‘Everyone is optimistic’ as high school football camps open around the A-K Valley
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Monday, August 12, 2024 | 7:11 PM
Springdale senior Noah Abaray runs through a drill Monday Aug. 12, 2024.
Burrell sophomore Trey Coury runs the ball at practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Burrell senior tight end Talan Newcomer works a blocking drill Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Matt Morgan addressing his players during practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes’ Zier Williams catches a pass during the first day of high school football practice Monday.
Deer Lakes’ Zier Williams looks for running room during the first day of high school football practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes’ Zier Williams works out during the during the first day of football practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes’ Zach Grant works out during the first day of football practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes quarterback Jack Fleischer throws a pass during the first of practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes’ Zier Williams works out during the first of practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes’ Sam Guthrie looks on during the first day of football practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
Deer Lakes’ Zach Grant works out during the first day of football practice Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
A small but enthusiastic group of 21 Springdale football players greeted first-year Dynamos coach Chad Walsh on Monday afternoon for the first day of official preseason camp in the shadow of Springdale High School.
“We had a core of about 16 showing up throughout the summer,” Walsh said. “We had a couple more roll in. We’re pretty young with only two returning starters on both sides of the ball. We might take our lumps at first, but the guys are out here ready to work. We got a good look at them last week and are continuing to evaluate and game plan.
“We’re just looking to take another step forward each day and each week. We need to make sure we stay healthy in these practices leading up to Saturday (scrimmage with Jefferson Morgan).”
After a week of heat acclimation workouts in helmets, shoulder pads, and shorts, the preparation for the 2024 season ramped up Monday at 13 schools across the Alle-Kiski Valley. They joined more than a 100 teams from throughout the WPIAL in putting on the pads and delivering the hits for the first time since last fall.
Energy was high at Burrell’s Buccaneer Stadium as close to 60 in full pads joined seventh-year coach Shawn Liotta and his staff as they prepare the Bucs for a run at a fourth straight trip to the WPIAL playoffs.
Burrell finished 4-7 overall last year and lost to Mohawk in the first round of the Class 2A tournament.
“For a coach, the first day of full-padded practices is so exciting,“ Liotta said. “You never know what you’re going to have until they get out there and start showing what they can do. Every team at this time has championship dreams, and we’re no different than any other team in Western Pennsylvania playing this great game.
“It is so hard to sleep the night before this day. We’re excited to see what we have. Sixty kids out here. It’s a long way from my first year when we had 18 total. We’re real proud of that. We want to keep the playoff streak alive. None of these kids know anything but playoff seasons, especially the seniors.”
The work at each camp this week leads into scrimmages Saturday morning.
The season arrives quickly as all 13 A-K Valley teams will play a Week Zero game Aug. 23. That includes the traditional rivalry matchup between Apollo-Ridge and Leechburg at Leechburg’s Veterans Memorial Field. Also, an all-A-K Valley matchup will have Springdale visiting Burrell.
The Dynamos will have all of their games on the road. They will “host” two games at Burrell and two others at Freeport.
Hopes are high with the Blue Devils as 26 players were in pads for Monday’s first practice. Randy Walters said his players, including senior standouts Jayden Floyd, Jake Cummings and Lucas Gamble, are ready to go with the goal of continuing to build on the program record of consecutive WPIAL playoff trips.
Leechburg has qualified each of the past three years after not making the postseason since 1988.
Also hoping for a return to the WPIAL playoffs are Deer Lakes, Kiski Area, Highlands and Knoch.
Deer Lakes made history last year by hosting the first playoff game in program history. The Lancers also defeated Southmoreland for their first playoff victory.
Coach Tim Burk, who welcomed 52 players to the first practice, said the pieces are being put into place for strong attempt at a third straight postseason berth.
“Last year, we were right around 40 (on the roster), so this is nice growth to see for the first practice,” said Burk, who oversaw spirited hitting-drill time during the evening defensive practice under the lights.
“This day is what we’ve been working towards for the last eight months or so. Things got a little more real. Everyone looks good in shorts and a T-shirt, but it’s time to see what you look like in pads going all out. It’s about setting the tone right from the start, and that’s what we’ve seen so far.”
Plum, Riverview, Fox Chapel, Valley, Freeport and Apollo-Ridge join Springdale in searching for the right mix to get to the WPIAL playoffs after not making it in 2023.
Freeport coach John Gaillot opened his 17th camp at the helm of the Yellowjackets. He owns the longest tenure of any coach with one team in the A-K Valley. John Skiba at Apollo-Ridge is second, having coached the Vikings since 2011.
Walsh at Springdale is the A-K Valley’s only first-year head coach.
Valley and Riverview have the longest playoff droughts, having not made it to WPIALs since 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Plum coach Matt Morgan, who had more than 50 players to camp Monday, said work in the offseason and now in camp will be crucial if his Mustangs will be able to navigate through a new group of conference opponents in Class 5A including North Hills, Penn Hills, Pine-Richland, Shaler and Fox Chapel.
Plum was 4-6 overall and 1-4 in Big East Conference play last year.
Morgan oversaw live play drills during both practice sessions Monday.
“We wanted the guys to get banged around a little bit early on,” he said. “It’s something we wanted to add in to get the blood flowing a little bit. It still is a little controlled as we don’t want to go overkill with the contact. But we wanted something that was a little more intense than what we normally do the first day.
“Everyone is optimistic Day 1. We have our own set of expectations, and were trying to live up to them right now. We have some nice talent back from teams the past couple of years. There’s also some moving parts we have to figure out, and that starts today.”
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: Deer Lakes, Plum, Springdale
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