Veteran players committed to keeping winning culture growing at Deer Lakes

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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The Deer Lakes football program has forged a culture of winning the past couple of years, which has resulted in trips to the WPIAL playoffs and a great deal of excitement among many in the Lancers athletic community.

Tim Burk, Deer Lakes’ eighth-year head coach, said the team members gearing up for this season have dedicated themselves to not letting that success wane.

“The biggest thing with this team is the kids’ work ethic in their approach to being better as individuals and for the team,” said Burk, who saw his team finish 8-3 overall in 2024, 5-1 in the Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference to finish second to Imani Christian.

“The upperclassmen have been groomed the past couple of years with the right kind of mindset. The guys have put forth the effort in workouts, and the veterans have taken the reins of that. I am really excited to see what this season brings.”

The Lancers saw last season come to a sudden halt with a 21-14 loss to North Catholic. To get back to the postseason, Deer Lakes again will have to make its way through a conference with local flair. Imani, Freeport, Burrell, Highlands, East Allegheny and Valley stand in Deer Lakes’ way.

“Highlands will be tough. They have athletes all over the place,” Burk said. “I am glad their quarterback (Menage Lucas) is gone. He did so much damage in games. Freeport was supposed to be young last year, but they finished 8-4, and they gave us a heckuva fight. That will be a big game for us.

“Burrell, with a new coach, will be reformed and revamped. We’re glad to get them in the last game of the year, so there will be a lot of time to see how they develop. Valley always has talent and guys who are just studs. You never know what to expect from them, and that makes them a challenge to prepare for. East Allegheny gave us a run last year, and they’re returning a lot. The conference is good from top to bottom. We have to come prepared every week.”

A mix of experienced starters and those ready to get their shot under the Friday night varsity lights will guide the Lancers through three nonconference matchups to the conference opener against the Yellowjackets.

Junior Dante Mangieri will get the call at quarterback after the graduation of Jake Fleischer. Burk said Mangieri throws the ball well and has the quickness to tuck the ball and go if needed.

“Dante has such a passion and a drive to be good,” Burk said. “He knows who he’s following. We feel that he’s another one coming through who will become a pretty significant quarterback. Time will tell, but we think he’s in a good spot.”

Juniors Dom Sciubba, who stands 6-foot-5, and Evan Moore will be key targets for Mangieri in the passing game.

“Dom will be able to make some great plays with his size and ability,” Burk said. “Evan has shown that he has some wiggle and is able to get separation on routes. We’re really looking forward to seeing what those two can do offensively.”

Sciubba and Moore also will be important factors in the defensive secondary.

Senior Ryan Love and sophomore Roman Smith are expected to step up and fill the void left by the graduated Zier Williams, who ran for more than 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns last year.

“Ryan has really transformed his body,” Burk said. “He runs hard and is quick.

“Roman is a really patient runner who lets things develop. We think they will be a great 1-2 punch. They are very dynamic in different aspects.”

Senior Joey Ashi, an anchor on both the offensive and defensive lines at 6-foot, 260 pounds, was a two-way conference all-star last year.

“He’s had a great offseason,” Burk said. “He did a lot of camps and a lot of college tours. He redefined his body with more muscle.”

Fellow seniors Shaun Bier (6-2, 290) and Aiden McCurdy (6-4, 270) have grown in size and experience.

Senior Garrett Waybright (6-0, 255) is back after missing almost all of last year with a broken leg.

“We’re really excited about the offensive line,” Burk said. “They will be our center of attention and focal point. They are bringing back three or four years of experience. We’re really excited to have that. This is a group that has become pretty inseparable. You see one, you see all four. That cohesiveness is amazing. They can see there’s something special up front, and they are willing to show that again this year. We ran the ball well and threw it well, and those guys are back.”

Jack Guthrie enjoyed a standout sophomore season at outside linebacker and earned all-conference second-team recognition. Last year’s leading tackler (52) is back ready to help anchor the Lancers defense.

“Over the past two years, we’ve had a lot of success against a few teams, and now, they will be looking to get back at us,” Burk said. “We have to be prepared for that. We don’t walk in and everybody fears Deer Lakes. That’s just not a thing. We’ve kind of earned our stripes over the past few years, but we don’t want to lose them either. We’re going to get teams’ best shot, and we have to line up and be ready for that.”

Deer Lakes

Coach: Tim Burk

2024 record: 8-3, 5-1 in Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference

All-time record: 195-335-9

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 at Keystone Oaks, 7

8.29 South Park, 7

9.5 Derry, 7

9.12 at Freeport*, 7

9.19 East Allegheny*, 7

9.26 at Highlands*, 7

10.3 at Beaver, 7:30

10.10 Imani Christian*, 7

10.17 at Valley*, 7

10.24 at Burrell*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Jake Fleischer*

104-178, 1,370 yards, 16 TDs

Rushing: Zier Williams*

208-1,244 yards, 16 TDs

Receiving: Zach Grant*

42-661 yards, 9 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Deer Lakes has made the WPIAL playoffs each of the past three seasons. Before that, Lancers teams made the postseason just twice (2010, 2015) in five decades of existence.

• Tim Burk enters his eighth year as head coach at Deer Lakes. The former Lancers quarterback and 1997 Deer Lakes graduate is 30-40 over his first seven seasons but a combined 16-7 in 2023 and 2024.

• The Lancers scored 28.4 points a game last year and gave up 22.4. The defensive points per game were skewed with 42 surrendered against Beaver and 48 against Imani.

• Of Deer Lakes’ 41 offensive touchdowns last year, 25 came from the run game.

ROSTER

No., Name, Pos., Ht./Wt., Cl.

2, Luca Mangieri, WR/CB, 6-1/170, sr.

3, Larry Rommes, K, 5-11/170, sr.

4, Santino Bogan, SS/WR, 6-0/180, jr.

5, Roman Smith, RB, 5-10/175, so.

6, Maddox Sudayu, WR/CB, 5-7/145, so.

7, Dom Sciubba, WR/SS, 6-5/185, sr.

8, Braden Brunette, WR/LB, 6-1/180, so.

9, Dante Mangieri, QB/FS, 6-0/175, jr.

10, Nino Spagnolo, QB, 5-6/150, so.

11, Luca Bellisario, WR/DB, 5-7/125, fr.

12, Evan Moore, WR/CB, 6-3/170, jr.

13, Brandon Hixon, WR, 5-9/135, so.

14, Braydon Stein, QB/CB, 5-10/150, so.

15, Shane Engwer, WR/DB, 5-11/150, fr.

16, Connor Moore, K, 5-10/160, so.

17, Noah Brown, WR/DB, 5-10/150, fr.

18, Landen French, RB/DB, 5-6/140, fr.

21, Jackson Talik, WR/DB, 5-10/140, so.

23, Ryan Love, RB/MLB, 5-8/180, sr.

24, Jax Domyslawski, RB/LB, 5-6/130, fr.

25, Jack Guthrie, OLB/TE, 6-0/195, jr.

28, Colby Borowski, RB, 5-8/160, jr.

33, Daniel Bichler, RB/MLB, 5-8/180, jr.

50, Travis Carrozza, DE/RB, 5-10/165, fr.

51, Ryan Mazon, G/DT, 5-6/170, jr.

53, Braden Harris, OL/LB, 5-5/155, so.

55, James Gall, DE/T, 5-11/195, jr.

57, Levi Beacom, OL/DL, 6-2/220, fr.

58, Brennan Mcgowan, NG/C, 5-10/190, jr.

60, Alex Shively, OL/DL, 5-7/185, fr.

62, Dom Petronio, OL/DL, 5-9/190, fr.

65, Nathan Hloznik, OL/DL, 6-2/230, jr.

65, Garrett Waybright, TE/DE, 5-11/230, sr.

66, Aiden Mccurdy, DT/T, 6-4/260, sr.

67, Shaun Bier, T/G/DT, 6-2/290, sr.

70, Austin Bankowski, OL/DL, 5-9/235, so.

72, Anthony Albergottie, G, 5-7/240, so.

74, Dale Podnar, G/DT, 5-10/185, so.

75, Kris Frinsco, OL/DL, 6-0/210, jr.

77, Joey Ashi, T/DE, 6-0/265, sr.

78, Luca Ray, OL/DL, 5-10/250, so.

79, Max Devereaux, OL/DL, 5-10/250, sr.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes