102 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
Coach: Luke Travelpiece
2019 record: 5-6, 4-3 in
Class 2A Three River Conference
All-time record: 268-318-19
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Western Beaver* 7
9.25 Avonworth 7
10.2 at Sto-Rox* 7
10.9 Carlynton* 7
10.16 at Brentwood* 7
10.24 at Seton LaSalle* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Aden Almashy
69-148, 924 yards, 8 TDs
Receiving Dominic Marino*
140-760 yards, 6 TDs
Rushing Trenton Seik*
45-640 yards, 5 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• South Side is celebrating the
50th anniversary of its first
WPIAL championship, a 20-12
victory over Chartiers-Houston
for the Class A title in 1970.
South Side also won a WPIAL
championship in 1999 and
played in the finals in 1991
and 2018.
• While teams across Class
2A were celebrating the promotion
of WPIAL champion
Avonworth to Class 3A, South
Side didn’t join them. The
Rams will play the Antelopes
anyway with the teams squaring
off in a nonconference
game Sept. 25.
• While the rest of the Class
2A Three Rivers Conference
will be welcoming WPIAL
Class A runner-up Sto-Rox
to the schedule, South Side
is used to it. The Rams have
faced the Vikings in nonconference
games each of the last
two seasons, splitting the pair
of matchups.
ADEN ALMASHY
SOUTH SIDE PUTS
PRESSURE ON DEFENSES
At this time of year, most high
school football coaches will profess
a desire to get the ball into the
hands of a variety of players.
South Side’s Luke Travelpiece
actually means it.
Last season, the Rams had four
players with at least 650 yards from
scrimmage, but no one with more
than 800.
It’s the kind of democratic approach
that the Wing-T offense
promotes.
“When your quarterback is willing
to run and you can make it
a four-back attack and you can
get it out to your split end – and
we’ve been very blessed over the
last number of years to have very
good wide receivers that demand
attention – you can put the defense
on its heels and make them defend
the entire field,” Travelpiece said.
“That’s obviously an advantage to
the offense.
“I know every offense, they think
they’re doing the same thing. If
you talk to the spread guys, they’ll
tell you they’re spreading you out
and forcing you to defend the
whole field. This is just the way
that we do it.”
The Rams will have to replace
their top two rushers from last season,
Dominic Marino and Anthony
Navarra, who combined for 1,455
rushing yards and 14 touchdowns,
as well as top receiver Trenton
Seik. They have plenty of candidates
to fill the roles.
Start with Andrew Moots, a
hard-nosed runner who amassed
653 yards and nine touchdowns
as a sophomore last season without
touching the ball much before
Week 5.
Add in Alex Arrigo, who started
and scored in last year’s season
opener against eventual WPIAL finalist
Sto-Rox as a freshman before
sitting in a single high school class.
He broke his collarbone in Week 1
and missed the rest of the season.
Another freshman in the starting
lineup in last year’s opener,
Parker Statler, contributed 200
rushing yards on an average of 10
per carry last season. Junior Donnie
Jodikinos also returns.
The group of young ball carriers
will run behind an experienced offensive
line with at least four starters
returning. Senior Devin Ross, a
first-team all-conference pick last
season, will lead the way. Seniors
Caleb Kress, Chase Daniels and
Ashton Statler are also back.
Perhaps most importantly, the
Rams can lean on a veteran quarterback
in senior Aden Almashy.
He threw for 924 yards and eight
touchdowns last year.
“He really grew and developed,”
Travelpiece said. “When you can
have that leadership back, that’s
very big.”
The Rams will be looking to
make the playoffs for the third
straight year and the sixth time in
the last seven seasons.
“It’s great to have a program
where you’re coming into the
season and you’re anticipating
making the playoffs and getting
there and having something to
work for,” Travelpiece said. “You
do this sport and you put the time
in in the offseason because you’re
competitive. If you didn’t have that
to aim for and you didn’t have the
trust in yourself that you’re going
to be there and you’re playing for
something – we want to put our
year up on the trophy case – it’s a
little harder to get excited.”
The Three Rivers Conference
welcomes in Sto-Rox, which is
bumping up from Class A, and
Western Beaver, which is coming
off a 7-3 season in the Midwestern
Athletic Conference. Travelpiece
expects a six-team battle royal.
“Every team in our section right
now feels like they have a shot at
the section,” he said, “and that’s
what makes this so fun.”
by JONATHAN BOMBULIE
THREE RIVERS • SOUTH SIDE DEVIN ROSS