Expect a whole new look on offense for West Greene this season

By: Mark Nitowski
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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From Ben Jackson to Colin Brady, West Greene has relied on a workhorse runner to power its offense in recent seasons.

But the emphasis on a featured back is set to change in 2025, according to third-year coach Beau Jackson.

“We’ve been based out of a pro-style offense, but we’re going to try a flexbone double-wing offense this season,” Jackson said.

The flexbone is a multi-pronged rushing attack featuring a fullback and two wingbacks. It emphasizes misdirection and ball control.

“We’re really making the change out of necessity,” Jackson said. “We don’t have a true tailback coming back, but we do have a lot of wingback and fullback types.”

To make the new offense go, the Pioneers will rely on a veteran line led by senior Colin Whyte. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Whyte is a three-time all-conference selection.

“He does everything,” Jackson said. “He’s a smart kid and a great leader for us.”

Joining Whyte in the trenches will be fellow seniors Hunter Gorby (6-1, 180) and Brice Smith (5-10, 175).

“In terms of seniority, our strength is definitely up front,” Jackson said.

On the flip side, Jackson said the Pioneers are extremely young at the skill positions.

“We have a big freshmen class coming in, and we’re really counting on a couple of them to step in and play,” he said.

Joel Rizor (5-9, 150) and Kyle Cunningham (5-10, 180) are two of the promising ninth graders.

“Rizor will be play running back for us. He was a 1,000-yard rusher in seven games in junior high last season,” Jackson said. “Cunningham will play fullback and linebacker. He put in a lot of work in the weight room.”

Sophomore Caiden Cunningham, Kyle’s brother, opened camp as the starting quarterback.

“He hasn’t played in two years after suffering a bad knee injury in eighth grade,” Jackson said. “He’s a good decision maker who’s not going to throw the ball into bad situations.”

When the Pioneers do put the ball in the air, they’ll have a huge target in 6-8 senior wide receiver Matt Wassil.

“If we can improve our running game, it will set up the play-action pass for us,” Jackson said. “That will enable Matt to get more one-on-one coverage on the outside. With his size, it will be a tough matchup for defenses.”

The Pioneers welcome back six starters on defense.

Whyte returns at middle linebacker, where he averaged 14 tackles per game.

Jackson expects Kyle Cunningham to start at linebacker, with Smith at nose guard. Spearheading the secondary will be senior cornerback Jacob Orndoff (6-0, 145) and Rizor at free safety.

“We definitely want to improve our run defense, especially shutting down the edge,” Jackson said. “We’re planning to be more aggressive in an effort to get offenses behind the sticks more.”

West Greene opened last season with nonconference losses to Waynesburg, Monessen and eventual WPIAL Class A champion Fort Cherry. After the 0-3 start, the Pioneers went 4-3 in the Class A Tri-County South Conference.

“We had a tough out-of-section schedule,” Jackson said. “We were moving guys around the first three weeks. By Week 4, we had the lineup pretty set and things meshed well.”

The Pioneers finished tied for third place in conference play behind Jefferson-Morgan and California.

“Jefferson-Morgan and Cal should be at the top of the conference again,” Jackson said. “I’m not sure where we’ll stand in the conference race. We’ll just take it day by day. We have to stay away from injuries, just like everyone else in Class A.”

West Greene

Coach: Beau Jackson

2024 record: 4-6, 4-3 in Class A Tri-County South Conference

All-time record: 226-426-10

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at Waynesburg, 7

8.29 Monessen, 7

9.5 at Fort Cherry, 7

9.12 at Avella*, 7

9.19 Mapletown*, 7

9.26 Jefferson-Morgan*, 7

10.3 at Bentworth*, 7

10.10 at California*, 7

10.17 Carmichaels*, 7

10.24 Beth-Center*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Lane Allison*

86-185, 1,411 yards, 11 TDs

Rushing: Hayden Hamilton*

107-493 yards, 2 TDs

Receiving: Parker Burns*

21-520 yards, 6 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• On the wrestling mat, Colin Whyte was the 2025 WPIAL Class 2A champion at heavyweight to become West Greene’s first district champion since 2010.

• It should come as no surprise that the 6-8 Matt Wassil plays center on the basketball team. As a junior, he helped the Pioneers to a 10-4 section record and a WPIAL 2A playoff berth.

• After finishing in a three-way tie for third place, West Greene and Carmichaels lost out to Bentworth for a playoff spot on tiebreakers.

• The West Greene School District is located in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, bordering West Virginia to the south and west.

Tags: West Greene