CTK ’17 – 2-A Midwestern Athletic Conference Preview

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, August 23, 2017 | 2:45 AM

The Midwestern Athletic Conference had six teams qualify for the Class 2A playoffs in 2016.  Five of those six teams won a game in the postseason. 

A wide variety of teams and directions exist in the MAC.  Teams like Riverside and Laurel bounce back from troublesome years to find success and playoff victories.  Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic and New Brighton appear to be in rebuilding mode.  And then there’s a Neshannock team who in less than a decade has gone from perennial bottom-dweller to a district championship contender. 

Every week is a battle in the Midwestern Athletic Conference, and the 2017 season should be no different. 

Here is a look at the MAC teams for this year:  

CARDINAL WUERL NORTH CATHOLIC TROJANS 

It will be a new look North Catholic squad in 2017 after numerous players have graduated or transferred away. A new coach also will be on the sidelines for CWNC in Pat O’Shea, who has been an assistant at various schools across western Pennsylvania for 25 years.  He replaces Jason Gildon after two seasons coaching the Trojans. 

Ryan Maziarz and Jack Cassidy return as an all conference picks from a year ago.  Both saw some time at quarterback, with Maziarz starting a few games while splitting reps with William Gipson. Gipson has transferred, as has speedsters Joey Porter and Michael Tomlin.  1,000-yard rusher Mario Latronica has graduated as well.  

The Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic defense will look to improve from last year that gave up at least 28 points in four of their last six games, including a 71-28 defeat to Neshannock in the postseason.  Sophomore linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green will be a big part of a defensive improvement.  

The Trojans travel to Quaker Valley in Week Zero before hosting Neshannock in the conference opener.  

FREEDOM BULLDOGS 

One nasty streak ended for the Freedom Bulldogs in 2016, while another still continues. Freedom made a trip to the postseason for only the second time in 12 years, and even got an upset victory over East Allegheny in the first round. However, the Bulldogs finished with a losing record (4-8) for the 12th consecutive season.  Second-year coach Tom Liberty is looking for a quicker start to the season than last year where the Bulldogs started with a 1-5 record. 

Junior Zach Rosa will be back under center again for Freedom. The all-conference quarterback threw for over 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but will have to limit the interceptions for the team to have success. He was picked off 16 times last year.  Gone, however, was his top target in Nick Henderson, who nearly surpassed 1,000 receiving yards last year.  Henderson represented 67% of the receiving yards and 59% of the receptions on the team in 2016.  Jake Pail return as a top target for Freedom, as well as Henderson’s younger brother Noah.  

Kyle Borgman will return as the leading rusher for a Freedom team that found its rhythm in the ground game late in the season. He will also be a key contributor on defense, moving from linebacker to defensive back for 2017. The defense will need to improve from last year, as their 26 points per game allowed average was the second worst of the conference. Cody Ross also was an all-conference selection with 95 tackles from the linebacker position.  

Freedom will travel to Hopewell in Week Zero.  The conference opener will come in Week Two when the Bulldogs travel to New Brighton.  

LAUREL SPARTANS 

Laurel found their way to the postseason for the first time in the Brian Cooper era after an 8-4 season in 2016.  It was also the first winning season in three years under Coach Cooper, and the Spartans also registered a 10-6 playoff victory. 

William Shaffer will again be behind center for the Spartans. He threw for 1,350 yards as a freshman last year.  However, finding targets might prove to be difficult, as Laurel graduated their top three pass-catchers from the 2016 campaign.  Senior slotback Jesse Pacifico, who has contributed on offense in each of the past two years, will look to be one of Shaffer’s top targets. Also look for Jesse Wright to see significant time at wideout. 

Spencer Jones and Jake Collier shouldered much of the load on the ground last season, but both have graduated.  Lance Hill will be the feature back in 2017.  The versatile Hill played three different positions in three games  last year before suffering a season-ending injury.  Daniel Blank also saw good time as a freshman late last year at running back due to injuries.  Andrew Perry and Jack Rogan return as starters on the offensive line. 

The Spartan defense stepped up throughout the season, allowing 14 points or less in 7 of their 12 games in 2016. If the offense improves under a sophomore quarterback, the Spartans could be a team to contend at the top of the standings.  Laurel travels down the road to Union in Week Zero before hosting Mohawk in the MAC conference opener on September 1st.    

MOHAWK WARRIORS 

Tim McCutcheon has had a rough first two years as head coach of the Warriors, registering a 1-17 record at Mohawk. Lack of numbers has significantly hurt Mohawk over the past couple of years, including one class with only three kids on the football team.  32 players will be in uniform for the Warriors in the 2017 season. 

The Warriors have plenty of experience returning, including 17 letter winners.  Seven players started as sophomores last season. But, as Coach McCutcheon has made very clear, players playing at a young age does not mean that they are automatically good now.  Many players are showing promise at the skill positions in practice, but need to prove themselves in their scrimmages.  

Nick Wheeler, a junior, will step in behind center this year for the Warriors.  The strong junior class simply wore down at the end of some games last year, something that the Mohawk coaching staff hopes changes from an extra year in the weight room.  Mohawk lost three games by single-digits on their way to a 1-8 record. 

Mohawk has not made a trip to the post season since 2005 when they went undefeated in the old Tri-County North.  They look to end that drought, starting with a trip to Laurel in Week One. The Warriors will only have eight games in 2017, as they do not play in Week Zero, and have lost a game due to Vincentian Academy’s program folding for the year due to lack of players. Mohawks only win last year was a 67-6 victory over the Royals. 

NESHANNOCK LANCERS 

A storybook year for the Lancers ended with a trip to the WPIAL Championship game in 2016 before falling to eventual state champion Steel Valley. In five seasons now at the helm of Neshannock, coach Fred Mozzocio has taken the Lancers to more playoff appearances than in the rest of school history. Only four Neshannock teams had ever made a postseason appearance before 2012, and this year, Coach Mozzocio and his staff will look to make it a perfect six-for-six in trips to the playoffs.

It will be a difficult path for the Lancers, who have to replace key contributors on both sides of the football. The biggest hole to fill will be at the quarterback position. Jared Staph will step in behind center to replace Frank Antuono, a three-year starter who threw for over 2,000 yards and ran for 850 more last year. Staph does have the school record for the longest play from scrimmage – a 99-yard touchdown run in the first round of the playoffs last year. 

The skill positions will also need filling due to the graduation of a couple of 1,000-yard players. Running back Sean Doran’s 1,198 rushing yards and wide receiver Danny Welker’s 1,071 total yards have both made their way to Slippery Rock University. Joey Nerti and Billy Presnar will likely take over in the backfield, with Chris Scott and Seth Fehrs looking to pick up the slack at receiver. 

Neshannock is looking for their fourth conference championship in six years and a return trip to Robert Morris for the championship.  Their trek begins with a Week Zero trip to Farrell before traveling to Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in Week One. The Lancers defeated the Trojans twice in 2016, including a record-setting 71-28 victory in the quarterfinals.  

NEW BRIGHTON LIONS 

Offensive woes plagued New Brighton in 2016, as coach Joe Greco’s  team was held to 14 points or less in seven of their nine contests. The 2016 campaign was the first time in four years that the Lions failed to make the playoffs. The former Westminster coach is in his eighth year of his second stint at New Brighton. 

Deshawn Clark will be one of the feature performers for the Lions offense.  He was a all-conference selection on defense.  Look for Alonzo Jackson to be involved heavily on both sides of the ball as well.  Jackson Hall took over mid-season at the quarterback position as a freshman and will look to improve in his sophomore campaign.  

While defense was a priority for the Lions coaching staff, it again faltered throughout most of the season to a bottom-dwelling 32 points per game allowed per game. New Brighton did improve defensively down the stretch, including posting a shutout victory over Mohawk.  Look for Burke Sheets to play a big role in controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides.

That defense will be put to the test immediately when 3A offensive power Beaver comes to New Brighton in Week Zero.  The Lions host South Side in their Week One conference opener.  

RIVERSIDE PANTHERS 

If you take away bookend defeats at the hand of state champion Steel Valley, Riverside had a 9-1 record with that one loss coming by a touchdown to Neshannock.  After missing the playoffs in 2015, the Panthers brought back coach Ron Sciarro, who took Riverside back to a ball control offense that emphasized the running game. 

With Ricky Wass gone, a new feature back will be needed in the green and white. He ran for 552 yards and also had 499 receiving yards.  Austin Dambach will be the main target for Ben Hughes. Dambach caught ten touchdown passes last year, and had nine the year prior.  The Lehigh commit set a WPIAL record with 343 receiving yards in a game during his sophomore season.

With the run-first offense back in play, the Riverside defense also benefit. If you take out the Steel Valley games, the Panthers allowed less than 11 points per game. In fact, Riverside held the Ironmen to their two lowest offensive performances (41 and 42 points) of the season. Woodrow Hughes and Dylan Shannon will anchor the defense again in 2017 for the Panthers. 

Riverside will again begin the season with a Week One clash with Steel Valley.  Their conference season begins when they host Laurel in Week Two.  

SOUTH SIDE BEAVER RAMS 

Another year, another South Side team with a run-heavy offense. That much is all but guaranteed from coach Luke Travelpiece’s squad. The bigger question will be in who will replace a Rams backfield that accounted for over 2,000 rushing yards.  Leading rusher A.J. Crider (204 rushes, 1,362 yards) will be the biggest loss for South Side out of the backfield. 

Jake Navarra and Josh Hillard are the two returning starters on the offensive line. Austin Reilly and Jaelen Crider also return at tight end to help in the trenches.  Jordan Bruce and Anthony Navarra are expected to get most of the touches out of the backfield, with Jake Botkin at fullback getting some touches in the Rams’ assignment football ground game. 

In 2016, South Side received the wild card in class 2A, becoming the sixth team to qualify for the postseason out of the Midwestern Athletic Conference. While the Rams were the only team of the six MAC squads not to record a postseason victory, they did keep 2-seed Washington on the ropes for a majority of the game before ultimately losing 35-13. 

South Side will host OLSH in a Week Zero game on Saturday before traveling to New Brighton in Week One.   

MSA SPORTS PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH in MAC: 

1. Neshannock Lancers

2. Riverside Panthers

3. Laurel Spartans

4. Freedom Bulldogs

5. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic Trojans

6. South Side Rams

7. New Brighton Lions

8. Mohawk Warriors

Tags: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Freedom, North Catholic