With experienced roster returning, Waynesburg sets bar higher
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Sunday, August 21, 2022 | 12:01 PM
After missing the playoffs every season since 2015, Waynesburg is poised to turn the tide.
With an experienced roster returning, coach Aaron Giorgi’s staff and the team have built a strong bond.
“It’s invaluable,” Giorgi said. “We know what to expect out of the kids and the kids know what to expect from us as coaches. Our expectations are higher this year than they have been in previous years, and it just helps with the learning process. As far as practice is concerned, we’re using similar terminology and tweaking some things as we go, and it just helps to learn it.”
Last season, Waynesburg went 2-7, 1-5 in the Class 2A Century Conference. The Raiders were winless in 2020, so getting those two wins and competing throughout the season gave them confidence.
Junior running back Breydon Woods wants to continue to prove that the Raiders have the talent to win football games. He believes last year helped the confidence levels.
“It feels good, and it gave me a lot of confidence,” Woods said. “It helped put Waynesburg on the map. I think people are going to respect us more and know that we’re coming. We have players that have the capability. We have some talent in Waynesburg, so I hope that helps people realize that.”
Woods had a breakout season, rushing for 1,366 yards last year as just a sophomore. He wants to continue that success and eventually rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
One of the main things the Raiders have been focusing on is taking it game by game. Woods said that with a younger team last year, it was tough for the team to get past mistakes. This year, the team has a more diligent approach.
“Every week, you get a new team,” Woods said. “It’s going to be a new offense and new defense. You’re going to need to watch film, and you don’t need to look into the future. You can look back on the past and see what you can fix, but you need to move past it and just play the week that you’re at.”
The Raiders have honed in on execution this offseason. The team has the talent and the potential, but Giorgi wants the team to fulfill its potential.
“Being more crisp is one thing with our route running, our O-line blocking, our gap responsibility on defense and our coverages,” Giorgi said. “Just being more crisp offensively and defensively has been a main focus.”
Junior wide receiver and linebacker Colby Pauley said the team took the initiative and began to prepare for this season right after last season ended.
“Half of us, maybe a little more of us, have been prepping since March in the weight room, starting to learn some plays and getting the offense down,” Pauley said. “After some spring sports cleared up, we got a lot of players in there and went to work.”
Pauley is a returning starter on defense and will get more reps at wide receiver this season.
There is the experience in the skill positions, but Waynesburg’s offensive line is also a veteran unit. The team brings back four out of five players to compete in the trenches.
Seniors Nick Burris and Kaden Russell and juniors Layden Haynes and Hunter Rogers will spearhead the line on both sides of the ball.
Burris said he thinks the team has matured, and a veteran presence on both sides of the ball has made summer camp a success.
“In summer camp, we’re looking solid,” Burris said. “We’re looking better this year than I think we have in the previous years. Everything’s running smoothly. Everybody’s getting adjusted to everything better than we were last year and I think everybody’s looking good.”
Junior wide receiver/cornerback Devon Cowell also sees the team maturing. Cowell caught 16 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown last season and also had a forced fumble and recovery on defense.
“Our offense looks a lot better this year and our defense is a lot more mature,” Cowell said. “We have a lot more strength and speed. We’ve been working a lot better together. Our conditioning is way farther advanced than what it was last year. I think coach Giorgi has stepped it up this year.”
Juniors Chase Fox, Daniel Huffman and Trent Zupper are joining Pauley as part of the receiving corps. Zupper led the team in receiving yards last season with 281.
At quarterback, Jake Stephenson returns as the starter. Stephenson, a sophomore, threw for 816 yards as a freshman last year, tossing eight touchdown passes.
Stephenson believes that the team has focused on improving its execution of plays.
“Offensively, we’re just trying to get the timing down with things,” Stephenson said. “We had a lot of big plays there and we just couldn’t execute, so we’re just getting that execution down.”
The Raiders built a bond over the past few seasons. Stephenson noted how important team chemistry can be.
“You have a team bond, and that’s a big thing we have because you don’t want to have your cliques and stuff,” he said. “You want to have one family and you can think of the team as a family.”
Giorgi believes the team has the skill set to bring a winning team to Waynesburg.
“We’re setting our expectation of making the playoffs,” Giorgi said. “That’s our team goal, and with so many guys coming back with experience, our juniors have three-year starting experience, sophomores have two, and seniors have four. They’ve gotten a lot of playing experience over the years, and we have a lot of role players coming up.”
Cowell and the team have put the work in and they can’t wait for the opportunity to prove that they can win.
“It’s been a lot of losing in Waynesburg football in the past,” he said. “I don’t even know how many years, and we keep talking about it, and we’re ready.”
Waynesburg
Coach: Aaron Giorgi
2021 record: 2-7, 1-5 in Class 2A Century Conference
All-time record: 375-563-36
SCHEDULE
Date, Opponent, Time
9.2 Jefferson-Morgan, 7
9.9 at California, 7
9.16 at Keystone Oaks*, 7
9.23 McGuffey*, 7
9.30 at Washington*, 7
10.7 Brentwood*, 7
10.14 at Uniontown, 7
10.21 at Sto-Rox*, 7
10.28 Charleroi*, 7
*Conference game
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Jake Stephenson
816 yards, 8 TDs
Rushing: Breydon Woods
207-1,366 yards, 11 TDs
Receiving: Trent Zupper
23-281 yards, 4 TDs
FAST FACTS
• Waynesburg won its first and only WPIAL title in 1999.
• Giorgi is in his second season as Raiders head coach. He previously coached at Jefferson-Morgan.
• Waynesburg is one of the oldest teams in the WPIAL with its inaugural season in 1903.
• The Raiders play at Raider Stadium, which has a capacity of 1,920 fans.
Note: Due to publishing scheduling conflicts, the preview for Century Conference team Charleroi will appear on Trib HSSN later this week.
