Top-seeded Seton LaSalle starts fast, handles Steel Valley in Class 2A semifinals

By: Ted Sarneso
Friday, November 15, 2024 | 11:44 PM

Fresh off the victory, it still hadn’t set in for Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino.

“I haven’t had time to process it yet,” he said as his players celebrated with friends and family.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Storino added. “We’re excited. The whole school is excited. It’s been a great week, a lot of energy. We’re looking forward to the opportunity.”

It’s an opportunity that has come quicker than expected for Storino, as he thought his team would reach the WPIAL championship game two years down the line.

“I just didn’t think it would happen so quick,” said Storino. “We had a great group coming back, great group of seniors this year. These kids were 0-10 two years ago and they never quit. We knew we would get here.”

The top-seeded Rebels (11-0) forced four turnovers in their 27-13 victory over No. 4 seed Steel Valley (9-4) in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals at West Mifflin on Friday night.

“It was about the kids buying in,” Storino continued. “Football is about momentum, discipline, and it has its ups and downs. You have to stay even keeled. Can’t get too high or too low.”

The game certainly had its ups and downs and swings of momentum.

Seton LaSalle drove 60 yards on its first possession of the game, and senior running back Logan King punched it in from 17 yards out.

Then, after the Ironmen punted, the Rebels went on a 14-play, 89-yard drive and King found paydirt again with a 3-yard dive to the left.

King was nearly unstoppable in the first half, racking up 97 yards on 19 carries and scoring three times. He finished the game with 134 yards on 33 carries.

“It starts with the five linemen up front,” Storino said. “We’ve got a freshman, Ray Piagessi, at right tackle who just started three weeks ago for the injured Ethan Patsey. Piagessi’s been doing a solid job for us as has Dom Fani, Brody Dilla and Jasani Rivers. Our receivers also did a great job blocking in the outside. They all deserve the credit.”

King rammed home his third touchdown from the 1-yard line as Seton LaSalle started the drive with great field position after Steel Valley running back Donald Barksdale fumbled.

The Rebels forced four turnovers — three fumbles and an interception at the end of the first half — and scored 14 points off of them.

Donald Barksdale fumbled twice and his brother Da’Ron fumbled once.

“Donald’s carried us all year and hardly ever fumbles,” said Steel Valley coach Ray Brazso. “Sometimes the other team has something to do with it. They were aggressive on us. Just couldn’t overcome those things.”

“Our defensive coordinator, Brent Neely, is phenomenal,” said Storino. “He’s intense and the kids buy in. Will Martin and Jaylen Smith played out of their minds on the defensive line. We won the game because we stopped the run.”

The Rebels held the Barksdale brothers in check in the first half. Donald ran for 28 yards on five carries and Da’Ron ran for 44 yards on eight carries.

Donald finished the game with 85 yards on 15 carries and Da’Ron ended his night running the ball 17 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Looking to build off of the momentum his team built with a 27-0 halftime lead, Storino called for a surprise onside kick to start the second half.

“We were going to do it in the first half,” Storino said. “Every time we went to kick, the one guy kept moving over to one side and didn’t cover the middle. It’s been there all year. We have eight weeks of film. Western Beaver got it on them last week. We thought they would adjust and they didn’t.”

The Rebels executed the onside kick to perfection, but what they did afterwards swung momentum back to the Steel Valley side.

Seton LaSalle went backwards on a 4-yard loss, gained 6 yards and then quarterback Michael Pastirik took a 10-yard sack, forcing the Rebels to punt.

Pastirik didn’t have the numbers he did a week ago against Riverside, but he did enough to keep the Steel Valley defense honest. He completed eight of his twelve passes for 106 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Taylor.

Two plays after the sack of Pastirik, Da’Ron Barksdale ran one in from 35-yards out to give the Ironmen some life.

A couple of drives later, Seton LaSalle netted only 3 total yards and punted again to Steel Valley, which drove 48 yards and Da’Ron scored again from 10 yards out.

“We told them at halftime that no matter what happens, we weren’t going to give up,” said Braszo. “That’s not the kind of team, the kind of young men they are. They proved me right. They’re a tough team.”

Steel Valley’s comeback bid ended when the Rebels defense forced Donald Barksdale to fumble for the third time and the Seton LaSalle offense took knees to seal the win.

“We tell them all the time you can’t turn the ball over and watch the penalties when it comes to the playoffs,” said Braszo. “Can’t allow the other team to sustain drives. It will get you in trouble.”

It was a tough loss for Steel Valley, which struggled early on behind a young offensive line but got better as the year progressed. The team found its stride when it started section play and fought its way to the semifinals.

“These guys have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Braszo. “We’re just broken hearted that we lost.”

For Seton LaSalle, it’s a sweet victory after coming together as one and believing in themselves.

“People don’t understand that these kids didn’t grow up together, so to bring them together takes time,” said Storino. “We have it now where the kids love each other and will fight for each other and the program.”

The Rebels will face No. 2 seed South Park on Saturday, Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium and they will prepare the only way they know how: with another solid week of preparation.

“We just got to keep believing, keep fighting and stay positive,” said Storino. “We practice so hard. People don’t know how competitive our practices are. The kids compete and fight every day.”

Tags: Seton La Salle, Steel Valley