Gateway looking ahead to playoff return after rare postseason miss a year ago

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, August 7, 2025 | 2:23 AM

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Gateway coach Don Holl doesn’t like his players to dwell on the past, telling them there’s a reason why the windshield is big and the review mirror is small.

But the Gators hit a few bumps in the road last season that flattened their tires, potholes they’d still like to fix. They lost conference games to Franklin Regional by two points, and Woodland Hills and Latrobe by one point each.

Those close losses left them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

“We don’t spend a lot of time looking back,” Holl said. “But we’ve strategically talked a little bit about how maybe we owe some people from last year and it’s time to get back to where we ought to be. I think our guys are eager to get a fresh start.”

Gateway finished 3-7 overall, 2-4 in the Big East and missed the playoffs for the first time in Holl’s nine seasons as coach. But the Gators felt more competitive than their conference record implied.

The difference between a 2-4 record and maybe 5-1 was four points.

“Those are definitely tough ones to lose when they’re so close,” said two-way lineman Kaiyen Mbandi, a Bucknell recruit. “I feel like if it’s that close, we should be winning those games. If it’s coming down to the wire, we should be winning.”

Mbandi is part of an experienced senior class of around 20 that has Gateway believing it can win this fall. He said the roster has the talent to succeed, so the players need to bring energy — something he vowed to help with as a team leader.

“We definitely had the people last year, but it was an energy type of thing,” Mbandi said. “In football, your team isn’t going to be winning the whole game. There are ups and downs. When we had those downs, it shifted our energy.”

Gateway brings back much of its lineup from last season, including quarterback Elvis “Dino” Koutsakis, who had a good freshman year behind center. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder passed for 1,587 yards in eight games with 14 touchdowns.

Among Koutsakis’ best passing nights was a 314-yard effort against Latrobe, when he completed 27 of 39 attempts and threw for two touchdowns. He had a 377-yard, five-touchdown game vs. Armstrong.

He completed 61% of his passes but also threw 10 interceptions.

“He had to go be a freshman for a while, but he was a really good freshman,” Holl said.

Gateway graduated a small senior class, among them leading rusher and scorer Amari Gans, now a college freshman at Wheeling. Gans rushed for 812 yards and 16 touchdowns on 156 carries.

The group of skill-position players back includes wideout Shawn Moorefield Jr., last year’s leading receiver. Senior running back Tristan Huston and junior Julian Dancear are likely to replace Gans in the backfield.

Moorefield (5-8, 170) caught 52 passes for 701 yards and four touchdowns last year. He and senior H-back Kacey Carter each earned all-conference honors. Carter (6-0, 210) hauled in 16 passes for 195 yards and five touchdowns.

Other top options at receiver include senior Tyree Gowder and junior Jayden Stammer, who has an Akron offer and has broken the 11-second mark in the 100 meters.

Mbandi (6-3, 280), Roberson Louis-Jeun (6-0, 265) and Craig Schultz (6-2, 225) are seniors on the line. Mbandi was an all-conference tackle last year.

“We feel that we’re talented, we’ve worked really hard in the offseason, and we like a lot about our guys,” Holl said. “Now we’ve just got to go ahead and do it.”

Among top seniors on defense are inside linebacker Jakson Smith, defensive end Sena Agbodzie and cornerback Carlos Diggs, a Maine recruit. Huston doubles as a safety, Carter plays outside linebacker and many of the linemen are two-way contributors.

“If we just play to our potential, if the guys that we think are good play good, then we have a chance,” Holl said.

Staying healthy is another key after injuries added to last year’s woes.

Still, the Gators were within a win of earning a playoff spot. And both of their one-point losses included a costly extra-point miscue near the end, meaning the rebound needed now isn’t so big.

“We don’t spend a lot of time talking about the past, even when it’s good,” Holl said. “We use the adage that the windshield is big and the rearview mirror is small because you spend way more time looking ahead.”

Gateway

Coach: Don Holl

2024 record: 3-7, 2-4 in Class 5A Big East Conference

All-time record: 464-237-13

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at State College, 7

8.29 North Allegheny, 7

9.5 Plum, 7

9.12 Kiski Area*, 7

9.19 at Franklin Regional*, 7

9.26 Armstrong*, 7

10.3 at Penn-Trafford*, 7

10.10 Woodland Hills*, 7

10.17 at Latrobe*, 7

10.24 at Hempfield , 7

* Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Elvis Koutsakis

140-228, 1,587 yards, 14 TDs

Rushing: Amari Gans*

156-812 yards, 16 TDs

Receiving: Shawn Moorefield

52-701 yards, 4 TDs

* Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Gateway is 42-11 in conference games under coach Don Holl, entering his 10th season. His record is 72-33 overall.

• Returning player Shawn Moorefield Jr. (WR) earned first-team all-conference honors. Kaiyen Mbandi (OT) and Kacey Carter (TE) made the second team.

• The Gators start their season with games against a couple of Class 6A schools with far bigger enrollments. The PIAA lists Gateway with 495 boys in grades 9-11, State College with 876 and North Allegheny with 1,119.

• Gateway (2017, ’19) and Pine-Richland (2020, ’22, ‘24) are the only teams to win multiple WPIAL Class 5A titles. The classification was added in 2016 when the sport expanded from four classes to six.

• Maine-committed cornerback Carlos Diggs also had college offers from Akron, Albany, Bowling Green, Hampton, Howard, Morgan State, New Hampshire and VMI.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway