With ‘nothing to lose,’ East Allegheny set to take its best shot at No. 1 Belle Vernon

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

The last time East Allegheny reached the WPIAL semifinals was in 1992, when the Wildcats were Class 2A champions.

Coincidentally, the quarterback of that team was Dave Loya, who is now East Allegheny’s athletic director.

Loya and some of his teammates attended last week’s 28-21 victory over South Park in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals.

Now the Wildcats, who rallied after starting out 1-2, face their stiffest competition of the season in No. 1 Belle Vernon at 7 p.m. Friday at Norwin.

The Leopards (9-1) are returning WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A champions and defeated East Allegheny, 55-7, in the 2022 quarterfinals.

This season’s slow start worried East Allegheny coach Dom Pecora.

As he walked up the hill to the locker room at Elizabeth Forward after a loss in Week 2, the veteran coach wondered which way the season would go.

“We were 1-2 and could have been 0-3,” Pecora said. “Then the following week, we were down to South Allegheny in the fourth quarter but found a way to win.”

Pecora and his squad righted the ship after that and ran off eight consecutive wins, including an overtime thriller at Knoch and a close win against Deer Lakes.

The win against South Park reversed a 22-16 loss to the Eagles in Week Zero.

“We’ve been through some battles,” Pecora said, “and Michael (Cahill) has led the way. I’ll go to battle with him any day.”

Cahill, a senior, has completed 61 of 113 passes for 976 yards and nine touchdowns. Brennan Rutledge has scored eight touchdowns and Amir Rollins five.

“We can’t let their quarterback extend plays,” Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. “We have keep him bottled up and don’t let him freelance because when he scrambles around, 50 percent of the time it results in a big play.

“They are very athletic and very slippery. We don’t look past anyone. We prepare like every game is the WPIAL championship game.”

After a tough nonconference schedule that included games against Thomas Jefferson, McKeesport, Penn-Trafford and Laurel Highlands, the Leopards had no problem winning the Interstate Conference.

The Leopards have numerous offensive weapons headlined by Penn State commit Quinton Martin at wide receiver and Eastern Michigan commit Braden Laux at quarterback.

Martin has rushed for 764 yards, caught 37 passes for 590 yards and scored 23 touchdowns.

Kole Doppelheuer has rushed for 606 yards and scored 11 touchdowns, Jake Gedekoh has rushed for 313 yards and scored six times, and wide receiver Anthony Crews has 20 catches for 322 yards and nine touchdowns.

Laux has completed 80 of 124 passes for 1,286 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Since losing to Thomas Jefferson, the Leopards have averaged 52 points per game and allowed 12.2.

“Belle Vernon is loaded,” Pecora said. “They look like and are as big as 5A teams. We have nothing to lose. No one gave Penn State a shot in 1986 to defeat Miami, and it did.”

Along with Cahill, Pecora relies on Rutledge at wide receiver, Rollins at running back and Steve Yusko at outside linebacker to lead the way.

Belle Vernon is looking for its third consecutive trip to Acrisure Stadium and third WPIAL title.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, East Allegheny