Springdale boys return to postseason looking to ‘make some magic’

By: Ted Sarneso
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | 3:16 PM

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When Scott Ruppert took over the Springdale boys basketball team three weeks before the season started, the first thing he did was reach out to his players and provide them each with a goal sheet.

Every one of his seniors wrote the same goal: make it to the playoffs.

“That group had never been there before,” Ruppert said. “When they wrote that down, it geared us towards committing to a new level of grinding and understanding that it would take a lot of sacrifice to be a playoff team.”

It all started with what Ruppert called the “senior buy-in.”

“On a whim they bought into somebody they barely knew, bought into a coaching staff that was all brand new to the district,” Ruppert said. “They went above and beyond in the aspect of just trusting myself, my staff and each other to bring out the best in one another.”

The Dynamos (13-8) were rewarded for that faith as the team is back in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. They enter the Class 2A playoffs as the 21st seed and will travel to No. 12 Jefferson-Morgan in the preliminary round at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The journey all started way back in Ruppert’s first three weeks, when the team fully committed to a new system and style of play.

“In your first year, you can’t run multiple offenses. You don’t always have the time or the personnel,” Ruppert said. “With our speed, athleticism and size — our tallest player is 5-foot-11 — the coaching staff and I made the decision that to be successful we would need to play fast.”

The season got off to a rousing start with an 82-36 win over Cornell, followed by two wins in the St. Joseph tournament. First, a 67-49 win over the host team and a 53-51 overtime win against Burrell, which was the WPIAL Class 3A runner-up last season.

The Dynamos ran their record to 8-2 before the Christmas break.

“We were on our high horse at the break,” Ruppert said. “It was the best the team had been in a long time, and we felt like we had something special.”

Coming out of the break, the Dynamos lost their edge just as they were entering section play.

“As a coaching staff we felt like we didn’t have enough time to get everything in place by the time we got to section play because we were still building that foundation,” Ruppert said. “We hit a lull, and the season always has its ups and downs.”

They began with a loss at Riverview, where the Dynamos hadn’t lost in three years, then were thumped 70-40 by Jeannette at home. After a win against Frazier, the Dynamos were once again beaten by 30-plus points against Greensburg Central Catholic.

“We hit a hole where we needed to rediscover ourselves and realize what we needed to change to make ourselves the best possible team and not just win any game, but win in section,” Ruppert said. “I give a lot of credit to my coaching staff and my seniors for getting creative and finding ways to be successful.”

To stop the bleeding, Springdale avenged an earlier season loss against Clairton by beating the Bears, 42-38, at home in what Ruppert called a signature win for his team.

“Clairton had everything going into that game,” he said. “They had the size, the athleticism and the shooting to beat us. We out-worked and out-willed them. I thought the roof to Donald Magee Fieldhouse might have exploded that day.”

That win spurred Springdale to another revenge win over Riverview. Then, spirited efforts against Jeannette and Greensburg Central followed as the Dynamos only lost by 13 points to each the second time around.

It’s been a true team effort the entire way for the Dynamos. There is not a single player averaging more that 12 points.

Sophomore Robby Simmen leads the team with 12 ppg, and fellow sophomore Liam Dexter is right there with 11 ppg.

Senior captains Pat Wylly (10 ppg), John Duku (6) and Garrett Myers (5) round out the starting five.

“Robby and Liam have been impact players since stepping into the starting lineup,” Ruppert said. “Liam is our tallest kid, and Robby is somebody to keep an eye on in the future.

“Pat does all the good things, guards well. John is the best defender that no other team’s best player wants guarding them, and Garrett is our anchor.”

Caleb Leahy, Peru Chapman and Jackson Muller are a trio of seniors who provide experience off the bench. Leahy is averaging 7 points.

The group was focused during practice this week, with each player showing up 20 minutes early for each session and asking questions they’ve never asked, Ruppert said.

“They’re locked in,” Ruppert said. “We have to make sure we have that same focus, coupled with a level of intensity and heart that can only come from those guys. We need to be ready for the bright lights.”

From what he’s seen on film, Ruppert believes it will be a tough contest for both the Dynamos and the Rockets.

“They’ve played a lot of teams that have tried to slow them down and contain them because of their size and length,” Ruppert said. “We’re a team that wants to get out there, get after it and play up and down the floor. I see it as an even matchup.”

In his eyes, Ruppert also sees each team being extra motivated by being under-seeded.

“I didn’t like our seeding,” Ruppert said. “There’s no way we’re a 21 seed with our record and the section we played in. Jefferson-Morgan is a team that should have been a higher seed as well. I think we both have a chip on our shoulder about this game, and I think it’s going to be a battle.”

But just as his players had faith in him in the early part of the season, Ruppert has faith his players can go into the playoffs and “make some magic happen.”

“It’s just been a great group of players, great senior leaders, great group of kids to coach,” Ruppert said. “I give credit to them, my coaching staff, and more importantly, the Springdale community for supporting us through this season. All of that combined helped to make us a playoff-worthy team, and it’s been a great year.”

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