Pine-Richland draws PIAA semifinal opponent that rarely passes

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, December 1, 2022 | 7:00 AM

The football itself is usually an essential piece of practice equipment, but when Pine-Richland’s scout-team offense took the field this week, coach Jon LeDonne had the group run plays without one.

Coaches come up with creative ways to practice when they run into a team like District 3 champion Cocalico, an old-school offense committed to running the triple option. Against a scheme built on misdirection, LeDonne wanted his players to avoid looking around for the ball.

“You’ve got to be disciplined at all times, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s assignment football.”

Pine-Richland (11-3) faces Cocalico (10-4) in a PIAA Class 5A semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona.

LeDonne’s team won the WPIAL title with a run-heavy approach itself, but the Rams almost look like an air raid attack next to Cocalico. The team from Lancaster County has attempted a total of 63 passes in 14 games — an average of 4.5 per week — and completed only 22.

Cocalico tried two passes last week.

For the season, the Eagles have 384 passing yards. Yet, they’ve dominated on the ground with 4,220 yards — an average of 301 yards per game — and 57 touchdowns.

In comparison, Pine-Richland has thrown for 1,048 yards (on 166 pass attempts) and rushed for 3,285 yards.

Cocalico leading rusher Sam Steffey, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior, has 1,775 yards and 23 touchdowns on 291 carries. He’s one of three Cocalico rushers with more than 500 yards.

“It’s so hard to replicate with a scout team,” LeDonne said, “because you’ve got kids who’ve never run the wing-T trying to run it, so the speed just isn’t there. It’s going to take us a couple of series to get familiar with the speed of the game.”

Cocalico is trying to reach the PIAA finals for the first time. Pine-Richland won state titles in 2020 and ‘17.

LeDonne last used the no-football practice to prepare for McKeesport’s option offense when he was Penn Hills’ coach. He’s now in his first season at Pine-Richland.

“McKeesport still threw the ball a couple of times,” he said. “This (Cocalico) team lives or dies with the run. They’re going for it on fourth-and-1 on their own 25- or 30-yard line early in the game. They expect to get 2 or 3 yards.”

Cocalico is coming off a 34-14 win over previously unbeaten Exeter Township in the District 3 finals. Sophomore quarterback Josh Myer passed for a season-high 87 yards, completed both of his pass attempts and threw for a touchdown. Cocalico also rushed for 188 yards and four TDs.

LeDonne is optimistic that Pine-Richland’s size advantage on the line of scrimmage can cause Cocalico trouble.

The biggest of the Rams’ defensive linemen is tackle Ryan Cory, a 6-4, 290-pound junior with Division I offers. Starting beside him are seniors John Rottinghaus (6-2, 220), Joey Perry (5-11, 205) and Aiden Hasley (6-1, 215).

“Based on their roster, we’re definitely bigger than them,” LeDonne said. “They’re smaller, fast, aggressive and scrappy. They get into their blocks quick and run their feet. Hopefully, the weight and size plays to our advantage, where we can establish the line of scrimmage.”

That size advantage carries over to Pine-Richland’s offensive line. Along with Cory at guard, the Rams start seniors Jake Beam (6-4, 285), Brady Carrigan (6-6, 230) and Isaiah Kerns (6-1, 270) and junior Jon Smith (6-1, 270).

They’ve cleared a path for a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Senior quarterback Ryan Palmieri has 1,633 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, and junior running back Ethan Pillar has 1,056 and 14 TDs.

“Once (the linemen) got comfortable playing with each other, since Week 4 or 5, they’ve been getting progressively better each week,” LeDonne said. “We’re really happy with the product they’re putting together right now.”

In some ways, Pine-Richland and Cocalico have had similar seasons. Both stumbled with early losses, regrouped midseason and ran their way to district titles.

Cocalico lost two of its first three games and was 3-4 after Week 7. The team qualified for the District 3 playoffs as the No. 12 seed in a 12-team bracket and ran its winning streak to seven games.

The Eagles defeated No. 5 seed Elizabethtown, 42-2, No. 4 Gettysburg, 23-13, No. 1 Solanco, 32-8, and finally No. 2 Exeter Township last week in the district championship game.

Pine-Richland started 1-3 before winning 10 in a row.

“They’re kind of a similar story to us,” LeDonne said. “They were sitting at 3-4 and then ripped off the last seven games. They’re on a run and playing really well right now.”

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: Pine-Richland