CTK 2015 – Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, August 25, 2015 | 5:15 PM

Often referred to as the MAC, it is an acronym for the Midwestern Athletic Conference. Maybe it should stand for Mighty Aliquippa Continues.

The Quips have absolutely dominated the MAC this decade. Since 2010, Aliquippa has won five straight outright conference championships and has been rarely challenged in section going a staggering 38-0.

Even when they lose star players to graduation, there is another young stud waiting in the wings to dawn the black and red and continue the tradition.

But there are eight other MAC teams who feel the conference could stand for Maybe Aliquippa Can’t. Is that false hope in the dawning of a new season, or is there a Tiger or other cat of a different stripe ready to pounce and shock the Quips and the rest of the WPIAL nation?

Here is a look at the Midwestern Athletic Conference.

ALIQUIPPA QUIPS:

The numbers showing off the dominance of the Aliquippa football program just begin to tell the story of how Mike Zmijanac’s teams have been so dominant over the years. The Quips bring a 44-game conference winning streak into the 2015 campaign and are in search of an mind-numbing eighth straight trip to Heinz Field to play in the WPIAL Class AA championship game.

One thing that will keep this group driven is the silver lining the Quips have had to settle for the past two seasons with back-to-back title game losses to South Fayette. While Aliquippa has won five district crowns already this century including back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012, the team is 3-4 in the finals over the last seven years.

Aliquippa returns a tremendous one-two punch at the running back position including one of the top players in the state in Kaezon Pugh. The 6-2, 215-pound running back and linebacker rushed for 1,621 yards on only 156 carries and scored 25 touchdowns a year ago. He is joined by fellow senior DiMantae Bronaugh, who gained 1,262 yards on 136 carries in 2014 with 24 touchdowns.

That powerful and highly skilled running back tandem will help the adjustment of a new quarterback. A pair of seniors, Sheldon Jeter and Jassir Jordan are trying to make the move from wide receiver to quarterback in an effort to fill the shoes of Darrien Fields.

The Quips were hit hard by graduation on the interior lines on both sides of the ball, but the rebuilding up front will center around senior center and all-conference linebacker Darnell Gardener.

BEAVER BOBCATS:

If Beaver hopes to solidify their ninth consecutive playoff appearance in 2015, they will need to do it by grooming several underclassmen quickly to provide much needed depth.  Head coach Jeff Beltz’s team does return four starters on offense and five on defense for a Bobcats roster that boasts nearly 60 players. However they will be young with only seven seniors.

The Bobcats will be led by their talented, multi-sport athlete in Darius Wise, who will make the transition from running back to quarterback to lead the offense. The junior followed up his outstanding freshman season in which he rushed for 392 yards, had 762 yards in receptions and scored 16 touchdowns with a super sophomore campaign a year ago with 818 yards on the ground, 272 yards in receptions and 22 touchdowns to lead the team in rushing and scoring in both 2013 and 2014.

Another player Beaver will rely on is Te’Vierre Williams. The junior averaged 6.8 yards per carry on the ground a year ago. Others that will help at the skilled positions are senior Chase Mamone along with a pair of juniors in Landon Pontoli and Micah Weaver.

Defensive lineman Alex Neeley, Drew Easton, and Karter Wallace return on the defensive front and should provide stability in the rugged, run-heavy Midwestern Conference while the Bobcats transition new players into the linebacker positions.

BEAVER FALLS TIGERS:

As mentioned earlier, could Beaver Falls be the team that finally knocks Aliquippa from the MAC perch? Ryan Matsook’s team finished 7-2 in the regular season last year before losing in a wild shootout the opening round of the Double-A playoffs to Apollo-Ridge 58-40. That 7-3 team from a year ago only had eleven seniors and returns most of its starters.

One open spot is at quarterback where junior Neshaud Akins and sophomore Malik Shepherd are battling for the starting job.  If Akins loses out, he will return to his running back position along with junior Derrell Carter who gained 750 yards on the ground last year with ten touchdowns and sophomore Torian Leak (222 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2014).

There will be plenty of receivers for whoever wins the quarterback job including one of the top junior in the state in Donovan Jeter. The 6-5, 275-pound standout anchors the defensive line and will be a big target at tight end.

There is plenty of beef back for the Tigers up front. Joining Jeter on the lines are 6-4, 220-pound senior Malique Whaley, 6-3, 270-pound junior Raquan Crowder, 6-3, 280-pound junior matt Gandy and 6-0, 270-pound junior Seth Gosseck.

ELLWOOD CITY WOLVERINES:

The Wolverines dropped the last two games of the 2014 season to finish 3-5 in the MAC (4-5 overall) and in sixth place in the nine team conference.

Don Phillips returns for his sixth season as head coach, Lincoln High has missed the playoffs three straight seasons, after making two straight trips in 2010 and 2011. Ellwood City averaged 26 points per game in 2014 as they return three of their top offensive players from last year’s team. The Wolverines welcomed 39 players to camp for the first day.

Running back Nick Ioanilli looks to build off a successful junior campaign. Ioanilli ran for over 11 hundred yards and 15 touchdowns and is an MSA Sports Class AA Player to Watch. Ioanilli will anchor the defense at linebacker where he was all-conference there as well.

Quarterback D.J. Barrett had trouble throwing the ball as a junior but ran for 300 yards and five touchdowns. Senior fullback River Kelly also ran 49 times last year for 255 yards, scoring three times.

The injury bug has hit Lincoln High hard as two-way senior lineman Adam Foreman suffered both a torn ACL and MCL will be out till October after a wrestling injury last winter. Another starter on both sides in Jared Cunningham is having finger surgery and will miss six to eight weeks. Cunningham started at outside linebacker in 2014.

FREEDOM BULLDOGS:

Third year freedom head coach Tim Dubovi hopes to continue the up arrow trend his team has had since taking over. After a winless rookie campaign, the Bulldogs finished 2-8 overall last year. Those baby steps might not seem like much, but it was the second highest win total by a freedom team this decade. A return to the playoffs for the second time in the last ten years (2012) is not out of the questions as Freedom has eight starters back on offense and nine returning on defense.

Junior quarterback Noah Wolfe returns after leading the team with 820 yards and five touchdowns last year. His top target from a year ago is also back in junior Nick Henderson, who caught 24 passes for 299 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The three year starter was all-conference at wide out a year ago.

The Bulldogs top two rushers from 2014 also are back in junior Dean Ward and senior Jake Pinkerton, who averaged nearly five yards a carry last fall.  

Up front, Freedom will be led by another junior in three year starter Randy Simmons. He will be joined in the trenches by senior Tyler Prosek, junior Austin Leasha, junior Warren Crawley, senior Kenny Handyside and junior Austin Alford.  Other defensive starters returning are senior defensive back Erich Borgman, sophomore linebacker Kyle Borgman, senior defensive back Cole Johnston and Sophomore Defensive back Michael Muran.

Freedom will also have one of the top special teams performers in the classification all-conference punter and kicker junior Zach Greene.

LAUREL SPARTANS:

The Spartans returned back to the MAC in 2014 and missed the AA playoffs as they did in both 2010 and 2011. Laurel finished the season on a two game winning streak to end up at 4-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play. Brian Cooper returns to lead the Spartans for his second season. He’ll have 38 players on the opening day roster.

Laurel averaged 29 points per game last season. However their two top weapons have graduated. The bulk of the offense will fall on senior quarterback Jake McDougal. As a junior McDougal threw for over 600 yards and rushed for almost 500 more.

Questions abound for the Spartans in the backfield and on the offensive line. Many new faces will try and put Laurel into one of the playoff spots in the MAC as 15 seniors graduated.

The defense will have to step up as well. Laurel allowed 25 points per game and will be tested off the bat in the first two weeks, hosting New Brighton and Aliquippa to open the season.

2015 marks the 35^th anniversary of the most recent WPIAL football championship captured by the Spartans. Laurel beat Clairton 14-12 to win the 1980 WPIAL Class A crown.

MOHAWK WARRIORS:

The Warriors continued to struggle in 2014. Mohawk allowed an average of 41 points per game in finishing 2-7 overall for an eighth straight losing season.

Mohawk will have a new boss in 2015 as Joe Lamenza moved on to take the Blackhawk program. Tim McCutcheon was hired in June to take over. McCutcheon has coached at Mohawk the last six years, most recently as the junior varsity/strength and conditioning coach.

The Warriors last made the playoffs in 2005 as a member of the old Tri-County North. Junior Cayne Yakubic will lead the offense. As a sophomore, Yakubic ran for 712 yards and 10 touchdowns. Mohawk will look for offense through the air from Jesse Wolfe with eleven catches and Codey Barber who added three touchdowns.

The defense will be led by linebacker Thomas Romano, who is a MSA Sports Class AA Player to Watch. Romano will also anchor the offensive line.  

42 players took the field for the Warriors on the first day.

NEW BRIGHTON LIONS:

New Brighton has joined Aliquippa, Beaver and Beaver Falls and the fearsome foursome MAC playoff teams the last two years, but a third straight trip to the postseason is going to be in the hands of a lot of new faces. Head coach Joe Greco has to replace many graduated seniors including quarterback Payton Fath, leading receiver Blaine Williams and leading rusher Scott Florence, who was also the Lions leading scorer with 23 touchdowns last fall.

A familiar name in New Brighton athletic lore is expected to take over under center in 6-1, 165-pound senior Justyn Francona, who was an all-section selection this past spring on the baseball diamond.

The ground attack is expected to be in good hands with senior Darrion Gilmore and three year starter Andrew Mittner. Gilmore average 8.6 yards per carry as the team’s third leading rusher a year ago while Mittner averaged 9.7 yards in very limited action. Mittner will be joined by senior Troy Moon at both the running back and linebacker positions.

Up front, senior linemen Micah Marshall (6-0. 270) was an all-conference selection last year and Issiah Hunter (6-0, 245) are expected to lead the way on both the offensive and defensive lines.

QUAKER VALLEY QUAKERS:

John Tortorea has done a great job since taking over the head coaching position at Quaker Valley. After years of being everybody’s homecoming opponent, the Quakers are coming off back-to-back winning seasons with a combined 13-7 record, which included a First Round playoff victory over New Brighton 29-15, followed by a 43-26 Quarterfinals loss to Aliquippa in the 2013 Class AA playoffs.

However the recent success by QV has taken place in the Century Conference. With Kittanning and Ford City merging to form Armstrong High School (now in AAA) and Summit Academy moving from the MAC to fill the void in the Allegheny Conference, the Quakers drew the short straw and were shifted into the Midwestern Athletic Conference.

Junior quarterback Amos Luptak will try to fill the huge shoes of the graduated Dane Jackson, who has taken his outstanding skills to the University of Pittsburgh. That should not be a big problem for Luptak since he got a dress rehearsal in filling those shoes last season when Jackson was out with an early season injury. Luptak hit on 43 of 79 passes for 867 yards and ten touchdowns and finished as the team’s leading passer. He also ran for nearly 150 yards.

With leading rusher Tre’Won Marshall (536 yards) and leading receiver Chris Conlan (678 yards on 30 receptions) gone, a pair of returning players who enjoyed solid junior seasons for the Quakers will be counted on at the skilled positions and in the defensive backfield in Blake Lipke and Zacchaeus Humphrey.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH IN THE MIDWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE:

1.      Aliquippa Quips

2.      Beaver Falls Tigers

3.      Ellwood City Wolverines

4.      Beaver Bobcats

5.      Freedom Bulldogs

6.      Quaker Valley Quakers

7.      New Brighton Lions

8.      Laurel Spartans

9.      Mohawk Warriors

Tags: Aliquippa, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Ellwood City, Freedom