided defensive pressure and managed to spot Colecchi down the field for an 80-yard pass to the Big Macs 10-yard line. It was at that moment the two longtime friends rekindled their game of pitch-and-catch.

“He hit me on the post corner (route), and I ran it to the other side of the field,” said Colecchi, recalling the play.

Second-year offensive coordinator Jeff Graham is a numbers guy and likes the Cavaliers’ odds of scoring when Colecchi has the ball in his hands.

“In high school football especially, and at all levels of football, you want to get the ball in your best player’s hands,” said Graham, who was named the 2006 Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year after his senior year at Highlands. “He’s our best skill position threat, so we want to get the ball in his hands. He’s a big boy. There’s one time where he’ll carry tacklers but also shifty enough to make people miss, as well.”

Graham cracked a bit of smile when he talked about the potential with the Wallace and Colecchi connection, or as Graham call’s it — “Snake” to “Condor.”

“They have a very good relationship right now,” Graham said. “After each practice, they’re normally out there running routes and getting their timing down.”

Colecchi is flying under the radar going into his senior season as far as college recruiting goes. He’s received interest from Cornell and Robert Morris but no offers yet.

“He’s got the speed, he’s got the size and he’s got all of the intangibles to be a really, really good receiver in the WPIAL,” Frye said. “He knows his ability.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Kiski School