Westmoreland football notebook: Quietly, Belle Vernon defense plays fast, hits hard, rarely budges

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, November 11, 2021 | 4:40 PM

So much has been made of Belle Vernon’s offense, and rightly so.

It is electric. People pay to see it.

But the top-seeded Leopards can play some defense, too. Almost quietly, the defensive unit has shown up for the biggest games, continually giving senior Devin Whitlock, sophomore Quinton Martin and Co. more opportunities to make splash plays.

“If everybody does their job, then we win,” senior defensive end Cole Weightman said. “That’s why we blew out McKeesport. We did our jobs and let the offense do the talking.”

Belle Vernon (8-0) will host No. 9 New Castle (7-4) Friday night in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal, and the defense will be geared up to keep doing its job.

The Leopards are seeking a fifth straight trip to the semifinals. They beat New Castle in the 2019 quarterfinals, 49-6, on the way to a finals trip to Heinz Field.

Weightman leads the team with 66 tackles, including 16 for loss. Senior Logan Hoffman is next with 55 stops.

“We’re not the biggest set of kids,” Weightman said. “But we’re fast, and we get off blocks and we hit hard.”

The Leopards have 64 tackles for loss as a team to go with nine interceptions — two each from sophomore Jake Gedekoh, junior Chase Ruokonen and senior Logan Cunningham.

The team is allowing just 10.9 points per game. It held Penn-Trafford to seven points. Laurel Highlands and McKeesport only managed 14.

“There have been some games where teams have been able to get a few plays on a drive and eat up some clock, but we’ve prevented them from getting into the end zone,” Leopards coach Matt Humbert said.

“That’s the key thing.”

And to think the unit has changed so much since opening night.

The Leopards’ defense has had more line changes than the Pittsburgh Penguins as players get thrust into new spots.

“If you look at where we were Week 1 to where we are now … we have guys playing out of place who typically don’t play where they play,” Humbert said. “You’re plugging in people. It’s been neat to see the kids not really bat an eyelash in terms of who goes where. Wherever we put them, they go and they do it. We’re hoping that shows through in the playoffs.”

Junior Steve Macheska, for instance, came in as a fill-in for senior tackle Ryan McGrew but earned himself a starting spot for six weeks.

The Leopards also have had to replace senior Ryan Hamer, who suffered a season-ending injury. Junior Parker Jewell moved to one defensive end spot, and senior Craig Dongilli took root at the other.

Senior Reilly Wiant and Ruokonen also filled in at key spots.

Humbert also has seen the emergence of Gedekoh as a running back and run-stopper.

“He’s been a key bright spot as a sophomore on that defense,” Humbert said.

Senior Jack Bryer has been in and out of the lineup but has played well.

“We all have so much chemistry,” Hoffman said. “We know our assignments. It’s not an individual effort, it’s a team effort.

“We’re there to pick up the offense, fill in the missing piece.”

The Leopards play a base 4-4 defense but switch formations based on opponents.

“We’ve actually played a ton of 4-3 this year,” Humbert said. “Sometimes we’ll put five on the line. Like offense, we’re multiple. But all roads lead out of that four-man front.”

Bye, bye, bye

John Ruane has been coach at Penn-Trafford since 2010 but never has experienced a first-round bye — until this season.

The No. 2-seeded Warriors (8-2) will host No. 10 Fox Chapel (5-6) on Friday night after 13 days away from game action.

“We have never had a bye, so I’m not sure what the outcome will be,” Ruane said. “We practiced as usual all week, splitting time between Fox Chapel and (Upper St. Clair) with some basics. Our staff went to the game.”

Many teams use bye weeks to rest injured players. While Penn-Trafford is generally healthy, Ruane said the time allowed for some “general healing.”

“Our practices were very good and competitive,” he said.

Belle Vernon also has a first-round bye as it gets set for Friday’s game against New Castle.

The bye allowed for some injuries to heal. The Leopards are used to time off. They did not play in Week 8 after Uniontown took them off their schedule.

“It’s all how you utilize it,” Leopards coach Matt Humbert said of a week off. “We practiced full-bore. We lifted hard. We ran hard. We’ve had our share of injuries. The bye weeks have been at very good times because we have been able to rest up some people.”

For example, the bye week before the McKeesport game allowed Bryer to get back after missing two games.

Double dip

If Belle Vernon advances to the semifinals, assistant coach Frank Muccino will have a busy day next Friday.

Muccino, who works with the defensive linemen, also is the boys basketball coach at Southmoreland.

Next Friday not only is the football semifinals but also marks the first day of basketball practice.

Muccino has been doing both jobs for six years.

“You have to have a break (in between seasons),” he said. “It’s what I like to do. Football is a lot different, obviously. There are more stops, and the in-game adjustments are a lot different.”

Extra points

Belle Vernon’s Whitlock has two Division I-FCS offers. Duquesne offered him last week. … Belle Vernon linebacker Logan Hoffman has Division II wrestling offers from UNC-Pembroke and Seton Hill. … Rematches could happen in the semifinals. Belle Vernon could see Thomas Jefferson, and Penn-Trafford might get another shot at nemesis Peters Township or Pine-Richland. The semifinals will be played at neutral sites.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford