Monessen football will lean on quartet of juniors to push for WPIAL playoff spot

By: Charles Curti
Saturday, August 17, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Ty Kershaw remembers when fellow running back Tavian Taylor was reluctant to play football.

Not the biggest kid on the block, Taylor wasn’t terribly enthused about suiting up for Monessen and coach Wade Brown two years ago. As a freshman, Taylor was just a couple of inches over 5 feet tall and weighed a scant 140 pounds.

Now a junior, Taylor remains on the small side. But his 5-foot-5, 155-pound frame will be huge for the Greyhounds as they vie for a fourth consecutive WPIAL Class A playoff appearance.

While Kershaw — 10 touchdowns and more than 700 yards rushing in 2023 — will get the lion’s share of the carries, Taylor will provide a more-than-capable complement. He served notice late last season with a 120-yard, two-TD rushing performance in a win over Beth-Center.

“I’ve been waiting for him to get in the backfield,” Kershaw said. “I knew he always had it. … Now he got in that gym, and he’s working.”

Kershaw and Taylor belong to a quartet of juniors who are plenty battle-tested for Monessen (4-7, 3-4 Tri-County South). Both were all-conference selections as sophomores along with classmates Rodney Johnson (5-10, 225) and two-way lineman Torrence Taylor (5-11, 220), Tavian’s brother.

Johnson is a multi-purpose player who can line up at tight end — Brown said Johnson has “great hands” — and fullback as well as defensive line.

Brown, entering his fourth season as coach, said he could see the talent this group displayed even when they were coming up through the youth ranks.

“I knew from the time they were playing little league football how good they could be if we could put it all together and they took it seriously and basically stayed injury free,” Brown said. “They want to win really bad, which is really great for us.”

Taking things more seriously has been key for Kershaw (5-8, 180). Admittedly one to slack off during the offseason, Kershaw said he started paying more attention to his preparation.

He played less pick-up basketball. He went to get treatment for his injuries when needed. And he became a regular at workouts.

That will be important given the workload he likely will shoulder. Besides his running ability, Kershaw had a pair of 100-yard receiving games last year and even served as quarterback against California after starter Dennis Hawkins got hurt. Kershaw threw for more than 100 yards and a score in just one half.

“I stopped playing around,” he said. “I never really listened to nobody. … My body is just coming to where it needs to be.”

The same might be said for his all-conference colleagues. Kershaw said all are faithful when it comes to putting in the necessary training, and Brown calls the Taylors “my most consistent workers in the weight room.”

Monessen will need big seasons from each if it is to return to the playoffs. Once there, the trick will be to win a game.

The Greyhounds have lost in the first round in each of the past three seasons, getting shut out twice, including last season against eventual runner-up South Side (39-0). But Kershaw is confident his group can rewrite the script.

“I feel like we’re going to WPIALs, and we’re going to go far,” he said. “I’m not going to jinx it and say how far we’re going to go, but I know we’re going to go deep.”

Tags: Monessen