Little bit of rebuilding won’t faze resurgent Ellwood City

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Saturday, August 16, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22.

There are two aspects to the turnaround of the Ellwood City program that help make it one of the best stories going in WPIAL football.

First is the scope. When Dan Bradley took over as coach, the Wolverines had lost 25 straight games. Last year, they won the MAC title, securing the school’s first WPIAL semifinal berth since 1987 and first undefeated regular season since 1944.

Second is the speed. Bradley was hired in 2022. He turned the program around so fast that some players from his first Ellwood City team are still on the roster this fall.

The sudden turnaround has created a renewed buzz in the community around the team, but that’s the one part of the story that has surprised Bradley the least.

“It was a great atmosphere week in and week out (last season), but even going back to my first year there when we were 2-8, the community was very supportive of their sports teams,” he said.

There has been no shortage of players worthy of credit for the Ellwood City renaissance, but two players stand out from the rest. After last season, Chris Smiley (4,143 yards) left as the school’s all-time leading passer and Elijah Palmer-McCane (4,246 yards) as the program’s all-time leading rusher.

Two other all-conference players also graduated, creating the kind of lineup holes that might make some coaches a little worried about the rebuilding process ahead of them.

Compared to the job he undertook in 2022, this one isn’t rattling Bradley in the least.

“It probably wasn’t the best scenario going in the first year when we only had maybe seven or eight juniors and seniors on our roster. So a lot of freshmen and sophomores were forced to play early,” he said. “It paid off for us down the road. Those freshmen that first year, Dom Hogue and Dailonn Currie, are definitely leaders for us this year.”

Currie was an all-conference player as a defensive back last season and Hogue was all-MAC honorable mention as a wide receiver. If the Wolverines decide to throw the ball more in the absence of Palmer-McCane, they’ll be the top targets.

“They’re our best athletes,” Bradley said. “They’re good receivers. They’re dynamic with the ball in their hands. They’re like tailbacks out there running around. We definitely want to get the ball in their hands in space and let them do what they do.”

Tyler Smiley, Chris’ younger brother, is expected to step in at quarterback. Speedy Richard Cureton looks to be Palmer-McCane’s successor as featured back.

Linebacker Deklan O’Brien is back to lead the defense. Bradley said he could have easily been the MAC’s defensive player of the year last year.

PJ DuBois is a nose guard who will help stop the run. Drake Davis and Tristen Rennels are two-way starters on the line.

“These guys have had great experience and a good year last year and they’re going to be our leaders,” Bradley said. “I think it’s really going to help us.”

After years of merely hoping to be competitive, the Wolverines can now rightfully sit at the beginning of the season and try to see where they fit in the MAC title race. Spoiler alert: It’ll be near the top.

“I think we’ll have an opportunity to be one of the top two or three teams,” Bradley said. “I think there’s a gap somewhere. I don’t know where that line will be drawn. I think Riverside will be improved. I think Mohawk, with Bobby Fadden, he’s always a threat. He’s a dynamic player. Hopefully we’re in the mix.”

Ellwood City

Coach: Dan Bradley

2024 record: 10-1, 7-0 in Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference

All-time record: 447-588-44

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Laurel, 7

8.29 at Shenango, 7

9.5 Neshannock, 7

9.12 at Mohawk*, 7

9.19 Freedom*, 7

9.26 at New Brighton*, 7

10.3 Western Beaver*, 7

10.10 Riverside *, 7

10.17 at Union*, 7

10.24 at Beaver Falls*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Chris Smiley*

104-215, 1,519 yards, 16 TDs

Rushing: Elijah Palmer-McCane*

258-1,492 yards, 19 TDs

Receiving: Dom Hogue

29-434 yards, 3 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• The Wolverines have a crowd-pleasing schedule lined up this year, especially in the early going. They’re home for Laurel, at Shenango, home for Neshannock and at Mohawk in their MAC opener in the first four weeks of the season. “All local rivalries, all teams that are very competitive and are all supported by their communities,” coach Dan Bradley said. “It’s really a nice area, a nice region for football that’s very tough and very competitive.”

• In addition to graduating the program’s all-time leading passer (Chris Smiley) and rusher (Elijah Palmer-McCane), the Wolverines also lost their all-time leader in extra points — Caitlin Kreitzer with 64.

• How’s this for consistency? Palmer-McCane ran for a school-record 1,485 yards as a junior and followed it up with 1,484 rushing yards as a senior.

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Ellwood City