With 4-year starter under center, Trinity primed for another playoff season

By: Dave Mackall
Monday, August 11, 2025 | 6:01 AM

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Trinity has been making a lot of racket lately. Maybe it’s time for the Hillers to rumble.

Armed with a four-year starting quarterback and a coaching staff oozing with confidence, the Washington-based school is marching into another season with a purpose.

“We’re proud of what we’re doing here. And I mean ‘we,’” coach Dan Knause said.

The Hillers are aiming for a third consecutive WPIAL playoff appearance out of the highly respected Class 4A Big Six Conference, whose defending champion, Thomas Jefferson, last season ended powerful Aliquippa’s run of 16 consecutive trips to a WPIAL championship game.

“We feel like we have a team this year that, no matter who we play, we should be in position to win every game in the fourth quarter,” Knause said

“We believe in the way the program operates and in the kids coming back. But you’ve got to be committed to the daily process. If you’re not going to embrace it and attack it every day, nothing matters.”

Trinity’s recent success can be traced in part to the progression of senior quarterback Jonah Williamson, a Harvard commit, who is ranked No. 1 in his class.

“At this point, it’s like having another coach,” Knause said.

It started when Williamson was thrust into the Trinity lineup as a freshman in 2022 — Knause’s first season as coach — and the team battled to a 4-6 record, ending the year with a 50-7 rout of Ringgold.

Things swiftly progressed in 2023, when Williamson totaled more than 1,000 yards each in rushing and passing, and Trinity went 7-5 after upsetting Thomas Jefferson in the regular season and scoring a resounding 49-0 first-round playoff victory over North Catholic.

It marked the first postseason victory for Trinity in 16 years.

A gritty 28-14 loss to McKeesport followed in the quarterfinals, but it was an encouraging performance for a playoff-starved program.

Last season’s 5-6 mark included another respectable postseason showing. This time, the Hillers lost 34-14 in the quarterfinals to that same sterling Aliquippa program.

Trinity rallied from a poor star and entered the playoffs after having won four of its final five regular-season games to finish a game behind conference-leader Thomas Jefferson.

“We had a touchdown called back (against Aliquippa) that would’ve gotten us within 21-14,” Knause said.

It quickly changed the course of the game, he said.

In a new year — Williamson’s final season — Trinity has gone through a renaissance of sorts for a program whose overall record since its inception more than 100 years ago is 393-536-37.

“We sensed it early that Jonah was mentally mature,” Knause said. “He’s started a lot of games for us. He’s played in the playoffs.”

Williamson fought through last season with a young team made up of mainly juniors and sophomores.

Junior wideout Chase Kostelnik, the Hillers’ leading receiver last season, returns with an eye toward Williamson.

“That youth is now experience,” Knause said. “We return a lot of skill on the perimeter. A lot of production is coming back. The kid that really splashed for us last year is Owen Gardner.”

The 5-foot-10, 202-pound running back was in the thick of the Trinity offense as a sophomore.

Two-way tackles Jackson Starr (6-2, 260) and Matt Richard (6-0, 250) anchor the line. Richard returns after earning first-team all-conference honors last season as a freshman.

They and others, such as wide receivers Anthony Giorgi and Ben Priest and running back David Gill, are reminiscent of a group that gained confidence as the season progressed, Knause said.

What’s more, Giorgi, who was injured midway through his junior year last season, recently committed to Navy.

“We’ve also got a guy from the ‘23-24 graduating class, (offensive lineman) Braeden Helmkamp, who’s at Army,” Knause said. “That’s pretty cool.”

Trinity

Coach: Dan Knause

2024 record: 5-6, 4-1 in Class 4A Big Six Conference

All-time record: 393-536-37

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.22 Moon, 7

8.29 at McGuffey, 7

9.5 at Montour, 7

9.12 Peters Township, 7

9.19 Bethel Park, 7

9.26 at Ringgold*, 7

10.3 Thomas Jefferson*, 7

10.10 Chartiers Valley*, 7

10.17 at Laurel Highlands*, 7

10.24 at Belle Vernon*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Jonah Williamson

79-165, 1,004 yards, 6 TDs

Rushing: Williamson

148-816 yards, 9 TDs

Receiving: Chase Kostelnik

14-284 yards, 2 TDs

FAST FACTS

• Coach Dan Knause will miss quarterback Jonah Williamson when the senior’s illustrious high school career is complete after this season. “He’s definitely a lead-by-example guy, and he’s very respected by his teammates. He does all the little things, like even taking out the water tanks,” Knause said. “It’s special to watch.”

• The Hillers will be forced to replace senior cornerback Seth Stewart, who is lost for the season with a knee injury.

• Despite making a late charge in the Big Six Conference, Trinity barely outscored its opponents last season by an average of 23 points to 21 points per game.

• Trinity plays three of its first five games at home, beginning with the opener Aug. 22 against Moon.

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